1971
John A. Parris

John Alvis Parris, Jr. (1914 – 1999), Sylva-native and Asheville Citizen-Times columnist, won the award in 1971 for his column, “Roaming the Mountains,” which examined the social history of one of America’s most distinctive islands of culture with perception, humor, nostalgia, and understanding. In 1971, Parris had written the column for 17 years and also authored three books about Western North Carolina.