Robert J. “Jeff” Jakeman

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This award is named in honor of Robert J. “Jeff” Jakeman, 69th President of the Alabama Historical Association.

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 Robert J. “Jeff” Jakeman was born October 22, 1948, in Madison, Tennessee, but spent his childhood and young adulthood in Tampa, Florida. He earned his BA with a double major in sociology and social science from the University of South Florida in 1971. Upon graduation, he entered the U.S. Air Force and was commissioned at Lackland AFB in 1972. He earned his wings as a navigator at Mather AFB in late 1972 and subsequently qualified as a Weapons Systems Officer in F-4 Phantom fighters. He served on active duty in the back seat of F-4s until 1980 and completed over 1,000 hours of flying time in the Phantom. He saw overseas duty at bases in the Philippines, Taiwan, Korea, and Germany. After his active duty service, Jeff continued his military career as an active reservist. 

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From 1980 to 1995, he served as a historical officer at Maxwell’s Air Force Historical Research Agency. He returned to active duty for twelve months after the first Gulf War to coordinate a special project to collect records documenting the air war in the Persian Gulf. In 1995, he was assigned to Air University as the Reserve counterpart to the Commandant of the Squadron Officer School. He retired from the Air Force at the grade of colonel. 

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In addition to his military career, Jeff pursued a career as an archivist, editor, and professor. He earned an MA in history from Valdosta State College in 1980 while on active duty. In 1988, he earned a doctorate in history from Auburn University. He served as an archivist at Auburn University, Maxwell AFB, and the Alabama Department of Archives and History. In 1992, he joined the Auburn University History Department faculty to direct the graduate program in archival studies. From 1995 until 2008, he served as editor of Alabama’s state history journal, The Alabama Review. From 2003 to 2011, he served as founding editor of the online Encyclopedia of Alabama, the most widely cited source on Alabama history. He retired from Auburn University in 2011. He served over a decade as a volunteer church historian for Trinity Lutheran Church in Auburn. 

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In 1992, Jakeman published The Divided Skies: Establishing Segregated Flight Training at Tuskegee, Alabama, 1934-1942, a book based on his doctoral dissertation. He also published articles on archival topics, state history, and military aviation. He served as president of the Alabama Historical Association from 2016-2017 and provided a presidential address and subsequent article in The Alabama Review titled “From Alabama to the Skies of France, 1917-1918: Penrose Vass Stout’s Improbable Journey.”