Choctaw Nation
Charlie Clark
OKLAHOMA CITY – Historic Choctaw leader Allen Wright is among the 92nd class of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. Induction is considered the State of Oklahoma’s highest honor. The 2019 Oklahoma Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony was held Thursday, Nov. 21 at Cox Convention Center, Oklahoma City. 
Allen Wright, or Kiliahote, was born in Mississippi in 1826. He was a child survivor of the Trail of Tears, the forced removal of the Choctaw to Indian Territory. His family settled near present-day Lukfata, Oklahoma, in McCurtain County. At age 13, he relocated to Boggy Depot, making it home for the remainder of his life. He made a significant impact on the Choctaw Nation as a civic and religious leader. After fighting in the Civil War, he became Chief of the Choctaw Nation from 1866 to 1870. Wright is known for suggesting the name “Oklahoma” for the new territory. A descendent, Allen Wright, will accept the medallion on behalf of the late Chief Allen Wright.
The sold-out event will be televised on the HD channel of the Oklahoma Network (OETA) at 3 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 14 and 10 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 15.
Other 2019 Oklahoma Hall of Fame Honorees are James C. Day of Pond Creek; Tricia Everest, Oklahoma City; Gray Frederickson, Oklahoma City; John Herrington, Wetumka; Steve Largent, Tulsa; John T. Nickel, Muskogee, and J.C. Watts Jr., Eufaula.