Tulsa Press Club Celebrates Inaugural Class of Inductees Into Great Plains Hall of Fame
HONORED JOURNALISTS: This year’s Tulsa Press Club President Lacey Taylor, second from left, with Hall of Fame inductees Brenda Blagg of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Susan Ellerbach of the Tulsa World and Jim Langdon of Langdon Publishing. The photo was taken in the lobby of the Atlas Life Building in downtown Tulsa. The Atlas Life Building is also the location of the Tulsa Press Club.
The Tulsa Press Club recently celebrated its inaugural class of inductees to the Great Plains Journalism Hall of Fame. The 2021 inductees to the Great Plains Journalism Hall of Fame are Brenda Blagg of Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Susan Ellerbach of the Tulsa World, Kelly Dyer Fry of The Oklahoman, Michael Kelly of Omaha World-Herald and Jim Langdon of Langdon Publishing.
The event also honored the 2021 Great Plains Journalism Awards winners. The Great Plains Journalism Awards is a regional contest honoring print, web, TV and magazine journalists for outstanding stories, photography and design. The eight-state competition includes Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Tulsa native Roy S. Johnson, whose journalism career has spanned more than 40 years, received the Distinguished Lecturer Award and gave the keynote address during the live broadcast of this year’s virtual event on May 7.
More than 600 entries were received this year, with winners and finalists named in 73 professional and student categories. Five student journalists were awarded $2,000 scholarships named after former Tulsa Press Club president and ONEOK executive Dan Harrison.
2021 sponsors included Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, ONEOK, Cherokee Nation Businesses, Langdon Publishing, Citizen Potawatomi Nation and Tulsa Community College.
The Tulsa Press Club was founded in 1906 as a members-only professional organization offering networking, education events and social opportunities. The Tulsa Press Club promotes the highest standards in journalism with an emphasis in recognizing young journalism talent through its annual scholarship initiatives. Visit tulsapressclub.org for more information.
