Local historian and columnist Dale E. Shaffer (B.S., M.B.A., M.L.S.) has written 15 books about Salem's history, covering a wide spectrum of the city's past. A native of Salem, Shaffer has been writing about the city's history since his retirement from college teaching and librarianship. He has received numerous awards on national, state, and local levels, including being inducted into the Salem Hall of Fame in 1994. Following the publication of Salem, Ohio in 1998, the Salem Chamber of Commerce honored him as "Salem's Outstanding Citizen of the Year."