The May 2013 issue of The Oklahoma Publisher is available for download now. See this year's award winners from SPJ Oklahoma's awards banquet, as well as the winner's from this year's AP/ONE Awards. Also, read who was awarded scholarships from journalism schools across the state. All this, plus our monthly photo award winners and more can be found at http://okpress.publishpath.com/publisher-archives.

Photos from the recovery efforts of the May 20, 2013 Moore tornado are available now. If you have any photos you would like to share with OPA Member Newspapers please email them as JPEGS with the photographer's name, publication and cutline information to news@okpress.com. 

Submitted photos can be viewed here.

OPA President Jeff Shultz made newspaper heroes his theme this year. After all, he hails from Pauls Valley, home to Oklahoma's great toy and action figure museum. So we call on all newspaper heroes (that means you!) to join us at the 2013 OPA Annual Convention, June 13-15, at the Reed Center and Sheraton in Midwest City.
Speakers include Terry Kroeger, CEO of Warren Buffett's BH Media Group; employment attorney Chris Trutchley; Las Cruces (N.M.) Bulletin publisher David McCollum; Terry Clark, UCO professor and director of the journalism hall of fame; Mike Evans, administrative director of the Oklahoma state court system; and newspaper broker Rollie Hyde. The Better Newspaper Contest Awards will be presented Friday, June 14, at the annual awards banquet.
Don't miss this three-day event, which provides a lot of invaluable networking opportunities and a dozen educational sessions. (The deadline to reserve a hotel room at the Midwest City Sheraton is May 27. Find hotel info on the convention webpage below.)

» Review the convention program and register online

On behalf of the Oklahoma Press Association, G. B. Poindexter accompanied the April 17, 2013, Oklahoma Honor Flight on their trip to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials. Poindexter, who is an editor for Neighbor News in Tulsa, has written an article about the trip. He also took many photos of veterans.
To view the article and four photos that can be used with the story, click on this link:
www.okpress.com/april-17-2013-honor-flight

 To view photos of individual veterans (identified by city name, then veteran's name), click on this link:
http://www.okpress.com/honor-flight-photos-april-17-2013

Download the April 2013 edition of The Oklahoma Publisher today! See some facts and tips from a recent smartphone reporting workshops, read about the nomination committee's picks for the 2013-2014 slate of OPA officers and directors and read about one major paper's groundbreaking new website. All this and more can be found at okpress.com/publisher-archives.

Nine outstanding journalists will be honored during the 42nd annual induction ceremony of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame Thursday, April 18 at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. The luncheon program will be begin at 11:45 a.m. on the third floor of the Nigh University Center.
Honorees are James Coburn, veteran reporter of the Edmond Sun; Joe Hancock, publisher of the Hobart Democrat-Chief; Joe Hight, editor of the Colorado Springs Gazette; John Klein, sports columnist for the Tulsa World; Mike McCarville of the national political The McCarville Report: Mary Mélon, president and publisher of The Journal Record; Tom Muchmore, publisher of The Ponca City News; Jerry Laizure, photographer for The Norman Transcript who died late last year; and Oliver C. Murray, pioneer photojournalist for WKY/KFOR-TV.

The latest issue of The Oklahoma Publisher is available online today! Read about the sale of Oklahoma's second largest newspaper, learn who the 2013 induction class is for the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, see how Oklahoma newspapers responded to recent winter weather and check out how OU journalism students are using smartphones to help out one local paper. Download now at www.okpress.com/publisher-archives

Gary Hicks, publisher of The Lone Grove Ledger, died March 23, 2013. He was 68.
Services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, 2013, at the First Baptist Church, 16773 U.S. Highway 70, in Lone Grove.
Hicks was born on June 28, 1944, in Jimtown, Okla. He earned his Bachelor of Business from North Texas State University in Denton, and did master’s work in journalism at the University of Oklahoma in Norman.
A Vietnam veteran, he served in Saigon.
He married his wife of 38 years, Linda Sue Batchelor, in Dallas, Texas, on Dec. 28, 1974. The couple moved to Marietta in 1976 to open the first of three pizzerias.
On March 16, 1980, the Hicks moved to Lone Grove and on Jan. 5, 1983, they established and published their first edition of The Lone Grove Ledger. In 1985 they added Quality Printing and Graphic Design to their publishing company.
Gary was a charter member of the Kiwanis Club of Lone Grove, and a founder of the Lone Grove Chamber of Commerce
He is survived by his wife, Linda; two granddaughters, Kristin Hicks Underwood of Seminole and Bethany Hicks of Tecumseh; a grandson, Tyler Hicks of the home in Lone Grove; a great-grandaughter; sister Maxine Reed of Ardmore; and brother Glyn Edward Hicks of Marietta.

Cheryl Anne Ferguson Bryant, general manager of the Pawnee Chief, died March 5, 2013. She was 68.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 9, 2013, at the First Christian Church, 6th & Elm, Pawnee, Okla.
Cheryl was born on Dec. 14, 1944, and grew up in the newspaper business. Her father, D. Jo Ferguson, was publisher of The Pawnee Chief.
She began her newspaper career in 1968 as a photo engraver and darkroom tech for the Muskogee Phoenix. She later became a staff photographer at the Phoenix.
She returned to Pawnee in 1985 to work at the Pawnee Chief as office manager. After her father died in January 2010, Cheryl was named general manager of The Pawnee Chief.
She was preceded in death by a son, Frank Murie, and her father, D. Jo Ferguson.
She is survived by her husband, Junior; daughter, Francie Roughface; son, Hawk Murie; mother, Helen Ferguson; brothers Jo, Scott and David Ferguson; sister Janelle Munding; and many other family members.

The OPA Nominating Committee will meet at 10:30 a.m. on March 8 at the OPA office in Oklahoma City. The committee will make nomination recommendations for OPA officers and board directors for 2013-2014 as well as trustees on the ONF board.
The Nominating Committee is composed of the six most recent past presidents of the OPA who are still active as newspaper executives, and the current OPA president. Members are Steve Booher, Cherokee Messenger & Republican, chair; Gracie Montgomery, Purcell Register; Stu Phillips, Seminole Producer; Gloria Trotter, Countywide & Sun; Rod Serfoss, Clinton Daily News; Rusty Ferguson, Cleveland American; and Jeff Shultz, Garvin County News Star.
The general election for new officers and directors will be held during the annual business meeting at 5:15 p.m. Thursday, June 13, 2013, at the Reed Center in Midwest City.