12/10/2008 6:00:00 PM Phillip Martin, former Tribal chief,
plans to publish life story in book
Former Choctaw Tribal Chief Phillip M. Martin has signed a contract with a Brandon firm to publish his life story in time for the Choctaw Indian Fair in 2009.
The autobiography, "Chief: Raising up the Choctaw People," will be co-authored by Lynne Jeter and published by Quail Ridge Press.
"We're pleased to publish the autobiography of Chief Phillip Martin, arguably the greatest Choctaw leader since Pushmataha," said Barney McKee, publisher with his wife, Gwen, of Quail Ridge Press, a regional publishing house that has achieved success marketing cookbooks, gift books and regional books of interest across the country.
"His story is compelling, and should be a must-read for students of business everywhere."
Martin led the Mississippi Choctaws on a 50-year journey from poverty to prosperity, overseeing economic development activity that included the reservation landing a "Who's Who" of Fortune 500 companies, and building two Las Vegas-style resort casinos.
"If it were a public company, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians would be the envy of corporate America," award-winning business writer Donald L. Bartlett said in 2002.
When he lost a close election last July to Miko Beasley Denson, many folks thought "Chief," a military veteran who earned the nickname while training at Camp Shelby, would spend time traveling with his wife, former Indian Princess Bonnie Kate Bell, who retired last June after 52 years with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Instead, both embraced the opportunity to record his life story.
After working on the manuscript for several months, Martin contacted Jeter, author of "Disconnected: Deceit and Betrayal at WorldCom" (Wiley, 2003), who is part-Choctaw and had expressed an interest five years earlier in co-authoring his autobiography.
"The timing worked well," said Jeter. "I had been looking for another book project, and was deeply honored when Chief contacted me to rework his manuscript and find a publisher. I knew he was a great leader, but I had no idea about the incredible events that shaped his life. He deserves to be remembered in the most reverent light possible."
In "Chief," Martin gives his take on why Choctaws escaped the racism that plagued Mississippi blacks for centuries, what he thinks the new regime is doing wrong, and why despite earning national and international honors, awards and accolades, one of his greatest career highlights involves being recognized by the local American Legion chapter for the support he has given Neshoba County veterans.
"I felt compelled to recount the major events of my life because I believe I owe it to the Choctaw people, especially the young and those yet to be born," said Martin. "I want them to know how difficult life was before we as a people began to prosper again in the mid-20th century, following a 150-year period of suppression and tribal dissolution after the Trail of Tears in 1830. I want them to realize that earning a living was not always easy for their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. The Mississippi Choctaws' valuable legacy is to be cherished, and is one worthy of being preserved, protected, and told."
Quail Ridge Press is a privately-held corporation based in Brandon. For more information, visit www.quailridge.com.
