In a 1990 letter, Jack Thorpe wrote that he retracted his previous statements that were critical of Jim Thorpe's burial location in Jim Thorpe, Pa., and noted, "I now feel that the remains of Jim Thorpe are in a good place and that he is at peace."

The contents of this letter seem clearly at odds with the actions taken by Jack Thorpe who, in June 2010, filed a federal lawsuit against the Borough of Jim Thorpe seeking to have his father's remains returned under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.The letter, dated Aug. 9, 1990, was written by Jack Thorpe to Joe Boyle on letterhead from where John Robert "Jack" Thorpe served as executive director of the Housing Authority of the Sac & Fox Nation in Shawnee, Okla.Following Boyle's death on Memorial Day in 1992, his widow, Rita, and son, Joe Boyle Jr., offered the journalist's sports-related memorabilia to Rudy Bednar and Danny McGinley, two men who joined Boyle to form the Carbon County Sports Hall of Fame."When Joe passed away, Rita Boyle called me to take some stuff that I might be interested in," McGinley said. "That included the letter."McGinley and Boyle met with Jack Thorpe when he came to Jim Thorpe in 1990."He was on a vacation tour around the country, and it was the first time that he decided to stop in Jim Thorpe. I spoke with him downtown. We talked about how the community was trying to honor his father. We were just starting the Carbon County Sports Hall of Fame at that time."He was still interested in moving the body, but knew that as long as Grace and the other girls were alive, it would never happen," McGinley explained.In the letter, after several paragraphs in which he thanked a number of people who were welcoming to him during his 1990 visit to Jim Thorpe Phil Rodgers, Asa Dickinson, Jack Sturm, Wendy Shanefelt, Lisa Burke, Agnes McCartney and Jeff Reitz Jack Thorpe continued in the body of his letter as follows, which is unedited from the original text:"Joe, a number of years ago I made the statement of wanting the remains of my father returned to Oklahoma. I also said; "The bones of my father will not make or break your town, its the people living here that will do that."Holding to traditional Indian ways, I took Indian medicine with me for a early morning visit to my fathers grave site. I prayed to the four directions and over my fathers remains, I sat down on the steps of the monument and asked for inner peace and guidance. In the quite morning hours, I felt the peacefulness of the area. I felt that there was no conflict with my fathers being on the hill side. I have felt the respect and love the people of Jim Thorpe have for my father and the surrounding country that makes up the town of Jim Thorpe."If you and the people will allow me, I retract my previous statements (except for the part about people making or breaking a town) I now feel that the remains of Jim Thorpe are in a good place and that he is at peace. I think that if dad were living today he would smile, shake someones hand, pat another on the back and say 'This is a good place to be.'"I believe that the town and the people of Jim Thorpe should be proud of what they have been able to build together. I wish some of the things I saw on our visit could be the same here in Oklahoma. I hope that one day we can return to "our town" and be a permanent part of the community and earn the right to be a 'Thorper.'"Joe to you and the townspeople, if there is anything I can do to make the great town of Jim Thorpe a better place to be, please feel free to call on me. I will be at your service."Sincerely,(Jack's signature)Jack, Babs, Mary and Jamie Thorpe"