Small Town News

Banquet held for retiring Turtle Mountain BIA superintendent

---

Fellow colleagues paid tribute to Pat Hemmy last week during a banquet in his honor.

Hemmy served as the Bureau of Indian Affairs Superintendent at the Turtle Mountain Agency iti Belcourt for 10 years. He will officially retire in early January from the federal government.

Last week, the staff of the local BIA agency decided it would be a great kickoff to Hemmy's holiday celebration for him to enjoy a special day recognizing his 34 years of service.

Held at a local restaurant in Rolla, dozens of people who work with or have worked with Hemmy attended the event. Fellow BIA administrators and retirees from the Spirit Lake Sioux and Standing Rock Sioux Reservations and other surrounding Aberdeen Area BIA offices joined Hemmy in his farewell banquet on Wednesday.

Seated at the head table with Hemmy was his good friend, Steve McLaughlin, a former Standing Rock BIA superintendent who is also retired; Lyle Morin, Acting Turtle Mountain BIA Agency Superintendent; Steve Cavanaugh, Spirit Lake Sioux BIA Superintendent; and Monte LeBeaux, Assistant BIA Superintendent of the Spirit Lake agency.

The event became a bit of a 'roast' at times, as fellow staff and friends interjected humorous stories in post-banquet remarks. Several people recalled events and scenarios that occurred over the years involving the local retiring BIA official. Hemmy also shared his own recollections of some of his more memorable "escapades and experiences." The humorous tidbits brought laughter to the audience on several occasions.

Hemmy became the BIA superintendent in Belcourt on January 2000, making it one complete decade that Hemmy was assigned to the local agency. Prior to that, he had been a BIA superintendent in Montana, along with a few other assignments as fie made his way up the scale of federal government employee service. Hemmy was initially hired as a geologist for the BIA in 1979.

"I think the staff here at the local BIA is great. You should all be proud of the work you do," Hemmy told his well-wishers at his retirement banquet. "Personally, I've had so many opportunities that I would never have had if it were not for working for the Bureau (of Indian Affairs). I actually came into the Bureau at a good time when they were recruiting Native Americans heavily. In my mind, the old Bureau was great. We had more funding back then and we didn't rely on computers and technology so much. My philosophy was always having as many boots on the ground as possible. Nothing can replace a good employee and I've seen many over the years in our system."

Hemmy's last day at the helm of the local agency will be January 2, 2010. Lyle Morin, who has been serving as the acting superintendent at the Belcourt BIA agency spoke highly of Hemmy as a great source of knowledge and expertise.

"I really appreciate all of the things that I learned from Mr. Hemmy," Morin stated. "I relied on him in many situations and he was always willing to work with me and provide advice."

Hemmy, a member of Fort Berthold's Three Affiliated Tribes, will reside in Rolla for the foreseeable future where he is building a new house on the southern outskirts of town.



Copyright 2009 Turtle Mountain Star, Rolla, North Dakota. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2010 Turtle Mountain Star Rolla, North Dakota. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

More from Turtle Mountain Star