1973
Bascom Lamar Lunsford

Bascom Lamar Lunsford (1882 – 1973), 91-year-old Buncombe County folklorist, won the 1973 award for his many years of preserving mountain folklore and music. Forty-five years previous to winning the award, Lunsford founded the Mountain Folk Festival, which is still presented annually. A former president of the North Carolina Folklore Society, Lunsford recorded more than 600 mountain ballads for the Columbia University library.