Press Release
March 4, 2025
Contact: Jessica Brogdon
Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-0780
jessica.brogdon@history.ok.gov
www.okhistory.org/awardsbanquet
Oklahoma Historical Society to Honor Two People With Ties to OU at Annual Awards Banquet
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Historical Society will induct Carolyn Hanneman into the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame during a ceremony on Thursday, March 20, at 6 p.m. at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. Hanneman has been a historian for decades and retired from the University of Oklahoma in 2012. The OHS will also honor KGOU host and producer Rachel Hopkin with the Bruce T. Fisher Award.
Hanneman earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from Oklahoma State University and completed her coursework for a Ph.D. in history. Hanneman played a significant role in OSU’s Centennial Histories project. After completing a master’s degree at the University of Oklahoma, Hanneman started working for the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center. Her role involved processing large collections and creating exhibits. She also worked directly with congressional delegation members to encourage them to donate their papers to OU. While working at OU, Hanneman and historian Richard Lowitt edited a book on longtime U.S. Sen. Elmer Thomas from Oklahoma. Hanneman retired from OU in 2012. She is a regular library volunteer at Truman Elementary School in Norman and is often there five days a week. Instituted in 1993, the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame is the highest honor awarded by the Oklahoma Historical Society. This honor recognizes distinguished and long-term contributions to Oklahoma history through demonstrated excellence.
Hopkin will be recognized for an episode of the “How Curious” podcast titled “How Did Oklahoma Become the Location of a Real-Life Lord of the Flies?” that was produced for KGOU Public Radio. The episode looks at a landmark psychological study at an Oklahoma state park. KGOU said this experiment, like the novel “Lord of the Flies” focused on a bunch of schoolboys. Unlike the book, the Oklahoma study “offered a very different perspective on human nature.” The Bruce T. Fisher Award recognizes the significant contribution of an individual or organization to projects including, but not limited to, digital, short-form publications, collections care, film, programs and exhibits.
Tickets to the Oklahoma Historical Society Awards Banquet can be purchased online. Guests are asked to RSVP by Monday, March 10. Dr. AJ Griffin will be the keynote speaker. Griffin spent six years in the Oklahoma State Senate and is now the CEO of the Potts Family Foundation. Joe Dorman, a former state representative and current CEO of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, will serve as emcee for this event.
The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
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