Longtime former Museum director passes away
A man who became synonymous with the preservation of Cherokee history and culture through his work at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian has passed away. Ken Blankenship, an elder of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians from the Big Cove Community who served as executive director at the Museum for 28 years, passed away on Tuesday, March 2.
Ken Blankenship, an elder of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians from the Big Cove Community who served as executive director at the Museum for 28 years, passed away on Tuesday, March 2, 2021. He is shown speaking at the opening of the Ken Blankenship Education and Research Wing at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian on June 14, 2010. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photo)