Dawn Shelton inducted into Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame

Dawn Shelton, founder of the Luther Register News, is now the third Oklahoma Christian University alumni in the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.

Steve Lackmeyer, classmate of Shelton’s and 2022 hall of fame inductee, shared memories with her at Oklahoma Christian. 

“Dawn was part of the last era of strong local radio news in Oklahoma City. When she attended Oklahoma Christian University, the broadcast communications department was producing multiple success stories that also included a future television news anchor and multiple radio broadcasters,” Lackmeyer said. “Dawn took in the education she received under Phillip Patterson and Larry Jurney and excelled at KTOK news radio.”

Another classmate, Murray Evans, echoed admiration for Shelton’s skill in college.

“Dawn was a multiple threat while in college. She was a broadcast major and worked with KOCC (then the campus radio station) but she also took the time to work for The Talon, writing stories and shooting pictures,” Evans said. “Dawn was a big reason there wasn’t too much of a print-broadcast rivalry in the mass communications department – her friendly smile and inclusive personality helped bridge that gap. The students in our department formed lifelong friendships, which is why so many of us showed up to see Dawn receive the highest honor in Oklahoma journalism.”

Lackmeyer said he stayed friends with Shelton after college and remembers talking about her ideas for the Luther Register. 

“On a rainy day, we met at a small diner in Luther and Dawn shared her idea for starting up an online news site to cover Luther. The town needed reporting for a long time – even when The Oklahoman had a fully staffed metro desk, Luther was not one of the areas that was covered on a daily basis,” Lackmeyer said. “Luther had allegations of corruption at City Hall and the town was missing out on the tourism opportunities associated with being located along Route 66.”

Evans elaborated on the importance of Shelton’s work in the community. 

“She was an outstanding radio news reporter for KTOK and later quietly served her alma mater in public relations before returning to her journalism roots. What she has done in the small town of Luther – creating a hyper-local news outlet that filled a void – is something that needs to be replicated if journalism as we’ve always known it is to survive,” Evans said. “Our state and country need creative and clever journalists like Dawn, who can both support their communities while performing the necessary services of telling the stories of people and keeping an eye on what their government is doing.”

Lackmeyer offered equal recognition to Shelton’s impactful career. 

“Dawn is the 21st century reinvention of small-town journalism and an example of how one trained, experienced journalist can still make a huge difference in their community without the traditional resources of printing press or corporate backing,” Lackmeyer said. “She saw a need in her community. She saw a way to make it better in the way that small town newspaper publishers have done for decades.”