Inducted: 2014 WILLIAM A. HAMILTON (1935- ), a Pauls Valley native, began his journalism career as a paperboy for the Anadarko Daily News. A Master Parachutist, he served 20 years as an infantry officer, including two tours in Vietnam, earning the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, 20 Air Medals, four Bronze Stars and the Purple […]
Inducted: 2014 TIM SCHNOEBELEN (1944- ), a third-generation journalist, is publisher of the family-owned Mooreland Leader, where he began working at age 10 in the backshop. He wrote for the student newspaper at Northwestern State College (now NWOSU) and worked as a Linotype operator for the Oklahoma Daily at OU. He and his wife Karen […]
Inducted: 2014 THOMAS H. “TOM” BOONE (1936- ), worked as sports writer for the Bixby Bulletin for almost 40 years before retiring in 2012. A Missouri native, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps and played baseball for the Marines. He began writing for the Bulletin in 1972 for $10 a story. He created the […]
Inducted: 2014 LARRY FERGUSON (1937- ) grew up helping his father Jo O. Ferguson in his hometown Pawnee Chief, and graduated from OU in 1960 with a journalism degree. After serving in the U.S. Army, he returned to publish the Cleveland American with his wife Ninagay in 1962. In partnership with his brother D. Jo […]
Inducted: 2014 KELLY DYER FRY (1959- ), editor of The Oklahoman and vice-president of news for OPUBCO Communications Group, is a third-generation Oklahoma journalist who joined OPUBCO in 1994 as features editor of The Oklahoman before joining its digital operation in 1996. She served as director of multimedia and led the team that launched NewsOK […]
Inducted: 2014 JAY CRONLEY (1943-2017) has been an institution of Tulsa newspapers since the early 1970s. Writing three columns a week for the Tulsa World since 1992, he never missed a column. He was known for his wry humor about everyday life. After attending OU, where he was all-conference second base, he worked in New […]
Inducted: 2014 JAN STRATTON (1940- ) joined KSWO-TV in Lawton in 1980 as Public Affairs Director. She moved to the News Department in 1981 as a reporter and was promoted to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Anchor and News Director. In 2006, she became Executive Producer of 7 News and co-producer, writer and anchor of […]
Inducted: 2014 ED BLOCHOWIAK (1950-2016) started as a photojournalist for the Shawnee News-Star in 1973. A native of Shawnee and graduate of Shawnee High School, he joined the paper after returning from a tour of duty in Vietnam in the U.S. Air Force. He covered everything from dance recitals to politics, fatal fires and the […]
Inducted: 2014 CAROLYN ESTES (1943- ), marketing director at the Oologah Lake Leader, has built a statewide and national reputation for her Newspapers in Education work, including a nationally syndicated column for weekly newspapers. She joined the Leader in 1982 as reporter and photographer and developed the NIE programs. She’s won numerous awards from the […]