Hall of Fame Member Biographies

David A. Dary

David A. Dary served as head of the currently known Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma from 1989 until his retirement as Emeritus Professor in 2000. Dary came to the University of Oklahoma’s Journalism and Mass Communication Department during a challenging time for the program and single handedly turned the program around. Dary spearheaded the development of the program and $22 million gift from the Gaylord family to become the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication with its distinct architecture and state of the art classrooms, lecture halls, auditoriums and journalism equipment. After completion of the new college, Dary retired to become an Emeritus professor in the Journalism and Mass Communication Department.

In addition to the leadership he has provided in his academic career, he has also written and published many histories and retelling of some of the most famous stories of the American West. Dary’s most recent works are “Frontier Medicine, 1492-1941,” “True Tails of the Prairies and Plains,” and “The Oklahoma Publishing Company’s First Century: The Gaylord Family Story.” His books have earned him two Wrangler Awards from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, two Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America along with the organization’s Wister Award for Lifetime Achievement, the group’s highest honor. In 2007, Dary was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.