MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2010 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Ward, Burton, Carmichael, Butler, Chassaniol, Davis, Dearing, Frazier, Gollott, Jackson (11th), King, Lee (35th), Montgomery, Stone, Yancey
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION MOURNING THE LOSS OF FORMER MISSISSIPPI BAND OF CHOCTAW INDIANS CHIEF PHILLIP MARTIN AND COMMENDING HIS LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP AND SELF-DETERMINATION.
WHEREAS, Phillip Martin, who led the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians to economic heights as Tribal Chief for 28 years, died on February 4, 2010; and
WHEREAS, Phillip Martin was the democratically elected Tribal Chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, a federally recognized American Indian Tribe of 9,100 enrolled members living on or near 30,000 acres of reservation land in East Central Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, Chief Martin had a 45-year record of service and leadership in the tribal government, having served with the utmost integrity and dignity as Tribal Chief since 1979. Chief Martin served six consecutive four-year terms; and
WHEREAS, the third of six children, Martin was born March 13, 1926, in Philadelphia, Mississippi. The family home was lost in a fire when Martin was a toddler. With no insurance and little money, they relocated to a tiny house that had no electricity or running water. Martin entered the Air Force after graduating from high school and was stationed in Germany. When he could not communicate with the Germans, he took a class to learn their language; and
WHEREAS, Chief Martin served the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians on numerous Boards of Directors. During his tenure as Tribal Chief, Mr. Martin had established tribally owned and operated businesses and service operations, most of which are located on the Choctaw Indian Reservation, and some of which are located in Mexico and in major cities across North America. The result has been the creation of a very strong and widely diversified local economy, with the Tribe now ranking among Mississippi's five largest employers; and
WHEREAS, on July 1, 1994, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians launched its first gaming operation, Chief Martin's most high profile accomplishment, the Silver Star Hotel and Casino, organized under the authority of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The largest and most profitable Choctaw tribal enterprise to date, the Las Vegas-style Silver Star Hotel and Casino is located on tribal land in East Central Mississippi. In August 2002, the ribbon was cut for the Tribe's second casino, the Golden Moon Hotel and Casino, doubling the Tribe's entertainment, gaming, fine dining and hospitality venues. Another part of the rapidly growing Pearl River Resort complex is the Dancing Rabbit Golf Club, a 36-hole, championship golf course designed by Architect Tom Fazio and professional golfer Jerry Pate. The Tribe brought Mississippi the state's first Hard Rock Cafe, near Lake Pushmataha at Geyser Falls Water Theme Park in May 2003, along with the Hard Rock Beach Club; and
WHEREAS, during his tenure as Tribal Chief, Phillip Martin helped to create approximately 9,000 permanent, full-time jobs on the reservation. The Tribe had assets totaling less than $100,000.00 when he took over. That figure was $1.3 Billion when he left office. Martin was responsible for establishing an 80-acre industrial park, a tribally owned construction company, and several public service enterprises, such as the Choctaw Transit Authority, the Choctaw Utility Commission, the Choctaw Water Treatment Facility, and the Choctaw Department of Public Works. Mr. Martin also developed Chahta Enterprises, now located in Mexico, which assembles automotive wiring harnesses for the Ford Motor Company, as well as Delphi Packard and Matrix Systems. Other customers have included United Technologies, Eastman Kodak, Sylvania, General Motors and Daimler-Chysler. Further, Chief Martin began a joint venture with American Greetings, to hand-finish greeting cards for the corporation; this is the first plant built on tribal land through use of state industrial revenue bonds. Another tribal enterprise was the First American Printing and Direct Mail, a commercial printing and mail processing business. First American is the largest commercial printer on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; and
WHEREAS, nationally, Mr. Martin served as President of National Tribal Chairmen's Association, and President of United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc., (USET), an association of 23 federally recognized tribes in the eastern portion of the United States; Mr. Martin founded the USET organization in 1969. He was the first President of the Board of Regents of Haskell Indian Junior College, between 1970 and 1976 (now Haskell Indian Nations University). In 1992, Mr. Martin founded the United South and Eastern Tribes Gaming Association; and
WHEREAS, a strong and well-known advocate for education, Chief Martin served on the Advisory Committee for the Division of Technology, Mississippi State University, Meridian Branch. He also established the Choctaw Tribal Scholarships Program to ensure that all Mississippi Choctaw students can attend the colleges and universities of their choice; and
WHEREAS, Phillip Martin was the recipient of several awards. In addition to winning the United Indian Development Association's Jay Silverheels Award, Chief Martin received the Minority Supplier/Distributor of the Year Award from the Small Business Administration and the Minority Business Development Administration, the "Soar Like An Eagle" Achievement Award from the United Indian Youth Organization (UNITY), and the Economic Achievement Award from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, awarded Chief Martin an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree at the school's Spring 2002 commencement ceremonies on May 11, 2002, in his honor and also as a tribute to the Choctaw people of Mississippi and the nearly 9,000 employees who serve the Tribe; and
WHEREAS, through the years, Chief Martin dedicated his service to improving the overall livelihood of all tribal members and garnered phenomenal achievements in economic, educational and community development. Chief Martin's business savvy and leadership skills propelled the Tribe to the forefront of economic development in the Southeast; and
WHEREAS, Chief Martin is survived by his wife, Bonnie, and two daughters; and
WHEREAS, Chief Martin preached Choctaw "self-determination" all of his life - the notion that his Tribe should determine their own fate rather than receive government largesse on the reservation. That is his greatest legacy:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby mourn the loss of former Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Chief Phillip Martin, and a grateful state commends his legacy of leadership, economic development and self-determination for his nation.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Chief Martin, forwarded to the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.