The American Journalism Historians Association Service Awards Committee selected Patrick Cox, Ph.D. as the 2025 recipient of the Sidney Kobre Award for Lifetime Achievement, AJHA’s highest honor.

Cox is retired from the University of Texas at Austin where he was associate director of the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History and taught at the UT Austin College of Journalism. He is a Distinguished Alum of Texas State University. Prior to his academic career, he was an award-winning journalist at The Wimberley View newspaper in Wimberley, Texas. Currently, he is the president of Patrick Cox Consultants, LLC. 

He is the author and editor of 10 books, including The First Texas News Barons, Picturing Texas History and Ralph W. Yarborough - the People’s Senator. He was a finalist for the Robert F. Kennedy National Book Award, the Western Writer’s Association Book Award, the Texas Philosophical Society Book Award and many others. Cox has also served two terms on AJHA’s Board of Directors, was the association’s convention sites chair for 12 years, and has received two President’s Awards for Distinguished Service to AJHA.

"Dr. Cox has contributed so much to the field of media history and AJHA. His scholarly work, especially in the area of Texas history, is strong, and his work through the Briscoe Center at the University of Texas opened numerous doors for other scholars. We are delighted to celebrate such a wonderful career in Long Beach later this year," said Willie Tubbs, chair of the selection committee.

First awarded in 1986, the Kobre Award recognizes individuals with an exemplary record of sustained achievement in journalism history through teaching, research, professional activities, or other contributions to the field of journalism history. Cox will receive the award at the AJHA's 44th annual convention to be held Sept. 25-27 in Long Beach, California.

“I am very grateful and honored to be the AJHA Kobre Award for Lifetime Achievement recipient for 2025. We have a very distinguished group of recipients in the history of the Kobre Award, many of whom I had the pleasure to know and work with over the years,” said Cox. “As a journalist, historian, author, and active participant in AJHA since 1998 (going way back in the 20th century), I value all of the professional support, camaraderie, and lasting friendships I have made.”

Letters of support for Cox lauded his work as a storyteller and historian, as well as his years of service as AJHA’s convention sites chair.

“Patrick is a terrific, award-winning historian and a long-time supporter of AJHA, and I can think of no one more worthy of this award,” wrote Janice Hume of the University of Georgia. “When I think of Patrick, it’s “storyteller” that comes to mind. His history credentials are strong, his research methodology impeccable, and his productivity admirable, but he just knows how to weave good stories about politics, journalism and life in Texas. That storytelling trait spills over to his involvement with AJHA. He has been a wonderful colleague making many members, including new graduate students, feel welcome and a part of the AJHA community. That, too, is an important contribution to journalism history.”

“New to the role last year, I have such an appreciation for the hard work that Patrick did to make our annual conferences so impactful,” wrote Aimee Edmondson of Ohio University. “Few people know how much goes into choosing our convention city and hotel as well as guiding the local hosts in planning the historic tour, gala and so forth. Patrick wrote the book on AJHA conferencing in modern times. His work has helped create the AJHA faithful, historians who agreed this conference was not to be missed, and that is no small feat.”

“His work with AJHA is legendary,” wrote Mike Conway of Indiana University. “Patrick was more than a convention planner. He worked with the AJHA leadership on various issue throughout the years and made it a personal mission to make people, especially graduate students, welcome at our conferences.”

“For many years, it was Patrick to the rescue when it came to our annual convention. He is well deserving of the Kobre Award for ALL his key involvement in making sure our convention got off the ground, ran smoothly, and then weren’t saddled with fines,” wrote Julie Hedgepeth Williams of Samford University. “I admire Patrick’s take-charge, commanding presence that inspires so much confidence.”

Cox received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a sixth generation Texan and lives in Wimberley, Texas with his wife, Brenda.