James Claymore, charter member and former chair of the Indians Into Medicine (INMED) Tribal Board, passed away Sept. 12, 2008.  He was 88.

“INMED was very fortunate to have had such a long-standing relationship with Mr. Claymore,” said Eugene DeLorme, JD ‘89, director of the INMED program, Grand Forks.  “His expertise and gentle nature were a wonderful asset to the INMED Tribal Board and his accomplishments were greatly appreciated and will be long remembered.”     

Mr. Claymore, Lakota name Ole’a’ hop pi, was born at Old Agency in South Dakota.  He served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1945 as an intelligence specialist in the 425th Night Fighters Squadron (Black Widows) during World War II.  He served in Normandy, northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes and central Europe before being honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant.  

After military service, he became a teacher and a coach and served on the Bureau of Indian Affairs for 33 years and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Council for District 5 for five years in the 1970s.  He retired as the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Agency superintendent in 1975.  He served as an advisor to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe through 2002. 

“All his life, Mr. Claymore worked for the betterment of life for the people around him,” DeLorme said.  “He wanted to help people be successful, especially the Native American people.  He believed that anyone could accomplish anything if they wanted it badly enough.”

“We will continue to build on the vision and dream that he shared with us,” he said.  “His leadership will be missed but his spirit of commitment to American Indian youth will live on!”