Explore our gallery of Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame members. Learn about how to make a nomination.
Hall of Fame Honorees
2020 Members

Robert (Bob) K. Goodwin
2020 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 (Bob)...
Dr. Bob Blackburn
2020 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 Oklahoma History...
William Russell Moore
Posthumously Inducted: 2020 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 helping...
A.J. Smitherman
Posthumously Inducted: 2020 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 and...
Marjorie Paxson
Posthumously Inducted: 2020 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 Post,...
William E. Lehmann
Posthumously Inducted: 2020 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 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 the...
Don Gammill
Posthumously Inducted: 2020 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 career...
John A. Ferguson, Jr.
Posthumously Inducted: 2020 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 a...
Charles Cagle
Posthumously Inducted: 2020 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 CNHI)...
Tim Chavez
Posthumously Inducted: 2020 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 Tennessean,...
B.A. Bridgewater
Posthumously Inducted: 2020 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. In...
Hall of Fame Honorees
Lifetime Achievement Awards

Robert (Bob) K. Goodwin
2020 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 (Bob)...
Dr. Bob Blackburn
2020 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 Oklahoma History...
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 2022 Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame nominee submission deadline is Sunday, Ocober 31, 2021.
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