After leaving California, he and Lavina returned to Oklahoma in 1970, where he taught the Otoe-Missouria language in tribal classes and later served as a consultant for the University of Missouri native language project, in order to record Otoe-Missouria for posterity.
ˈæftɚ lˈiːvɪŋ kˌælɪfˈoːɹniə, hiː ænd lˈævɪnɚ ɹᵻtˈɜːnd tʊ ˌoʊklɐhˈoʊmə ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti, wˌɛɹ hiː tˈɔːt ðɪ ˈɑːɾoʊmɪzˈʊɹɹiə lˈæŋɡwɪdʒ ɪn tɹˈaɪbəl klˈæsᵻz ænd lˈeɪɾɚ sˈɜːvd æz ɐ kənsˈʌltənt fɚðə jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ʌv mɪzˈʊɹɹi nˈeɪɾɪv lˈæŋɡwɪdʒ pɹˈɑːdʒɛkt, ɪn ˈɔːɹdɚ tə ɹᵻkˈoːɹd ˈɑːɾoʊmɪzˈʊɹɹiə fɔːɹ pɑːstˈɛɹᵻɾi.