Oklahoma City's Ray Ackerman inspired 'outsiders'

Steve Lackmeyer is a reporter and columnist who started his career at The Oklahoman in 1990. Since then, he has won numerous awards for his coverage, which included the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, the city's Metropolitan Area Projects, the rebuilding of north downtown, the rebirth of the Skirvin Hotel, the rise of Bricktown, MidTown and Automobile Alley, and the city's courting of the NBA.

Steve's family came to town in 1977 when his father led construction of the Sheraton Century Center Hotel. He roamed the brand new corridors of the Conncourse tunnels (now The Underground). He saw the final last gasp of the old downtown and witnessed the destruction of the 26-story Biltmore Hotel. He spent his teenage years watching construction of the Myriad Gardens and a new skyline including Mid-America (home to Devon), Oklahoma and Corporate Towers, and Leadership Square.

Steve was once referred to as a “downtown partisan” by The Oklahoman's real estate editor Richard Mize. It's a beat Steve enjoys, and his column, "OKC Central," can be read every Tuesday in The Oklahoman’s business section. Lackmeyer also hosts the downtown blog "OKC Central." He is also author of four books about downtown’s history, "OKC Second Time Around," Skirvin" and "Operation Scissortail" (all co-authored by Jack Money) and "Bricktown." Lackmeyer also authored "Foraging in Oklahoma," a travelogue and recipe book about produce found at Oklahoma farms and ranches.

Steve is a frequent speaker on downtown development and history, with appearances on television stations OETA, KWTV, KSBI, radio stations KTOK, KGOU, WKY and KOKC, local Rotary and Lion’s clubs, and the 2010 National Main Streets Conference.