Featuring Bob Priddy
Veteran Missouri Journalist, Historian & Author
28th National Trail of Tears Association Conference & Symposium
History is more than a collection of dates and documents. At its heart, history is the story of people—their struggles, decisions, triumphs, and failures. Few people have spent more time telling Missouri’s story than Bob Priddy.
During a conversational interview at the 28th National Trail of Tears Association Conference & Symposium, attendees were invited to learn about Priddy’s remarkable career in journalism, his passion for Missouri history, and the role historical storytelling plays in helping future generations understand the past.
Rather than delivering a traditional lecture, the session unfolded as a discussion, allowing Priddy to reflect on decades spent covering Missouri government while explaining how his love of history eventually led him to become one of the state’s most respected historical voices.
For four decades, Bob Priddy served as News Director of the Missourinet, Missouri’s statewide radio news network.
Throughout that career, he covered governors, legislatures, elections, court decisions, natural disasters, and countless events that shaped the state.
Journalists often describe their work as writing “the first draft of history.”
Priddy spent forty years doing exactly that.
Reporting daily news required accuracy, fairness, and an appreciation for context—qualities that naturally carried over into his later historical research and writing.
Those experiences gave him a unique perspective on the relationship between current events and the historical forces that produced them.
One of the recurring themes throughout the conversation is that Missouri’s history surrounds us.
Historic roads, government buildings, rivers, battlefields, and communities all contain stories waiting to be discovered.
Priddy encouraged audiences to look beyond familiar historical narratives and appreciate the countless lesser-known events that shaped Missouri’s development.
Whether discussing political history, westward expansion, transportation, or the Trail of Tears, he emphasized that every place has a story worth preserving.
Understanding those stories helps us better understand the people who lived them.
In addition to his work as a journalist, Priddy played an important role in increasing public access to Missouri government.
During his career, the Missourinet expanded live coverage of legislative debates, allowing citizens across Missouri—and eventually around the world through the internet—to hear elected officials debate important issues firsthand.
He also helped lead efforts to open Missouri’s court system to radio and television coverage, encouraging greater transparency and public understanding of government.
These accomplishments reflect Priddy’s belief that informed citizens strengthen democracy.
Throughout the discussion, Priddy demonstrated how journalism and history complement one another.
Both seek evidence.
Both require careful research.
Both attempt to separate fact from opinion.
Whether investigating a modern political issue or researching an event from two centuries ago, the goal remains the same: accurately tell the story.
This approach has made Priddy not only a respected journalist but also a trusted interpreter of Missouri history.
Priddy also discussed his involvement with the State Historical Society of Missouri, where he has served in leadership roles and helped support the organization’s continued growth.
The Society’s collections preserve countless documents, photographs, maps, newspapers, and artifacts that allow researchers to better understand Missouri’s past.
For scholars studying the Trail of Tears, westward expansion, or nineteenth-century Missouri, these collections provide invaluable resources.
Priddy emphasized that preserving these materials ensures future generations can continue discovering new stories hidden within the historical record.
Although Priddy’s career spans nearly every aspect of Missouri history, the Trail of Tears occupies a significant place within that story.
Missouri served as an important corridor during Indian Removal, and understanding the state’s political, geographic, and social history provides essential context for understanding the Cherokee experience.
Rather than viewing the Trail of Tears as an isolated event, Priddy encourages audiences to see it as part of the broader history of Missouri and the American frontier.
Doing so creates a more complete and honest understanding of the past.
Perhaps the greatest lesson from Priddy’s conversation is the importance of curiosity.
Every historical discovery begins with a question.
Every preserved document offers another opportunity to learn.
Every community contains stories that deserve to be remembered.
Throughout his career—as a journalist, author, historian, and public servant—Priddy has demonstrated that asking thoughtful questions often leads to the most meaningful historical discoveries.
His work reminds us that history is not something finished.
It continues to grow as new research, new perspectives, and new generations contribute to our understanding.
Bob Priddy’s career has been dedicated to helping Missourians better understand their state.
Whether reporting breaking news, documenting political history, writing books, or speaking at conferences such as the National Trail of Tears Association Symposium, he continues to connect people with the stories that define Missouri’s past.
His conversation serves as a reminder that preserving history requires more than collecting facts.
It requires skilled storytellers who can bring those facts to life.
By sharing Missouri’s stories with clarity, curiosity, and integrity, Bob Priddy has helped ensure that the state’s rich history remains accessible for generations to come.
Bob Priddy spent forty years as News Director of the Missourinet, Missouri’s statewide radio news network, where he covered state government and politics while helping write the first draft of Missouri’s modern history. A respected historian, author, and longtime leader within the State Historical Society of Missouri, Priddy continues sharing stories of Missouri’s past through his writing, speaking engagements, and the Across Our Wide Missouri radio series.
A Conversation with Veteran Journalist, Historian, and Author Bob Priddy Featuring Bob PriddyVeteran Missouri Journalist, Historian & Author 28th National Trail of Tears Association Conference & Symposium Every Great Historian Begins as a Storyteller History is more than a collection of dates and documents. At its heart, history is the
