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GORDON BAKKEN AWARD OF MERIT

The Gordon Bakken Award of Merit is given for outstanding service to the field of western history and to the Western History Association. To nominate a WHA member, send a letter to the Award of Merit Committee members explaining why the individual deserves to be recognized. 

-2023 Awards Cycle opens January 25, 2023

-2023 Award Nomination Deadline: June 15, 2023


The WHA office sends notifications to selected award recipients at the end of August. 

BAKKEN AWARD OF MERIT COMMITTEE

Ernesto Chávez, Chair

University of Texas at El Paso

echavez@utep.edu

Samuel Truett

University of New Mexico

truett@unm.edu

Phoebe S.K. Young

Colorado State University

phoebe.young@colorado.edu

PAST RECIPIENTS:

GORDON BAKKEN AWARD OF MERIT

2022
Josh Reid
Bárbara O. Reyes
Michael "Cowboy Mike" Searles

2021
Mary E. Mendoza
Charles Grench
Albert Broussard

2020
Caroline F. Schimmel
Brian Q. Cannon

2019

Jo Tice Bloom

John Heaton


2018

Peter Blodget

Katherine Morrissey

Gregory Thompson


2017

Charles E. Rankin
David G. Gutiérrez
Louise Pubols 


2016

David Rich Lewis

Sandra K. Schackel

Ron Tyler


2015

Paula Petrik
George Miles

2014

Brian Collier

Linda Sargent Wood

Roger Nichols

2013

Kathleen A. Brosnan

2012

Clyde Milner

Anne M. Butler

Tom Noel

2011

Darlis Miller


2010

Joan Jensen


2009

Gordon Bakken


2008

Paul Andrew Hutton


2007

L. George Moses


2006

Julidta Tarver

Melody Webb

2005

Robert A. Trennert


2004

Marvin Kaiser


2003

Margot Liberty


2002

John Drayton


2001

Iris H. Wilson Engstrand

Frederick Luebke

Ben Proctor

Malcolm Rohrbough


2000

William D. Rowley


1999

Thomas G. Alexander

Judith Austin


1998

Harwood P. Hinton

Ken Owens

1997

Wilbur Jacobs

 

1996

Robert Hine

 

1995

Claus-M. Naske

 

1994

S. George Ellsworth


1993

Floyd A. O‘Neil

Dwight Smith

1992

Robert Burke

Richard Lowitt

1991

Charles S. Peterson


1990

W. Turrentine Jackson

Duane A. Smith

1989

Samuel P. Arnold


1988

John Alexander Carroll


1987

William S. Greever

Merle Wells

1986

Jack D. Haley


1985

Sara Dunlap Jackson


1984

Wayne Gard

Chester B. Kerr

1983

C. Gregory Crampton

Russell R. Elliott

1982

Lucile M. Kane

A. Russell Mortensen

1981

Lewis E. Atherton

Angie Debo

Grace Lee Nute

1980

Oliver W. Holmes

Bruce H. Nicolle

1979

Donald Jackson

Alice E. Smith

1978

W. H. Hutchison

Walker Wyman, Sr.

1977

Archibald Hanna

Myra Ellen Jenkins


1976

Vernon Carstensen

Earl H. Ellis

Michael Harrison

John Francis McDermott

Abraham P. Nasatir

Rupert N. Richardson

A. Bower Sageser

C. L. Sonnichsen

BACKGROUND:

GORDON M. BAKKEN

Gordon M. Bakken (1942-2014), a Wisconsin native, earned his bachelor’s degree in English, his master’s and doctorate in history, and his law degree from the University of Wisconsin. He joined the faculty at the California State-Fullerton in 1969, remaining there for his entire career. Described as an extraordinarily generous teacher, scholar, and person, during his life, Bakken was the recipient of many awards and honors, including the Coalition for Western Women’s History Lifetime Achievement Award and the WHA Award of Merit, which now bears his name.

The author or editor of 24 books, Bakken focused his research primarily on legal history in the US West with a special interest on the importance of women in the West, once remarking, “My interest in women’s history flowed from the 1960s interest in the history of unrepresented groups … I started looking into the experiences of women in the American West. I quickly found that women had far more to teach me than any other group of people.” Among scholars, he may be best remembered for his works such as, Women Who Kill Men: California Courts, Gender, and the Press and Invitation to an Execution: A History of the Death Penalty in the United States. Among his former students, Bakken may be best remembered for his caring approach as well as his legendarily long lists of required reading—an average of 20 books. A generous donor and source of constant support, he served the WHA for three decades. He presented research, chaired countless sessions, and served on multiple committees, including the Membership and Financial Advisory committees as well as two Local Arrangement Committees. Gordon M. Bakken died on December 4, 2014 at the age of 71.

"History can teach society to make more rational decisions about actions to be taken or policies to be pursued. History helps us to find patterns and repetitions, but also to protect cultural values against the materialism of an acquisitive society. History displays patterns of beliefs, ideals, loyalties and aspirations capable of transforming a random aggregation of human beings into a coherent society. History is part of objective reality and the human mind has an innate desire to explore and understand that reality. History is a part of cultural heritage and teaches wisdom and fosters virtue to make us better human beings. For each of us, history helps us to understand change and determine self-identity. In studying history, we attempt to realize our human potential, to break out of the constricting circle of the present. We affirm our humanity as well as our nationality. We ask age-old questions about our duty to country, others and self."  --Gordon Bakken (Courtesy of California State University Fullerton Making History, Inside online publication October 2009)




Western History Association

University of Kansas | History Department

1445 Jayhawk Blvd. | 3650 Wescoe Hall

Lawrence, KS 66045 | 785-864-0860

wha@westernhistory.org 


The WHA is located in the Department of History at the University of Kansas. The WHA is grateful to KU's History Department and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for their generous support!