20 Facts About Judy O'Bannon

Judith "Judy" O'Bannon Willsey was born on April 30,1935 and is the former First Lady of the State of Indiana, serving in that role from January 13,1997, to September 13,2003, during the administration of her husband Governor Frank O'Bannon.

Judy O'Bannon has been a leader in community development and historic preservation throughout much of her life, including having helped launch and then serving as chair of the Indiana Main Street program, and serving on the boards of the Indiana Landmarks foundation, the Indiana State Museum and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Judy O'Bannon is an Emmy-winning host and producer of the WFYI-TV public television series Communities Building Community and Judy O'Bannon's Foreign Exchange as well as several one-time specials, and as the chair of O'Bannon Publishing Company, published two weekly newspapers, including the award-winning The Corydon Democrat.

Judy O'Bannon graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor's degree in social service from Indiana University Bloomington in 1957.

Judy O'Bannon was selected as a Rockefeller Theological Scholar and was the first woman to attend the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

Frank and Judy O'Bannon met on a blind date while both were at Indiana University.

Judy O'Bannon served as First Lady of the State of Indiana from January 13,1997 until September 13,2003.

Judy O'Bannon made the Governor's Residence a showcase for Indiana arts with the creation of the First Lady's Arts Series, featuring new exhibitions each quarter by Indiana artists, and the annual Day with the Arts, co-hosted by VSA of Indiana, which welcomed more than 800 children with disabilities and volunteers for arts activities and workshops.

Judy O'Bannon, who had been a long-time advocate for people with disabilities, raised more than $1.2 million in private funds to renovate of the Governor's Residence to make it accessible for people with disabilities.

Judy O'Bannon co-hosted with her husband the 2003 NGA Annual Meeting in Indianapolis.

Judy O'Bannon was active in joint initiatives with her colleagues in other states, including promoting reading and early childhood education alongside Ohio First Lady Hope Taft and Kentucky First Lady Judi Patton.

Judy O'Bannon served as the host, a co-producer and writer for the show.

In 2012, Judy O'Bannon was recognized with the NATAS Lower Great Lakes Chapter's Emmy award as the co-producer of Self Sacrifice: A Son, A Soldier, A Suicide, which focused on "the enormity of suicide in the military" and told the story of Chancellor Keesling, a Hoosier soldier who had taken his own life in 2009.

From 2003 to 2022, Judy O'Bannon served as the chair of the Judy O'Bannon Publishing Company, publisher of two weekly newspapers in Southern Indiana, Harrison County's The Corydon Democrat and Crawford County's Clarion News.

On June 30,2022, Judy O'Bannon announced the sale of The Corydon Democrat and Clarion News to Paxton Media Group.

Judy O'Bannon has remained active in local, state and national politics.

Judy O'Bannon endorsed and campaigned for Barack Obama in the general election that year as he went on to win Indiana, the first Democratic presidential candidate to do so since 1964.

In 2024, Judy O'Bannon appeared with Indiana Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jennifer McCormick in the final week before the election.

Judy O'Bannon has chaired the Indiana Main Street Council since 1986, is active in local programs, and plays an important yet unseen role in keeping community development and related legislation alive in the Indiana General Assembly.

Judy O'Bannon helped launch the Indiana Main Street program, played an instrumental role in saving individual meaningful structures, engaged countless Hoosiers in preservation efforts, and produced an award-winning TV series demonstrating the impact preservation can have on communities.