Jilane Rodgers, sports editor for The Oklahoma Daily

As a university newspaper, we obviously operate without any sort of dress code. As sports editor, it is rare for me to come into work NOT in sweats.  So the first morning Jerry came strutting in rocking a suit, needless to say, I asked him the occasion. "Tuesday!" He replied, with a smile far too honest for the middle of the week.

Jerry covered the Kevin Ray Underwood murder trial from the moment it was moved from the site of the crime in Purcell, Okla., to Norman, Okla., where the University of Oklahoma is located. Underwood had been arrested and charged in 2006 for the abduction, murder, assault and attempted cannibalism of his 10-year-old female neighbor. It was one of the biggest recent trials our student newspaper reported on, and that Feb. 19 morning, Jerry was off to cover jury selection. He would stay with the case through Underwood's conviction and sentencing.

The greatest example of his dedication was before the sentencing. Several peoples from our newspaper staff were hanging out at an editor's house. Jerry just had arrived around 10 p.m. following an evening at the opera. He soon thereafter received a call saying the sentencing would be handed down at 11:15 p.m. Jerry immediately left the party. There was never a question where he should be and where he wanted to be at that moment. His coverage of Underwood's sentencing to death, complete with quotes from the district attorney and assistant district attorney went online at 11:52 p.m. The next day the city paper wrote both in print and online: "A Cleveland County jury was deliberating at press time on whether Kevin Ray Underwood should receive the death penalty for the murder of 10-year-old Jamie Rose Bolin."

Hailey Branson, former assistant managing editor for The Oklahoma Daily

I laughed at Jerry Wofford the first time I realized he always carries a reporter’s notebook in his back pocket — just in case he stumbles across a story.

I laughed when he and I drove past a fire on the way to lunch one day, and he already had a camera ready to go. It sits beside the driver’s seat in his truck — just in case.

But behind that laughter was — and is — a deep respect for the level of commitment and the sheer passion for journalism that my co-worker and friend Jerry possesses.

To the role of reporter, Jerry has brought — and continues to bring — a passion and drive I have seen unmatched even in the professional field. His reporting is in-depth, his writing is beautiful, and his efficiency is something to be jealous of.

I have watched Jerry return grim-faced every day for nearly two weeks after covering a gruesome capital murder trial — then turn around and write Oklahoma’s best coverage of it. I have seen him do hours worth of background research before writing a hard-hitting in-depth story about a tiny town wasting away from mining pollution. I have talked to him on the phone after he followed group of elderly people on a wagon train for hours. I still listen — again and again — to his excitement as he tells me he is so glad everyone has a story and that he gets to be the one to share those stories.

Judy Gibbs Robinson, editorial adviser for The Oklahoma Daily

Jerry is devoted to news, whether it means grabbing a camera or a notebook — or both — and running. He has skipped class (I know) and left parties (I’m told) to follow a news story. He is unflappable in the face of confusion, multiple demands and other stressors. And as good as he is as a reporter, he is perhaps even better as a writer.  He understands complex issues and retells them in understandable ways.

Jerry was recently chosen editor of the weekly summer edition of The Oklahoma Daily. When I asked him why he wanted the job, he said he was embarrassed by the quality of summer papers of the past when third- or fourth-string journalism students took the helm and published a paper that didn’t deserve to be called The Oklahoma Daily. Last summer, for example, the staff ran a wire story about OU acquiring a major art collection. Jerry proved his commitment a few days after his selection when he came to me to see about getting a late deadline for the very first edition. The reason: He wants to get results from two elections into the paper: A local city bond issue and a city council race in another Oklahoma town where a 19-year-old OU student is vying for mayor. It’s going to be a great summer with him at the helm.

Source | The Oklahoma Daily
Kevin Ray Underwood will receive the death penalty for the 2006 murder of 10-year-old Jamie Rose Bolin. The court announced the decision of the seven man, five woman jury at 11:15 p.m. Friday after more than eight hours of delibrations.

Source | The Oklahoma Daily
When Whitney Diveley was a kid in this town, the 200-foot-tall piles of lead-tainted mine waste were a fun Saturday afternoon.

Source | The Oklahoma Daily
The Cherokee Nation voted in March to remove freedmen and their descendants from their official rolls, a move that may leave many who consider themselves Cherokee without benefits.