Explore our gallery of Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame members. Learn about how to make a nomination.
Hall of Fame Honorees
2020-21 Members
Robert (Bob) K. Goodwin
2020-2021 Lifetime Achievement Award ROBERT (BOB) K. GOODWIN (1948- ) shares a long family history of service in journalism, community leadership, and civil rights. As the fourth of his family to receive recognition from the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, Robert...
Dr. Bob Blackburn
2020-2021 Lifetime Achievement Award DR. BOB BLACKBURN (1951- ) has a passion for history and government that comes alive through his own life’s work. As executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society since 1999, he helped to plan and build the...
William Russell Moore
Posthumously Inducted: 2020-2021 WILLIAM RUSSELL MOORE (1910-1950) probably never heard of Korea as a boy in Nowata, Oklahoma. But, after starting at The Oklahoman, he would join The Associated Press and distinguish himself as a war correspondent who gave his life...
A.J. Smitherman
Posthumously Inducted: 2020-2021 A.J. SMITHERMAN (1883-1961) was an African-American press pioneer and political activist. In 1913, he founded the Tulsa Star, America’s first black Democratic nationally distributed newspaper. Smitherman highlighted the achievements...
Marjorie Paxson
Posthumously Inducted: 2020-2021 MARJORIE PAXSON (1923-2017) was one of the first woman publishers in the country. She spent 42 years in the newspaper industry, serving as a writer and holding various editorial positions for United Press, Associated Press, Houston...
William E. Lehmann
Posthumously Inducted: 2020-2021 WILLIAM E. LEHMANN (1928-2016) As publisher of the Guthrie Daily Leader, he galvanized support to save the state’s first capital building and other historic sites in that city. His column “By the Way” was named the National Newspaper...
Helen Holmes
Posthumously Inducted: 2020-2021 HELEN HOLMES (1915-1997) wrote for newspapers, taught journalism, and was honored for her historical writing about Guthrie’s early days, work that was recognized by state leaders after her death. The former Guthrie mayor is a member of...
Don Gammill
Posthumously Inducted: 2020-2021 DON GAMMILL (1952-2017) had a varied career that extended beyond the four walls of a newspaper office. He held the traditional roles as a sportswriter and other various editorial positions, including editor and columnist, during his...
John A. Ferguson, Jr.
Posthumously Inducted: 2020-2021 JOHN A. FERGUSON, JR. (1925-2000) had a passion for writing about sports stars for nearly 50 years. Young athletes and internationally known athletes were part of his beat. “Fergy” wrote “The Bullpen” column for the Tulsa World. He was...
Charles Cagle
Posthumously Inducted: 2020-2021 CHARLES CAGLE (1937-2015) began his career throwing newspapers, then worked in several departments at the Harrison Daily Times (Arkansas) and was managing editor at the Clinton Daily News. In 1975, he joined Neighbor Newspapers (later...
Tim Chavez
Posthumously Inducted: 2020-2021 TIM CHAVEZ (1958-2009) worked for The Oklahoman as a business writer and TV columnist before becoming an opinion page editor for the Observer-Dispatch in Utica, New York. He then became a reporter and political columnist for The...
B.A. Bridgewater
Posthumously Inducted: 2020-2021 B.A. BRIDGEWATER (1894-1964) may be the only person in the newspaper industry who, as a managing editor, hired himself to be a sports editor. “Bridge” held the Tulsa World position for 37 years and wrote a “Telling the World” column....
Yvette Walker
Inducted: 2020 YVETTE WALKER (1961- ), former news director at The Oklahoman, is assistant dean for student affairs at the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College. She has served on the Society of Professional Journalists national board and the FOI Oklahoma...
Scott Thompson
Inducted: 2020 SCOTT THOMPSON (1961- ), longtime main news anchor at KOTV in Tulsa, is also widely known as the station’s “Oklahoma Traveler” for the long-running series that took him to every continent except Antarctica. He began his career at his hometown...
Tony Stizza
Inducted: 2020 TONY STIZZA (1957- ) worked more than 26 years at KTVY, now KFOR in Oklahoma City, filming documentaries such as “Tapestry” and “Strangers in Their Own Land.” His dedication has earned 16 Emmy Awards, three National Press Photographers Association...
Michael Sims
Inducted: 2020 MICHAEL SIMS (1954- ) began his TV broadcasting career at KWTV, eventually becoming managing editor. Also, early in his career, he was a reporter and anchor for both the KOMA and WKY radio news stations. Skills gained in Oklahoma took him to the...
Michael McNutt
Inducted: 2020 MICHAEL MCNUTT (1952- ) has covered all types of stories during his more than 30 years at The Oklahoman. Oklahoma’s governors and lawmakers as well as state agency leaders knew the dedicated reporter who routinely worked 15- to 16-hour days on the...
Rochelle Hines
Inducted: 2020 ROCHELLE HINES (1963- ) covered major Oklahoma tragedies during her media career in the 22 years she worked for The Associated Press. Her work included covering the Oklahoma City bombing, the 1999 tornado, and the execution of several inmates at...
Lori Fullbright
Inducted: 2020 LORI FULLBRIGHT (1966- ) knew at age 12 she would be a TV reporter. The Bolivar, Missouri native followed her dream, starting at Missouri stations before moving to KOTV in Tulsa, where for 27 years, she has specialized in crime reporting. She has...
Rusty Ferguson
Inducted: 2020 RUSTY FERGUSON (1961- ) comes from a family dedicated to newspapers and their communities. The 3rd-generation publisher of The Cleveland American, The Hominy NewsProgress, and The Pawnee Chief was president of the Oklahoma Press Association in 2012...
Al Eschbach
Inducted: 2020 AL ESCHBACH (1945- ) is considered by some as the father of sports talk radio. One listener in 1976 didn’t think a Jersey City guy would make it as a sports announcer in Oklahoma, but four decades later, his broadcasts are more popular than ever....
Clytie Bunyan
Inducted: 2020 CLYTIE BUNYAN (1961- ) has seen the business scene change drastically in her 30-plus years in Oklahoma. She started as an entry-level reporter and is now coordinator of the internship program and staff development at The Oklahoman. She was the...
Hall of Fame Honorees
Lifetime Achievement Awards
Robert (Bob) K. Goodwin
2020-2021 Lifetime Achievement Award ROBERT (BOB) K. GOODWIN (1948- ) shares a long family history of service in journalism, community leadership, and civil rights. As the fourth of his family to receive recognition from the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, Robert...
Dr. Bob Blackburn
2020-2021 Lifetime Achievement Award DR. BOB BLACKBURN (1951- ) has a passion for history and government that comes alive through his own life’s work. As executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society since 1999, he helped to plan and build the...
How to Submit a Nomination
Selection Process
Honorees are selected by a committee comprised of hall of fame members, including its director, and distinguished leaders in journalism. The Selection Committee considers all nominations, both new ones and those held over from previous years, before selecting the honorees.
The 2024 Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame nominee submission deadline is Tuesday, October 31, 2023.
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