George Bundy Wasson, an elder from the Coquille Tribe who was killed on Wednesday, was remembered for his wealth of knowledge about Oregon's indigenous communities.

Wasson, 79, was a gifted storyteller. Just last week, he participated in an event at the Many Nations Longhouse at the University of Oregon, where he was a retired professor.

“The experience he had, the knowledge he had of the Western Oregon tribes, was phenomenal," Gordon Bettles, the steward of the longhouse, said in a UO news release.

As a student at UO, Wasson helped start the Native American Student Union in the 1960s. He received his bachelor's degree, master's degree and Ph.D. from the university and helped create the Southwest Oregon Research Program.

“He was known and regarded as an inveterate, wonderful storyteller in native oral traditions,” said David Hubin, a senior assistant to the UO president.

Authorities believe Wasson was shot and killed by Ricardo Chaney, 32, early Wednesday morning. Chaney was a family friend -- Wasson mentioned Chaney's father in his 2001 dissertation, Growing Up Indian: An Emic Perspective [PDF].

The Chaneys lived near Wasson's home, The Eugene Register-Guard reported. After setting Wasson's home on fire, Ricardo Chaney drove to California and fatally shot a deputy before he was killed, authorities said.

Get the Story:
UO remembers George Wasson after tragedy (University of Oregon News 3/20)
Police: Suspect in California deputy slaying linked to fire, shooting case in Oregon (AP 3/20)
Rampage claims life of retired UO prof, NorCal deputy and suspect (KVAL 3/20)
Wasson was well-known UO, tribal figure (The Eugene Register-Guard 3/21)
Fairmount slaying, fire linked to crime spree (The Eugene Register-Guard 3/21)

Related Stories:
George Wasson, elder from Coquille Tribe, killed in crime spree (3/20)