Arthur Raymond Halbritter facts for kids
Arthur Raymond (Ray) Halbritter (born July 17, 1951) is an American businessman. He is the current leader and CEO of Oneida Nation Enterprises. This company runs casinos and other businesses in Upstate New York. Ray Halbritter is a member of the Oneida Indian Nation's Wolf Clan.
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About Ray Halbritter
Ray Halbritter has been a leader for the Oneida Indian Nation since 1975. He became the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of their businesses in 1990. For over 30 years, he has helped the Oneida people grow their economy and culture.
Under his leadership, the Oneida Nation has achieved many important things. The federal government now officially recognizes their traditional way of governing. They have also created health and social programs for Nation Members. New homes have been built, and education and culture programs have been started.
Ray Halbritter studied business at Syracuse University. He then earned a law degree from Harvard Law School. He is also a big fan of golf. He even passed a special test to become a golf pro apprentice. This is the first step to becoming a member of the Professional Golfers Association. Ray Halbritter is the grandson of Mary Cornelius Winder.
The Oneida Indian Nation's Success
Under Ray Halbritter's guidance, the Oneida Indian Nation has achieved a lot. They helped create a special teaching position at Harvard Law School. This position focuses on American Indian law. The Nation also sponsored the "True Spirit of Thanksgiving" float. This was the first time an American Indian-sponsored float appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
In 2007, the Nation's resort won the "Most Excellent Resort" award. This award was for all resorts in the U.S. and Canada from Condé Nast Johansens. The Oneida Indian Nation also donated to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian. Because of their help, the fourth floor of the museum is named in their honor.
The Oneida Nation also hosts a big golf tournament. It is called the PGA TOUR Turning Stone Resort Championship. This was the first regular PGA TOUR event held on tribal lands. In 2009, it won an award for Best Branding and Signage.
Oneida Nation Businesses
The Oneida Nation runs many different businesses. These include:
- Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York
- Yellow Brick Road Casino in Chittenango, New York
- Point Place Casino in Bridgeport, New York
- The SavOn chain of convenience stores
They also have a media company. This includes Indian Country Today Media Network. This is the largest national weekly newspaper for Native Americans in the U.S. They also have a media production company.
Ray Halbritter has been an executive producer for creative projects. He worked on a Grammy-nominated music album called Raccoon & Crawfish. He also produced a 3-D animated short film. This film won a Silver Davey Award for animation. It was shown at the Cannes Film Festival. It also won many awards in the U.S. and other countries. These include top animation honors at the Moondance Film Festival.
He also produced World of American Indian Dance, which was shown on NBC. He helped create interactive animated materials about Oneida history. These are used at the Utica Children’s Museum. He even helped Disney with Native music for the Walt Disney World July 4 Celebration.
Awards for Nation Enterprises
The Oneida Nation's businesses have won many awards. Their luxury hotels and one restaurant at the resort have earned Four Diamond ratings from AAA. The resort was also named the Academy of Country Music’s Casino of the Year.
All three of Turning Stone’s championship golf courses are highly rated. They were listed in Golfweek magazine’s list of Top 100 courses. They have also received many other golf awards. The Nation’s Atunyote Golf Course hosts the Turning Stone Resort Championship. It also hosts the annual Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge charity event. Tiger Woods won this event in 2009.
Community Service
Ray Halbritter is the chairman of the Turning Stone Resort Championship. He also leads the Upstate New York Empowerment Fund. This is the charity part of the golf tournament. It has raised a lot of money for many charities and community groups in Central New York.
He is also on the boards of directors for several organizations. These include the Environmental Media Association and the Harvard Native American Law Board. He is a member of the Recording Academy. He is also on the National Advisory Council for the American Indian Program at Cornell University. He is part of the National Congress of American Indians and United South and Eastern Tribes. Ray Halbritter is also a board member of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Special Recognition
Ray Halbritter has received many awards for his work. In 2008, he was named one of Temple Adath Yeshurun’s Citizens of the Year. He also won the “Person of Achievement” Award from The Post-Standard newspaper. The Rotary Foundation gave him the Paul Harris Fellow Award.
The Rome Area Chamber of Commerce honored him for his “Outstanding Contribution to the Economic Vitality of the Community.” He also received the Central New York Sales & Marketing Executives Crystal Ball award. This award recognized his business vision and his efforts to improve the lives of his people. It also honored the Nation’s economic contributions to Central New York.
Syracuse University gave him its Distinguished Entrepreneur Award. SU Basketball Coach Jim Boeheim presented him with the Coaches Vs. Cancer Basketball Award. Coach Boeheim also honored him as Fan of the Year in 2009.
Leading the Protest Against the Washington Redskins Name
Ray Halbritter led a strong protest against the name of the NFL Washington Redskins team. He said the name was offensive to Native Americans. On January 31, 2014, he met with a United Nations official in New York City.
Even though his protests were not immediately successful, the Washington Redskins eventually changed their name. This happened after Nike stopped selling their team products. Also, FedEx, a major sponsor, threatened to stop supporting FedEx Stadium. On July 13, 2020, the Washington Redskins team announced they would change their team logo and name.
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