Louise Jones Gopher (May 25, 1945 – November 16, 2016)[1] was the second Seminole (after Billy Cypress) and the first woman from theSeminole tribe ofFlorida to earn a bachelor's degree. Gopher, a former director of education for the Seminole Tribe of Florida, was the first female Seminole to earn a bachelor's degree when she graduated fromFlorida Atlantic University in 1970. Born May 25, 1945, in achickee at a tribal camp inFort Pierce, Jones spoke noEnglish when she entered school at age 6. Because they were considered neither black nor white, none of thesegregated schools of the day would willingly take her as a student, but at the pleading of her father (who neither spoke, read, or wrote any English),Lucie County Schools Superintendent Ben L. Bryan chose to allow her to enroll in the Fairlawn School. In 2014, she was granted an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters fromFlorida State University.[2] She is the third Seminole to receive an honorary degree from FSU, afterBetty Mae Tiger Jumper (Doctorate of Humane Letters) and Jim Shore (Doctor of Laws).[3] ThePalm Beach Post named her one of the most 100 influential people in Florida in the 20th century.
As Director of Education, Gopher was behind the development of the tribe's first charter school, "Pemayetv Emahakv" or "Our Way", which opened in 2007.[4] Gopher has put great effort into preserving Seminole culture. The Seminoles’ native languages,Creek orMikasuki, are spoken only by older tribe members, so she transcribes Mikasuki teachings for posterity.[5] In 2014 governor Rick Scott appointed her to theFlorida Women's Hall of Fame.[6] Gopher encouraged young Seminoles to attend college, and her daughter, Carla Gopher, became the first Seminole to graduate from Florida State University, in 1996.[3]
Louise's grandfather wasDesoto Tiger, the son of Cow Creek chief Tom Tiger, who was murdered byJohn Ashley, also known asThe King of the Everglades in 1910. In 2007, Jones received the exceedingly rare Westcott Award from Florida State University.[4] She died in 2016 inTampa.