James L. Holt’s friends and family gathered to dedicate a bridge in his name on Nov. 9 in Pawnee, Okla., after his death in June 2023.

At 44, he died three days after being sworn in as tribal president. He first pursued elected office in 2014. Leoma Poore, Holt’s mother, said they moved to Pawnee in 1991. Holt graduated from high school there and kept in touch with his friends once he moved back to Florida. She said the dedication was in collaboration with Holt’s friends in Oklahoma, including Ty Burns, who serves in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

“The kids, back then, they stayed in contact as they grew and had their own family and became adults and had their own career,” Leoma said. “They all stayed in contact. … Ty being a working politician, and he always kept in touch with James. … He was asking me, ‘We gotta do something for [James].’ Because it was a shock to us. That’s why we started a scholarship, and then we did the bridge in memory of him. That’s how we got all started.”

Everett Osceola, a longtime friend of Holt, attended the dedication along with about 60 others. The ceremony in Pawnee, a town about 90 miles north of Oklahoma City, included a blessing, dedication, lunch at Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum and an auction to help raise money for a scholarship in memory of Holt. Osceola and Leoma said it was a beautiful day and a good gathering.

To dedicate a highway or bridge, legislation must go through the House, Senate and get signed by the governor into law, Burns said.

“I think [the bridge dedication] is super special. I drive across it more now, and it just means a lot. We forget the fallen. We forget the dead sometimes, except that one day that we look at a Memorial Day, or their birthday, or a holiday, where it’s just sadness,” Burns said. “Where you can drive across this and look at an accomplishment, it says ‘President James Lester Holt.’ You know, he has some accomplishments. It’s cool. It’s one of those weird things you don’t really think about when you do some of these. But when one hits home that close, it means a lot.”

When Burns was scoping out a good place to dedicate to Holt, he drove around the area and saw a sign he hadn’t noticed before: Panther Creek.

Holt was from the Panther Clan.

“They had the James Holt dedication signage right before you see the Panther Creek sign over the river. I thought it was really cool, seeing his name up there and seeing the Seminole Tribe name up there as well,” Osceola said.

The James L. Holt Pres of the Seminole Tribe of Florida Memorial Bridge is on U.S. Highway 64 crossing Panther Creek.

To Leoma, the dedication showed Holt has friends who still appreciate him and want to remember him.

She said it’s a small town and Holt was heavily involved in high school sports. He made a lot of friends who he stayed in contact with.

“Talking to [his friends] was almost like little parts of them reminded me of James,” Osceola said. “They’re tough and competitive, but then they’re really sweet and joking. Want to give you a hug right off the bat. Going to the dedication, a lot of people showed up there.”

Burns was one of Holt’s friends from Pawnee. They were similar in their tough and masculine, yet gentle demeanors. Burns said Holt was a gentle giant who could get along with anybody, and he felt the need to help people.

“He always had a big heart and wanted to impact people in a positive way,” Burns said.

The two became best friends in eighth grade – after they got into a fight, Burns said. Similarly, in elementary school, that was how Osceola and Holt became friends.

Burns and Holt grew up doing sports together and stayed friends when Holt moved back to Florida. Burns said they regularly encouraged each other and talked about their elected office paths.

The last conversation they had was congratulating Holt on his presidential win.

“I still remember the last conversation that [we had]. … And it was like we had that bond again of something we could truly talk about is being public servants and leading communities. It was just ecstatic,” Burns said. “And so obviously, [three] days after inauguration, passing away was devastating and completely unfair, 100%. I’ve always had that love and bond between him and me.”

Holt was a small-town boy with big ambitions and big goals that he did not give up on. He made the most of every situation, and it paid off with the impact he had on his community, Burns said. He consistently showed an interest in helping his people, being a leader and doing better for the youth, Leoma and Osceola said. They knew Holt as mindful, outgoing and often making new friends.

“I think even at a young age, he already knew he wanted to be a leader, which, to me, is very rare. We were like 13 or 14 years old, and he already knew what he wanted to do. … He had a lot of passion and conviction for what he wanted to do. That’s how I remember him,” Osceola said.

They are making efforts to keep his legacy alive with a leadership scholarship for students from Pawnee High School and bridge dedication. In the spring, they awarded $1,000 to five students for the scholarship. They are continuing fundraising for the scholarship by selling items like T-shirts and accepting donations.

“He made a difference with the people in the tribe,” Leoma said.

Leoma said her son still makes an impact on her, and she is learning how to navigate life without him.

“I still get messages from different people about him, and I’m just thankful that he wanted to be his own person and wanted to do things and learn new things,” Leoma said. “He made an impact on me. I think I was telling his son not too long ago, I said he made an impact in my life. When I was 18, when I had him, he changed my life because it wasn’t about me, it was about him, as a mother. And I told my grandson, he’s still doing that to this day.”

To donate to the James L. Holt Leadership Scholarship, contact superintendent of Pawnee Public School Stacy Womack at 918-762-3676 or stacy.womack@pawnee.k12.ok.us