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 Oklahoma History Center museum, now home to more than 50 educational topics and 2,000 artifacts. His involvement with the OHS began in 1980, serving as editor of The Chronicles of Oklahoma. He has co-written nearly 20 books as well as numerous articles, journal entries, and screenplays. He is known for his historical knowledge of Oklahoma journalism and his many friendships with journalists. Journalism also is part of his heritage. His mother, Ida B. Blackburn, known as “Ida B,” was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 2001.
