Samuel W. Thomas book award

Sam Thomas was a distinguished Louisville historian. Trained as a chemist, he worked for the Courier-Journal for many years. Passionate about Louisville history, Sam authored over 20 local history books, including books on Louisville neighborhoods, such as "Crescent Hill" and "Cherokee Triangle." Sam lost his valiant battle with cancer in October, 2012. 

The three jurors for the Sam Thomas Book Award are:

Debbie Thomas, (center) a noted author and Sam's wife

Carol Besse, (right) co-owner of Carmichaels Bookstore

Keith Runyon, (left) former Book Review editor of the Courier-Journal

"Waverly Hills Sanatorium: A History" by Lynn Pohl

"Gideon Shryock: His Life and Architecture, 1802 - 1882" by Winfrey P. Blackburn, Jr.,         and R. Scott Gill

No book award was given in 2021 due to the Covid Pandemic

"Walter H Kiser's Neighborhood Sketches Revisited" by John David Myles

"Louisville Street Railways" by Martin Biemer, George Yater, and James Calvert. 

"Two Lives & One Passion of Louise Marshall" (founder of the Cabbage Patch Settlement House) by authors Bill Ellison and Linda Raymond

"Shelby County Architecture" by John David Myles

"Irrepressible: The Jazz Age Life of Henrietta Bingham" by Emily Bingham

 "Louisville Jug Music" by Michael L. Jones 

  Two books were awarded this year: 

Tracy K’Meyer for 

“From Brown to Meredith: 

The Long Struggle for School Desegregation 

in Louisville, Kentucky, 1954-2007”

and to

Sarah Garland for 

“Divided We Fail: 

The Story of an African American Community 

That Ended the Era of School Desegregation”

"George Keats of Kentucky" by Lawrence Crutcher