John Sanchez was excited to join the College of Communications faculty in 1997, but he found something missing from the community: Native Americans. With no reservations in Pennsylvania, the population of American Indians and access to their traditions were both extremely limited. So Sanchez and his wife, Victoria, founded the annual Penn State Traditional American Indian Powwow, which has drawn thousands of visitors from tribes across the U.S. and Canada in its 20-year existence. 

“It was our gift to the community,” says Victoria. “It’s not something you go and watch; when you walk through the door, you’re part of it.”

Sanchez, of the Apache Nation, grew up in Kansas and began his career as a broadcast journalist and photographer, working for commercial and PBS stations and creating award-winning documentaries. He was chosen for the prestigious master’s degree Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism at Ohio State in 1988 and became involved in American Indian communities in Ohio, which made the move to Penn State with their two children a stark contrast.

Known for cultivating an appreciation for cultural and ethnic differences in the classroom, the associate professor taught courses on news media ethics and American Indians and the media. He received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Bellisario College Alumni Society and was named a distinguished professor in the Schreyer Honors College. “He was very devoted to his students,” Victoria says. 

Sanchez retired in 2024 and was granted emeritus professor status. “That meant a lot to him,” she says. “He has a lot of honors and awards, but that emeritus status sums it up—his value as an academic.” 

He died March 12, 2026; he was 72. Besides Victoria, he is survived by sons August Brave Heart ’16 Lib and Dakota, daughter Cindy Revis, and four grandchildren. —RR