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3 <br /> RES-2024-040 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> RESOLUTION NAMING THE JOHN BLACKFEATHER AND LYNETTE COLES <br /> JEFFRIES MEMORIAL BENCH AT RIVER PARK <br /> WHEREAS, John Hayles Blackfeather Jeffries (1939-2023) was widely known as a <br /> longtime member and leader of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation; and <br /> WHEREAS, Jeffries was often described as a "warrior" for his tireless efforts to honor, <br /> preserve, and teach his tribe's heritage to the public and helped younger tribal members <br /> reconnect with their roots, playing an important role in helping his tribe gain official state <br /> recognition in 2002; and <br /> WHEREAS, one of Jeffries proudest and most visible contributions to the community is <br /> the landmark replica village of his ancestors, located in Orange County's River Park which <br /> he helped establish and construct in the late 1990s working under the guidance of UNC's <br /> Research Laboratories of Archaeology; and <br /> WHEREAS, the replica village served as a popular site for cultural education programs <br /> where Jeffries worked with other tribal members to hold demonstrations and living history <br /> events to help raise awareness of the Occaneechi tribal heritage of this area; and <br /> WHEREAS, in memory and appreciation of Jeffries' dedication and commitment to his <br /> tribe and local history, a proposal was made to name a bench at a location he often <br /> frequented adjacent to the Occaneechi Village replica in his name; and <br /> WHEREAS, on September 5, 2023, the Board of County Commissioners announced the <br /> intent to name the bench after John Blackfeather Jeffries and his wife Lynette Coles <br /> Jeffries. The bench would bear the following nameplate: <br /> In Memory of <br /> John "Blackfeather"Jeffries & Lynette Coles Jeffries <br /> NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Orange County Board of Commissioners <br /> do hereby name the bench to be installed at River Park to be the John Blackfeather and <br /> Lynette Coles Jeffries Memorial Bench. <br /> This the 18th day of June, 2024. <br /> Jamezetta Bedford, Chair <br /> Orange County Board of Commissioners <br /> ATTEST: <br /> Laura Jensen, Clerk to the Board <br />