Cow Creek Band of Umpqua gives $150,000

Posted January 28, 2002

PORTLAND, Ore.—Lewis & Clark College has received $150,000 from the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua in appreciation of the labors of Stephen Dow Beckham and Dennis Whittlesey in the settlement of the tribe’s land claims case with the federal government and the negotiation of its successful gaming and entertainment enterprises.

Susan C. Shaffer, chair of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, announced the gift at a Lewis & Clark Law School banquet honoring Beckham and Whittlesey as distinguished honorary alumni and Judge Roosevelt Robinson ’76 as distinguished graduate.

Beckham, an expert in Native American history, holds the Dr. Robert B. Pamplin Jr. Professorship in History at Lewis & Clark College. Whittlesey serves on the Board of Visitors of the Lewis & Clark Law School and is a partner in the Washington, D.C., law firm of Jackson & Kelly.

"We believe Lewis & Clark can become the national center for Indian Law education in the country,” said Jim Huffman, dean of the law school, upon accepting the gift. “This tremendous gift will help make this dream a reality and will help serve our law school, Indian country and our nation for many years to come.”

The law school offers a basic curriculum in Indian law, courses taught by a Native American faculty member, a library collection in Indian law, an Indian law summer program, and scholarships funded by the Quinault Allottees Association.

Beckham, Whittlesey, Shaffer and the Tribal Council began working with Congress and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in 1979 to win compensation for the taking of the tribe's lands and achieved a successful settlement in 1984.

The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua negotiated the first Indian gaming compact in Oregon in 1992 and opened the first gaming facility in the state. Since then, the tribe has successfully used its Seven Feathers Casino and Resort as the catalyst for developing a broad economic base and self-sufficiency for the tribe.

Shaffer received an Aubrey R. Watzek Award in 1986 from Lewis & Clark College for her service to the community and the tribe.

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For more information, please contact:
Jean Kempe-Ware
Senior Communications Officer
503-768-7960
kempe@lclark.edu

For more information, please contact:
Stephen Dow Beckham
Dr. Robert B. Pamplin Jr. Professor of History
503-768-7455
beckham@lclark.edu