March 8, 2006

For Immediate Release

Craig Moore 719-383-5051

Word has been received of the death of Mr.William Lee Pedro. Mr. Pedro passed away March 7, 2006. Mr. Pedro was a member of the Southern Arapaho Tribe of Oklahoma, and represented the Arapaho as an official Sand Creek Massacre Representative. Mr. Pedro also assisted the Southern Arapaho Tribe with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).

A resident of Concho, Oklahoma at the time of his death, William Lee Pedro had traveled to Kiowa County and Eads many times to attend meetings, events and other gatherings as part of efforts to establish the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site. Mr. Pedro was an active partner in cultural and natural resource planning, and most recently had worked with the National Park Service and Kiowa County in fire management efforts at the Sand Creek Massacre site.

The son of an Arapaho father and a Cheyenne mother, Mr. Pedro was a descendant of people who survived the Sand Creek Massacre. William Lee Pedro leaves behind a large family.

NPS