Celebrated Kentucky Historian Receives Medallion for Intellectual Achievement

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 10, 2016) — Tonight University of Kentucky Libraries Spring Gala will recognize the 2016 recipient of the UK Libraries Medallion for Intellectual Achievement, James C. Klotter. The Lexington native, UK alumnus and Georgetown College scholar is the state historian of Kentucky.  

"Through his writing, his teaching and hundreds of talks on Kentucky history across the Commonwealth over the past four decades, Dr. James C. Klotter epitomizes what the UK Libraries Medallion for Intellectual Achievement honors; high intellectual achievement by a Kentuckian who has made a contribution of lasting value," UK Libraries Dean Terry Birdwhistell said.

The UK Libraries Medallion for Intellectual Achievement is one of UK's most prestigious awards. It was created in 1990 to recognize high intellectual achievement by a Kentuckian who has made a contribution of lasting value to the Commonwealth. The award also promotes education and creative thought. The recipient is determined by the UK Libraries National Advisory Board after receiving nominations from the public. Past recipients of the honor include: John Anthony, Wendell Berry, James Still, Bobbie Ann Mason, Thomas D. Clark, Laman A. Gray Jr., Guy Davenport, George C. Herring, Adalin Wichman, John Egerton, Karl Raitz and George Wright.

James C. Klotter received his doctoral degree in history from UK in 1975. He is the prize-winning author, co-author or editor of almost 20 books including “The Breckinridges of Kentucky,” “Faces of Kentucky” and the second edition of  “Our Kentucky: A Study of the Bluegrass State.” He is also the author of the Kentucky history textbooks used at the elementary, secondary and post-secondary levels statewide.

The state historian of Kentucky since 1980, Klotter worked at the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) from 1973 to 1998, with his tenure culminating in eight years of service as the KHS executive director. Since 1998, he has been a professor of history at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky. In both positions he has served in the public history field, giving almost a thousand public presentations around the Commonwealth, working with teachers in workshops and other forums, and serving as a resource person for various media outlets. He has also been chair or president of the Kentucky Association of Teachers of History, the Kentucky Council on Archives, the UK Library Associates, the Collaborative for Teaching and Learning and the Kentucky Civil War Roundtable.

Klotter is general editor, along with UK Libraries Dean Terry Birdwhistell and Douglas Boyd of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, of the book series “Kentucky Remembered: An Oral History Series” published by the University Press of Kentucky (UPK). He also serves as the general editor of the “Topics in Kentucky History” series from UPK. Together those 22 books span Kentucky history from early statehood to the present.

The recipient of several local, regional and national honors, Klotter has received the Governor’s Outstanding Kentuckian Award and the Clark Award for Literary Excellence. He also has delivered the McCandless Lecture at Oxford University.

In addition to celebrating Klotter's life and work, the UK Spring Gala, presented by the UK Libraries National Advisory Board, will also include the recognition of this year's recipients of the 2016 Paul A. Willis Outstanding Faculty Award and the 2016 Dean's Awards for Outstanding Performance. The Willis Award will be presented to Frank Davis, a clinical liaison librarian in the Medical Center Library. The Dean's Awards for Outstanding Performance will be presented to Josh Monroe, a monograph library specialist at William T. Young Library; Beth Reeder, library technician senior in the Agricultural Information Center; and Kopana Terry, oral history archivist in the Nunn Center in UK's Special Collections Research Center.

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu