| SIX, Ora Harriet (Culp): 13 Nov 1926 - 23 Nov 1995
Source: online newspaper posting
The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, California, Nov 26, 1995, page B5
HARRIET SIX, 69, HELPED LEAD PUSH FOR HEALTH CARE FUNDING FOR URBAN INDIANS
Deborah Anderluh Bee Staff Writer
Harriet Six was a powerful presence, according to friends, and fiercely dedicated to improving the lives of American Indians. When she died Thanksgiving Day at age 69, she left an enduring legacy: health care funding for urban Indians, a program she fought hard to wrest from Congress. Born of Cherokee lineage in Checotah, Okla., Mrs. Six moved to California with her husband, Hudson Six, in 1949. In 1963, they settled in Rio Linda, where they raised three daughters and Hudson Six retired from the California Highway Patrol with a disability. In the years that followed, Mrs. Six rose to prominence in the Sacramento Indian community. She was a founding member of the Sacramento Indian Center, founding member and officer of the Sacramento Urban Indian Health Project and a founding member of the California Urban Indian Health Council. "She was a powerful lady, with a good sense of humor," said Anne Poitras Shaw, a friend and fellow activist. "She could laugh but was also very clear and directed in her thinking." In 1969, Mrs. Six was among the key players to initiate a statewide campaign to win health care funding for Indians in urban areas. Mrs. Six and her husband spent years documenting the health care issues facing Indians in Sacramento County. In 1971, that data, combined with surveys done in other urban areas in California, convinced Congress to fund health care services for Indians in urban areas nationwide. The information also helped in the passage of legislation authorizing California's Indian Health Program for urban, rural and reservation areas. Mrs. Six suffered from diabetes and had both legs amputated due to the illness. She died of complications from the disease. She is survived by her husband, Hudson, of Rio Linda; daughters Mary Ruth Six of Sacramento, Judy Ann Six of Grass Valley and Susan Kay Six of Woodland; brothers Harry Culp of Rio Linda, Robert Culp of Elverta, George Culp of Houston, Texas, and Gerald Culp of Colcord, Okla.; sisters Ruby Hamlet of Highlands and Dixie Huls of Colcord, Okla.; and five grandchildren. Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Calvary Lutheran Church of Rio Linda, where Mrs. Six was a longtime member. The family requests that any remembrances be sent to the American Diabetes Association or the American Heart Association.
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