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| ONF Beachy Musselman Award |
Beachy Musselman Award
The recipient of the award, who is selected by the ONF Board of Trustees, receives a plaque and recognition at the annual OPA Convention. The award, established in 1969 to recognize and encourage quality journalism in practice, education and research, is named after the late Norman Beachy Musselman, former editor and general manager of the Shawnee News-Star. Musselman also served as president of the Oklahoma Press Association in 1961. Any professional journalist is eligible for nomination. Extra consideration is given on the basis of service to the community, initiative in reporting, photographing or interpreting the news. Nominations for reporters and editors are encouraged.
HOW TO MAKE A NOMINATIONNominations, which may be made by anyone, must include biographical information showing work in the newspaper industry or related field and reasons you believe the person is deserving of the award. Additional information may be requested by the ONF Board of Trustees. Submit nominations and accompanying information via email to mthomas@okpress.com or upload at http://betternewspapercontest.com/OPA. When submitting online, the Division is "Special Awards" and the category is "ONF Beachy Musselman Award." Nominations are due by February 12, 2024.
BEACHY MUSSELMANNorman Beachy Musselman was born July 17, 1897, in Falls City, Neb., graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1918 and did graduate work at the University of Kansas in 1920 and 1921. From 1922-23, he was city editor of the Arkansas City Daily News in Kansas and, from 1924 to 1942, served as advertising manager of the Arkansas City Traveler. He was editor and general manager of the Shawnee News-Star from 1945 until his death on Aug. 6, 1963. A few months after his death, his widow, the late Ruth Musselman, asked OPA to administer a Norman Beachy Musselman Memorial Fund. The memorial contribution proved to be the catalyst needed to establish the Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation (ONF). The first contribution to the foundation was the Norman Beachy Musselman Memorial Fund. ONF was established to serve as a trust for donations of money, securities or other property. Musselman was a consistent winner of editorial writing awards and his columns, "Beachnuts and Newsbeams," also won many awards. He was a founding member of the American Legion, joining other veterans to form the new organization after serving as a signal corps aviator in World War I. Musselman served as president of the Oklahoma Press Association in 1961, which coincided with building and moving into the OPA office building at 3601 N. Lincoln Blvd. in Oklahoma City.
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Presented annually by the Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation, the Beachy Musselman Award recognizes a journalist for his or her contribution to the field of printed journalism or its related field.