Since 2016 the Alabama Historical Association has given out the Robert J. "Jeff" Jakeman Award for Digital History to honor various types of online Alabama history resources and projects. Past awards have gone to such entities as the Encyclopedia of Alabama, Bhamwiki and the Alabama Digital Preservation Network.
I was surprised in February to receive an email from Dr. Martin Olliff, Chair of the Jakeman Award 2025 Committee, that informed me I was receiving a Special Recognition Jakeman Award for this very blog you are reading. Alabama Yesterdays has been chugging along since 2014, and I've posted more than 950 pieces.
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the annual meeting and the award presentation on April 10 in Opelika. I did send the following statement that Dr. Olliff kindly read for me.
"I am very honored to receive the 2025 Jakeman Award and would like to thank the historical association, Dr. Marty Olliff, Chair of the Committee and other members. I recall email exchanges with Dr. Jakeman in the very early days of the Encyclopedia of Alabama project. With the blog Alabama Yesterdays, I try to keep in mind his scholarship and enthusiasm for the state’s history.
The blog is certainly not an organized resource like the EOA. I rummage around in the attic and basement so to speak where obscure authors, forgotten actors or lesser known events can be found. For example, I’ve done a post about boxer Joe Louis’ appearance in a strange 1970 film, The Phynx.
I try to work some family history in there, too. One post recounted my mother’s memory of seeing George Washington Carver speak in Camp Hill in 1936 when she was seven years old. I hope these blog posts and similar efforts on social media platforms like Twitter, BlueSky and Instagram offer something of interest to people who encounter them."
The Large and Small Project Awards in 2025 were given to a pair of exciting projects, Hiztorical Vision Productions and the Southern Music Research Center. If you have an interest in the state's history, I would urge you to join the association. In addition to the annual meeting in the spring, a fall pilgrimage is held in a different location. The AHA also published a quarterly journal and a twice yearly newsletter.
1948-2023
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