Marshall mckay biography

The Autry National Center of the American West took a step this week that underscores its oft-stated mission to tell the whole story of the West: Marshall McKay, chairman of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation in Northern California will chair its board of trustees for the next two years, the first Native American to hold the top board post in the museum’s 22-year history.

“It’s a double honor to have this bestowed on me,” said McKay. “To come into this position is outstanding for a Native American. One of my goals as chairman is to bring those perceptions along, so it’s not just a ‘cowboy museum,’ but a museum of the American West.”

McKay, 58, is in the saddle at a crucial moment for the Autry. It’s in the design stages of renovating a large warehouse in Burbank as a research center and a storehouse and curatorial workshop for the bulk of its 500,000-object collection. When that project is done, the Griffith Park museum will be remodeled to carve out 25,000 square feet of exhibition space for the prized collection of Native American art and artifacts the

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