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Larry Sellers was a Native American actor and stuntman of Osage and Cherokee descent and an adopted member of the Lakota nation. Sellers became known for his regular role as Cloud Dancing in the popular CBS hit series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993). He also worked in the capacity of technical advisor on the show, notably on linguistic aspects. Other roles saw Sellers portraying a Comanche in Lightning Jack (1994), a Cheyenne Sheriff in Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) and a Native American casino owner in an episode of The Sopranos (1999).
At the age of 28, Sellers had a vision which prompted him to study the traditional Sun Dance of the Plains Indians and implement its reintroduction to the Osage people. A ceremony of great religious significance, this ritual was designed as supplication to the Great Spirit in order to ensure the tribe's overall welfare. Traditionally, it also bestowed greater merit to individuals who underwent the physically harder aspects, which included four days of prayer and dancing while deprived of food and water. Sellers was said to have turned down an offer to appear in Kevin Costner's epic Dances with Wolves (1990) because he was not given the four days required to complete the Sun Dance ceremony.
Larry Sellers presided over a non-profit organization for the preservation of the Osage language, and, from 2004, operated the Missionary Society for the Preservation of Traditional Values which aims to uphold and/or revive spiritual values and heritage. He latterly resided in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, a town named after a prominent 28th century chief and seat of the Osage tribal government. He passed away on December 9, 2021, at the age of 72.- Earl Schuman was born on 24 February 1916 in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor, known for Taxi (2004), Mr. Deeds (2002) and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004). He was married to Edith (Edie) Bartnof and Beulah. He died on 24 March 2016 in Santa Clarita, California, USA.
- David Bishop was born in 1973 in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, USA. He died on 6 May 2023 in Dixon, New Mexico, USA.
- Actor
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Mr. Leahy moved in 1940 to Wichita, where he attended the University of Wichita, now Wichita State University.
During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in the Philippines.
Following the war, he returned to Wichita and began a 60-year career at local radio and television stations.
In the late 1940s, Mr. Leahy became a booth announcer at KAKE. It was there that he created the show "The Host and Rodney" to introduce movies.
KAKE anchor Larry Hatteberg was going to high school in Winfield when he first saw Mr. Leahy on "The Host and Rodney."
"I remember sitting at home and loving the show," Hatteberg said. "I thought it was the greatest thing. It wasn't that they were so scary, he was just so interesting to watch. He would ad-lib whatever came to his mind."
In the early 1960s when the nation's attention was focused on outer space and astronauts, Mr. Leahy created Major Astro.
The afternoon show first ran from 1960 to 1973 on KARD, now KSN. Mr. Leahy reprised the character for a short time in 1985 for KSAS.
In 1985, Mr. Leahy told then-Wichita Eagle film and movie critic Bob Curtright that he created the Major as a father figure.
During the 11 years the show ran on Channel 3, Mr. Leahy "moved" Major Astro from a space station orbiting Earth to a moon base. Then, he took the major to Venus and finally to a base on Mars.
On Sunday, Curtright called Leahy a local icon.
"Every kid from a certain generation knows him," Curtright said.
Fans were often card-carrying members of the Major Astro Club. Members would receive a space newsletter. One fan reportedly cut a hole in the family's carpet to hide and insure her card's safety, said Mr. Leahy's wife, Wilma.
In 1986 when the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, some of the Major's youngest fans worried he was on it.
This weekend, as word spread of Leahy's death, his fans took to the internet to wish him their thoughts and prayers.
"RIP, Major Astro!" wrote Linda Baughman the guestbook created in Mr. Leahy's memory on Legacy.com.
In an interview with The Eagle on Sunday, Baughman said she remembered as a child running home after school each day to watch Major Astro episodes.
"He was always so kind and positive," Baughman said.
Mr. Leahy is preceded in death by first wife, Billye Leahy, son; Tommy B. Leahy and parents; Thomas B. and Marcelle Leahy. Survivors include wife Wilma, children Lisa (David) Navarro of Wichita, Rodney (Wendy) Mumaw of Mansfield, Texas, Ryan Edward Leahy of Wichita; and five grandchildren.- Bill Enyart was born on 28 June 1947 in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, USA. He was married to JoAnn Grant. He died on 10 February 2015 in Turner, Oregon, USA.