For almost five decades, Chief Phillip Martin helped lead the Mississippi Band of Choctaws from the depths of poverty to a prosperous nation and in so doing gained a national reputation as the “Moses” of the Choctaw people.

Martin, who died Feb. 4, 2010, at age 83 following a “massive” stroke, is being remembered by his alma mater, East Central Community College, for his dedication to economic development, commitment to education and his leadership of the Choctaw people.

The College is posthumously presenting Martin with a Lifetime Achievement Award during homecoming activities scheduled Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010, on the Decatur campus.

Martin’s widow, Bonnie, and other family members are expected to attend the Alumni Association Luncheon beginning at noon in Mabry Memorial Cafeteria, when the award will be presented by ECCC President Dr. Phil A. Sutphin.

“Chief Martin recognized the value of higher education and workforce training,” said Dr. Sutphin. “ECCC entered into a fruitful partnership with MBCI and Chief Martin to provide educational opportunities and workforce training. Because of the Chief’s efforts, the College works closely with the economic development arm of the Tribe and staffs the Integrated Technology Training Center at Choctaw, Mississippi.”

Martin, who attended ECCC in 1958-59, served eight consecutive terms as Tribal Chief, from 1979 until his defeat by current chief Miko Beasley Denson, in 2007.

He was first elected to the Tribal Council in 1957 and sought to improve Choctaw housing as one of his early initiatives. In 1981, Martin persuaded then Mayor Allan King and the City of Philadelphia to issue bonds to lure American Greetings to what was then a new industrial park on the Pearl River Reservation.

The Choctaws used the bond money to build a 12,000 square-foot building, which was used by the greeting card company for 25 years. At its peak, American Greetings employed 150-250 people and had an annual payroll of more than $2 million.

For years Martin traveled across the country talking to CEOs trying to convince them to put manufacturing plants on the Reservation. The Choctaws soon built their own industrial park…and Martin’s dream of “self-determination and economic development” for his people, was under way.

That dream became even more of a reality with the completion of the $750 million Pearl River Resort, which includes the Silver Star Hotel and Casino, Golden Moon Hotel and Casino, Dancing Rabbit Golf Club and Geyser Falls Water Theme Park, described as the “centerpiece” of the Tribe’s economic engine.

Martin helped bring many other businesses to the Choctaw Reservation, among which included a wire harness operation, a plastic molding facility, and  printing, direct mail, and construction enterprises, a shopping center and several high-tech manufacturing facilities.

Thanks to Martin’s leadership, the Tribe is now one of the state’s largest employers with assets worth more than $1 billion.

In the two decades ending in 1999, household income on the Reservation jumped to $24,100 from $2,500, while unemployment fell from over 75 percent to about two percent, according to the Wall Street Journal, which included Martin’s obituary with the headline, “Moses’ of the Choctaws Led the Indian Tribe to Prosperity.”

Miko Denson said of the longtime chief following his untimely death, “He transformed the economy of our tribe and with it the fate of our people. He modernized our government. Our Tribe and all of Indian Country would not be where we are today without his leadership, commitment to self-determination and his dedication to economic development.” 

Denson was among the estimated 200 mourners who packed Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Martin’s native Tucker Community, for the Feb. 8 service.

Martin also received accolades from state and national leaders.

Gov. Haley Barbour described Martin as “a visionary leader whose remarkable life was marked by devoted and productive service to the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.” 

“His attention to economic development while preserving the cultural aspects of Native American life in Mississippi will be long remembered; he was a great Mississippian and will be missed,” Barbour said in a prepared statement.

Sen. Roger Wicker said Martin was a leader “who inspired his people and strengthened his community and state.” 

Flags were flown at half-staff in Philadelphia, on the Pearl River Resort and other locations on the Reservation in Martin’s honor.

Martin was born on March 13, 1926, at the old Choctaw Indian Hospital in Philadelphia, the third of six children to Willie and Mary Martin.

His early life was described as “difficult” in the Tucker Community, where he grew up without running water or electricity. He eventually left Neshoba County to attend the Cherokee Indian Boarding School in North Carolina after his father died and his mother was unable to support him.

The death of Martin’s older brother in Germany during World War II was said to have had a profound impact on the younger Martin, and at age 19 he left for active duty in the Army and later became a radar specialist in the Air Force.

On a visit home in 1953 during a late summer evening described as “unusually hot and humid” at the Neshoba County Fair, the then 27-year-old Martin reacquainted himself with a young Indian Princess, Bonnie Kate Bell, whom he would marry within two years.

“That chance meeting was the beginning of an exciting though often long-distance romance,” Martin recounted in his autobiography, “Chief: The Autobiography of Phillip Martin.”

Bonnie was the one who encouraged Martin to stay in Neshoba County and make a difference, he wrote in his book.

On January 6 of this year, the Martins celebrated 54 years of marriage.

Martin was known as “chief” among his military buddies long before he was elected Tribal leader. He was one of four Martin brothers to serve in the U.S. Military.

When the “chief” gave his farewell address following his defeat to Denson in 2007, he stated leaving his tenure “was very difficult.”

“It’s very difficult today, it’s like leaving home,” Martin stated.”I’ve been here so long that it’s difficult…but I knew it would come one day and it has come today.” 

Martin was the recipient of numerous honors throughout his career but none were more special than his recognition as Philadelphia and Neshoba County’s “Citizen of the Year” in 1997. 

“I get a lot of awards but they are from somewhere else,” he said while accepting the award during the Chamber of Commerce Banquet. “It has a lot more meaning when your own people, local people, recognize you. It means a lot to me because I live here and work here.” 

In 2008, the American Legion Post 138 honored Martin for his contributions to Neshoba County veterans and presented him with a flag that flew over the nation’s capital in his honor.

Nationally, Martin served as president of the National Tribal Chairmen’s Association, as a founder and past president of the United States and Eastern Tribes, an association of the 23 federally recognized tribes in the eastern portion of the United States. 

He was the first president of the Board of Regents of Haskell Indian Junior College, serving from 1970 to 1976. During that period, he helped the college achieve full accreditation. 

In 1993, he founded the United South and Eastern Tribes Gaming Association, and served as president.

As a strong and widely-known advocate for education and economic development, Martin was selected to serve on the advisory committee for the Division of Technology at Mississippi State University-Meridian.

He was also responsible for establishing public service enterprises, such as the Choctaw Transit Authority and the Choctaw Utility Commission.

Martin was also the recipient of numerous national and state awards, including the Hammer Award from then Vice President Al Gore. He was also inducted into the Mississippi Business Hall of Fame and the Mississippi Press Association Hall of Fame.

Martin and his wife had two daughters, Deborah Lewis and Patricia Gibson, both of Choctaw. He is also survived by five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.