Grant County has lost a legend. Oatess Archey died yesterday at the age of 84.
Archey was born in Marion in 1937. He was a star athlete throughout his academic career. As a 1955 graduate of Marion High School, Archey has been inducted into both the Marion High School Hall of Distinction and the Grant County Sports Hall of Fame.
According to the MHS Hall of Distinction, Archey was a graduate of both Grambling College and Ball State University. He went on to coach, counsel and teach at Marion Community Schools until he became an FBI agent in 1973, according to the Indiana Historical Society.
In addition to working for the FBI, Archey provided security expertise for a number of events and organizations including the Olympics and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
In 1999, Archey became the first Black sheriff in both Grant County and the State of Indiana. He served two terms, ending in 2007, according to the Grant County Sports Hall of Fame website.
He eventually moved to California and continued working in the security field.
