She was born Deborah Stevens and raised in Woodward as the oldest of three children. After graduating from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, she taught in Altus. She married historian Bob Blackburn and moved to Oklahoma City.
When city residents voted against more funding for police and firefighters, Blackburn believed it was because the broad ballot measure had too much other stuff packed in. She ran an initiative petition to use a sales tax to fund just those first responder services, which voters approved in 1988.
Blackburn was asked to run for the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 1994 after Rep. Linda Larason decided to retire just weeks before the deadline to file for candidacy.
"I said, very firmly, no," Blackburn recalled in a 2008 interview with the Oklahoma State University Library. "I never wanted to get into politics because I just didn't think that was my thing. I'm too plainspoken and I don't have time to play games."
With the encouragement of her husband, Blackburn decided to run a few days before the deadline. She was elected and represented Oklahoma City's House District 88 from 1995 until she reached her term limit in 2008.
In the legislature, Blackburn ran bills to create Oklahoma's college tuition savings plan and create a tax credit for rehabilitating historic buildings. Blackburn got a moratorium on a large sale of water from Southeast Oklahoma to Texas until a scientific study could be conducted about Oklahoma's water needs.
According to her obituary in The Oklahoman, Blackburn and her husband renovated three historic homes in the Heritage Hills neighborhood west of the Oklahoma Capitol. Blackburn was open and enthusiastic about her Christian faith.
The Blackburns have one son and two grandchildren. Deborah's husband, Bob Blackburn, is the former executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society.
A service to celebrate her life will be held at the Oklahoma History Center, Sunday, August 17, at 2:00 p.m.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
