Sheriff Oatess Archey
Indiana’s First Black Sheriff, dies at age 84
(1937-2021)
Oatess Archey’s life was filled with success in the face of adversity. As Indiana’s first Black sheriff, Archey made history while serving two terms as Grant County’s top law enforcement official, holding the position from 1999 to 2007. Before his death on Wednesday at the age of 84, Archey lived through Grant County’s most tumultuous times, leaving a legacy that has inspired many to become public servants serving the community today.
Born in 1937, just seven years after the lynchings of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith on the Grant County Courthouse lawn, he told the Chronicle-Tribune he experienced the toll that discrimination took from the Black community at the time. Despite the name calling and blatant discrimination – where adults barred him from using Matter Park or the local YMCA facilities – he accumulated accolades throughout his lifetime.
The Indiana Historical Society Press published a book regarding his accomplishments, which spanned from working for the FBI to the U.S. State Department – even working on cases related to the L.A. Riots and the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Archey graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Grambling State University, returning to Marion in 1959 with hopes of becoming a teacher and coach. He told the Chronicle-Tribune that those dreams were temporarily put on hold due to adversity caused by racial discrimination.
Despite his record as a standout athlete – with a resume that included a state record time in the 120-yard high hurdles, which later placed him in the Grant County Sports Hall of Fame – and his college degree, Archey was offered a job as a janitor, he said in a previous Chronicle-Tribune report.
“I never thought about segregation, really, because I was their boy when I was in high school,” Archey said in a 2001 interview for a Community History Project submitted to Marion High School and the Marion Public Library. “I was a Marion Giant basketball player. Everybody loved me, I thought. When I came home, they slammed the door in my face.”
Archey eventually worked his way into the classroom. His coaching career made him the winningest track and field coach in Marion High School’s history.
His achievements did not go unnoticed. They inspired current Sheriff Reggie Nevels to follow the path he forged since his youth. “He took this sheriff’s department to a whole different level… What he brought to the table inspired other African American people to go into law enforcement. Not only African American people, but also people in general.” Grant County Sheriff Reggie Nevels said of Archey’s work.
Before his passing, other prominent Black leaders spoke of his character and accomplishment. Marion’s NAACP chapter President Joselyn Whitticker said, “He was instrumental in changing things. How his depth of knowledge and what he did in this community, did not leave him bitter but he moved on. He did not get angry about what did not happen; he just moved on. He could have been very bitter, but Oatess was not.”
Sheriff Archey’s funeral service will take place on Saturday, January 8, 2022, at 10:00 am (Pacific time), 1:00 pm Indiana time (EST). There will be a live broadcast of the funeral at Needham-Storey-Wampner Funeral Service, North Chapel, 1341 N. Baldwin Ave., Marion, IN. Doors are open to the public beginning at 12 noon.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Oatess and Barbara Archey Scholarship Fund that is awarded to a student each year at St. Genevieve High School, 13967 Roscoe Blvd., Panorama City, CA 91402, which is where his son, Marlen, is the Athletic Director. The scholarship helps students with tuition assistance.
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