Jerry Wolfe. Photo from Western Carolina University
Jerry Wolfe, a 90-year-old member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, bears a unique title within the North Carolina -- Beloved Man. In recognition of his knowledge of Cherokee culture, language and history, Wolfe was honored with the title in 2013, The Cherokee One Feather reported. It was the first time in over 200 years that the tribe bestowed someone with Beloved Man status. "Jerry has set the bar high," Bo Taylor, a former council member who nominated Wolfe for the honor and who now serves as executive director of the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, told The Asheville Citizen-Times. Wolfe has worked at the museum for 17 years.
YouTube: Jerry Wolfe / WLOS News 13
Wolfe, who was told not to speak his language when he attended boarding school, is one of the few remaining elders who is fluent in Cherokee. The tribe is changing that with its successful immersion school. After completing 10th grade, Wolfe left school and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He served in D-Day during World War II, carrying on a military tradition in his family that dates as far back as the Civil War. Get the Story:
Wolfe wears mantle of Cherokee culture as Beloved Man (The Asheville Citizen-Times 5/1)
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