O.K. Bovard – 2007
Oliver Kirby (O.K.) Bovard worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch 40 years beginning as a reporter in 1898. Thirty of those years he was the paper’s managing editor. Known for being calm but somewhat aloof in the newsroom, Bovard actively avoided involvement in outside activities in order to preserve his journalistic objectivity. His true love was the editorial page, which on Sunday was internally referred to as “the dignity page.” It was known for detailed stories, both national and international, on significant issues. During his tenure, the Post’s Washington Bureau was established and the paper received a Pulitzer Prize for reporting.