Stanley Monroe Speaks, Sr., 87, of Pryor, passed away on Wednesday, September 15, 2021, at his home. He was born on November 2, 1933 in Milburn, Oklahoma; the son of J.D. Speaks and Minnie (Cumberson) Speaks. Stanley worked for many years for the United States Government in the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He was a wonderful husband, father, and brother who will never be forgotten.
There will be no formal services. To leave his family a message, please visit his Tribute Wall at www.shipmansfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are under the direction of Shipman’s Funeral & Cremation Service. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Stanley M. Speaks please visit our Tribute Store<https://www.shipmansfuneralhome.com/obituary/Stanley-Speaks/sympathy>.
Mr. Speaks spent his career involved in Indian affairs of every nature. He was born in 1933 and grew up to graduate from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Speaks joined the Bureau of Indian Affairs soon afterward and never stopped devoting his time to bettering the way of life for Native Americans.
Recently honored for his years of service to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Mr. Speaks’ career has included serving as a teacher, supervisor, manager, agency superintendent, area director and most recently as the director of the BIA Northwest Regional Office in Oregon, which overseen 15 agencies that serve 45 federally recognized tribes.
His career has also involved his service as acting director of Indian education, acting deputy commissioner for Indian affairs and acting director for the Eastern Oklahoma Regional Office. Speaks was key in the progress and development of the Joint Tribal/Department of Interior task force for the reorganization of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Mr. Speaks was dedicated to protecting tribal rights and in helping tribes to achieve economic and business development success.
The Klamath Tribes send our deepest sympathies to the family of Mr. Speaks. In December, 2017, The Klamath Tribes of Oregon presented an award to Mr. Stanley Speaks, Director of Bureau of Indian Affairs, Northwest Region, in honor and recognition of his fifty-nine years of dedicated and excellent service to Indian Country and for his continued work and longtime friendship with the Klamath Tribes. He will be missed, but his work and legacy will not be forgotten. Bless his Journey.
Chairman Gentry and Mr. Stan Speaks 2017
Thank you.
Donald C. Gentry, Chairman
The Klamath Tribes
*Photo by Taylor Tupper, Klamath Tribes News Dept.
