Staff from the State Historical Society of Missouri received three major awards from the Missouri Library Association recognizing literary achievement, public relations excellence, and contributions to genealogy and local history. The awards were announced at the 2026 MLA Conference October 6 in Springfield, Mo.
SHSMO Managing Editor and author Kim Harper received the 2026 MLA Literary Achievement Award for her book Men of No Reputation: Robert Boatright, the Buckfoot Gang, and the Fleecing of Middle America. The award recognizes a Missouri writer or a body of work about Missouri for its literary merit.
The Public Relations Achievement Award honored SHSMO staff members Kathleen Seale, Haley Frizzle-Green, Stacia Schaefer, and Beth Pike for their work commemorating the centennial of Route 66. The yearlong initiative celebrated the historic highway through archival collecting, exhibitions, public programs, media outreach, and digital and print marketing.
The Excellence in Genealogy and Local History Award recognized Autumn Cuddy, SHSMO archivist, for creating and launching the CoMo Music Project in October 2024. The initiative documents Columbia’s local music scene from the 1950s to the present through archival collecting, oral history interviews, and public programming.
Together, the awards recognize the contributions of SHSMO staff in preserving the state’s history, connecting communities with their cultural heritage, and making historical resources accessible to the public. Congratulations to the award winners!