In summer 2004, Anthony “Al” Addison and other leaders of the Northern Arapaho Tribe broke ground to build the Wind River Casino. That moment represented four years of litigation and countless hours of planning the gaming venture that promised an economic stronghold for the Wyoming tribe and a source of employment for dozens of its members.
It was one of Addison’s proudest moments, his daughter Sheri Groesbeck told Cowboy State Daily on Friday, six days after Addison, 75, died in a hospital in Salt Lake City.
With 26 years of service, Addison was the longest-serving member of the Northern Arapaho Business Council in memory. He was elected in 1994 and served as member, co-chair and chair throughout his lengthy tenure.
His decision to run came after a conversation with Groesbeck’s mother following his two decades of service in the U.S. Air Force and various business ventures around Wyoming, Groesbeck said.
“He decided, ‘Well, I just got done serving my country for 20 years, and I’d like to serve my people,’” said Groesbeck.
Addison was a perceptive leader who held intense conversations and saw through issues, his daughter said.
In 2010, she and some of her colleagues accompanied him to Washington, D.C., to meet with U.S. senators and the secretary of the Interior. It was strikingto Groesbeck to see the business side of her dad.
“He just lit up talking about his people and their needs,” she said, becoming tearful at the memory.
But to her, Addison was more than a statesman. He was a father who raised seven kids and helped several others.
“Growing up, him and my mother took in adopted children — not legally you know, but in the Indian way,” she said. “They had so many adopted sons and daughters they took in over the years, coming from broken homes and stuff like that.”
In Addison’s Riverton home, there was seldom a day when someone did not call or knock asking for his help, said Groesbeck.
Trailblazer
Dean Goggles, 68, served on the Business Council during Addison’s early terms, and remembers him as a “naturally good man” and a “trailblazer” who got along well with others.
Addison’s leadership helped Goggles get through his own terms, he said.
One of Addison’s focuses included starting up a Northern Arapaho housing program while the Northern Arapaho Tribe and Eastern Shoshone Tribe broke apart in the early 2000s and severed their joint functions.
Another co-councilman and friend of Addison’s, Wind River and Community Health Care CEO Rick Brannan, 69, recalled Addison as a constant servant.
“He always wanted the best for the tribe that we belong to — the people that we belong to,” said Brannan.
Things weren’t always easy on the council. The tribe has been at odds with Wyoming, with Fremont County, with the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, the federal government and within itself at various junctures in its recent history.
But council members used humor to press on, said Brannan.
“We teased each other a lot, that’s kind of Arapaho medicine,” Brannan said. “We’d laugh and make each other laugh. It helped us, you know, survive.”
The council members had various nicknames for each other, said Brannan, adding that no, he’s not willing to share them.
Goggles voiced a similar reverence for memories he shared with Addison: they’re not all his to share, he said.
Brannan said he has high hopes for his tribe: that the people will serve God, and be gracious toward their leaders and one another.
On Tuesday when he spoke to Cowboy State Daily, Brannan was also grieving his friend.
“He loved the tribe, loved all tribal members, and he always tried to do the very best he could,” said Brannan of Addison. “It’s hard to see him go.”
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
