Reba Wells Grandrud moved from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Phoenix in 1982.  For the next 30-plus years she has been involved in historical research, writing and publishing, as well as serving on a variety of boards and historical societies all over Arizona.  She holds degrees from the University of New Mexico in education, Southwest history, and history of the American West.

Mary Jayne Peace Pyle is a native of Globe, Arizona.  Like our founder, Sharlot M. Hall, Mrs. Pyle grew up on a ranch.  And also much like Miss Hall, Mrs. Pyle heard stories as a young girl about the past (in particular from her grandmother) that captured her young imagination.  Although she became fond of these thrilling tales, she soon learned that careful research would be needed to capture the historical record accurately.

Heidi J. Osselaer received her undergraduate degree in history at the University of California, Berkeley, and earned both her master’s degree and doctorate in United States history at Arizona State University. In the years thereafter, she has firmly established her preeminence in historical scholarship respecting the pioneering women who contributed significantly to the political, economic and social development of the Arizona Territory and its transition to statehood and beyond.

Nancy Burgess’ love of Arizona history began at an early age.  A native of Phoenix, her passion for the state’s past began in elementary school.  I grew up with Arizona pioneers and was interested in their stories”, she said.

For almost 60 years, Kay Hill Benedict has used her tireless energy effectively for the benefit of others.  Benedict is the daughter of Arizona pioneers, married to the son of Arizona pioneers, and has passed on her legacy of community service to three sons and their families.  Her inspired leadership in her community and statewide can best be appreciated by dividing her contributions into three interest areas.

Jessie Ruth Gilpin illustrates the life of a genuine pioneer. She came to Arizona with her family in 1923 when she was nine years old.   Her parents, Orville and Essie Pownall, founded the town of Paulden, naming it in memory of their son Paul.  Paulden consisted of a U.S. Post Office, a grocery store, café, a gas station, garage and cabins.

Lynn Haak, who has made Globe, Arizona the center of her world since 1981, is a most fitting candidate for the honor of the Sharlot Hall Award. Active in the Gila County Historical Society and the Arizona Historical Society (serving 13 years on their Board of Directors), she has also found time to be a member of the planning committee for the Arizona History Convention, co-host of the Arizona Historical Convention in Globe, and planner for the Between Fences Smithsonian traveling display. She played a significant part in the restoration efforts of the 1906 Gila County Courthouse.

Fayrene Martin moved to Ash Fork from Arkansas. In 1953, she married Lewis Hume, grandson of Thomas Cooper Lewis, one of the town’s first residents. With the railroad and highway bypassing the town an...

The Sharlot Hall Award 2005 goes to Patricia Preciado Martin for her outstanding contribution to the preservation of Mexican-American oral history committed to print. In this preservation effort, she is surely Sharlot Hall's cultural comadre.

Barbara Baldwin Salyer is honored with the 2004 Sharlot Hall Award for her family history research and publications that has contributed to the understanding and awareness of Arizona History.