MUSCOGEE (CREEK) NATION ~ EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CLAUDE SUMNER
Claude V. Sumner was born in the Choctaw Hospital at Talihina, Oklahoma. After 9 years at Gerty Public School in Hughes County, Oklahoma he attended final three years of High School at Haskell Institute in Lawrence, Kansas. He was a three sport letterman and National Merit Scholar. Claude received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Kansas with a double major in Speech & Drama and Sociology. He was a two year letterman in wrestling. He worked on a Masters in Speech (Public Address and Communications) in Utah, but was drafted by Hughes County Draft Board. Having a choice, he reviewed all branches of service and chose the U.S. Air Force.
After completing Officer Training School in Texas, he served in California as an Administrative Officer for Avionics Maintenance Squadron, then as Squadron Commander for the 9 th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing Headquarters Squadron in the Strategic Air Command (SAC). This SAC Wing flew world-wide missions with the SR-71, the “Blackbird” spy plane, which holds the highest and fastest flying records-- 80,000+ feet high and over three times the speed of sound, or 2,000+ miles per hour.
Mr. Sumner also served as Headquarters Squadron Commander for a B-52 Unit at U-Tapao Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand during the Vietnam Conflict, then completed a one year extension with the Air Force Recruiting Service in Florida for a total of five years service.He received a Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma. He practiced law for several years in Labor Law and general practice before serving in Tribal Administrative positions including the current Executive Director Position with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. His diverse activities have included several summers during high school and college on a Colorado cattle ranch, two summers in college as Southern Baptist Summer Missionary in Arizona and Trinidad, West Indies, several seasons as a part-time rodeo rider, construction worker and construction superintendent and several years of tourism promotions. He has taught College Courses in Indian Law, Public Speech and Communications. He also provided substitute teaching services for Texas and Utah Public Schools from Kindergarten to 12th grade.
He moved from serving a Tribe in California to serving the M(C)N at the request of Chief A.D. Ellis. He says, “The Muscogee people have been a major part of my life from Haskell until now and it is a pleasure to serve a growing and enterprising Nation.” He is a Southern Baptist. Claude Sumner now lives in Morris with his wife Maggie. The two have three (3) children and one grandson, Troy Lee.