Special Edition - Will Jim Thorpe Lose its Namesake?

Jim Thorpe's birthday is celebrated in Jim Thorpe, PA in 2008.

On Thursday, June 24, a Complaint was issued through the Federal Court in Scranton against the Borrough of Jim Thorpe by the law firm of Pickett & Grace, LLC of Kansas City, Missouri. It claimed that John "Jack" Thorpe was entitled to the remains of his father, Jim Thorpe, according to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

Does the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act apply? It was passed in 1990—many years after Jim Thorpe's burial in Jim Thorpe and refers to requirements "after the date of enactment of this Act."

In the lawsuit, Jack Thorpe is the only member of the family cited as a plaintiff. See Complaint.

Jack Thorpe is one of four sons from Jim Thorpe's second marriage. There were three daughters from his first marriage. Though they are all deceased, Jim Thorpe's grandson, Mike Koehler, has been appointed by Jim Thorpe's daughter, Grace Thorpe, as the spokesperson for the first wife's side of the family. See Mike Koehler's response to the Complaint.

Here is a copy of the Agreement in which Jim Thorpe's third wife, Patricia Thorpe, ceded the remains of her husband to the Borough of Jim Thorpe.

Here is an article, Will Jim Thorpe Lose its Namesake? written in November 2009 when the law firm first proposed claiming Jim Thorpe's remains.

After looking over the evidence, one has to wonder whether this Complaint is about Jim Thorpe's remains or is it about a law firm using Jim Thorpe's remains as an excuse to gain fees from the Borough? Read the Complaint carefully and you will see that they are asking for "costs of this action, including reasonable attorneys fees and expert witness fees."

One positive outcome—Bart Springer, president of the Jim Thorpe Chamber of Commerce, feels that this lawsuit will bring immeasureable publicity to Jim Thorpe, a tourist town that wants to attract visitors in a slow economy.