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Pulitzer Prize Winner


category : Famous People
Checotah's library is named in honor of the Pulitzer Prize winner, Jim Griffing Lucas.

* A third generation Checotahan born June 22, 1914,

*A 1931 graduate of Checotah High School and a champion debator, attended the University of Missouri;

*a Marine Corps volunteer who won a battlefield commission with a Bronze Star during the Southwest pacific Battle of Tarawa, 1943; and also fought at Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima; given the "National Headliners Award" for best reporting, 1943; and later, the VFW Omar Bradley Award and the American Legion Fourth Estate Award;

*a member of Admiral Richard E. Byrd's 1947 Expedition to the South Pole;

*a 25-year reporter for Scripps-Howard as a Washington and foreign correspondent;

*chosen as the Pulitzer Prize winner for journalism, 1954, and selected for two Ernie Pyle awards; 1953, Korean War; and 1964, Vietnam Conflict;

*the only journalist ever called to give a briefing at the White House before the President and 100 Congressional leaders;

*author of three books;

*buried with full military ceremony in Checotah in his family's plot, July 21, 1970;

*was honored by his hometown with the naming of Jim Lucas Memorial Library, May 2, 1971.


Come visit us in Checotah, Oklahoma

Attractions and Upcoming Events

Historic Downtown Checotah

Downtown Checotah is one of only 15 National Register Historic Districts in Oklahoma. Built between 1898 and 1903, many of the buildings still show the grandeur of their original architecture. Unfortunately, in 1992 the loss by fire of Checotah'

Checotah, OK Historic Districts

United Methodist Church

The United Methodist Church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Checotah, OK Historic Churches

Katy Depot Museum & Information Center

The KATY DEPOT was built in 1890 and is the M.K.&T.'s oldest surviving wooden station. Checotah was established as a railhead in 1872

Checotah, OK Museums

Indian Territory Cemetery

The Indian Territory Cemetery has markers dating from 1872 to 1912.

Checotah, OK Cemeteries

1903 IOOF Home

One Checotah National Historic Landmark which continues the service which began just after the turn of the century is the IOOF Home. In 1902, a farm of 160 acres and $5,000 was offered by W.E. Gentry and his wife, Sallie, and was accepted by the IOOF. The local lodge, chartered in 1895

Checotah, OK Historic Buildings

Things to do Famous People near Checotah, OK

Pulitzer Prize Winner

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