By Jim Foster, on behalf of the Appalachian Trail Museum Society
Nominees for the Appalachian Trail (AT) Hall of Fame Class of 2015 will be accepted through Saturday, February 28, 2015, to recognize those who have made a significant contribution toward establishing and maintaining the approximately 2,186-mile footpath that passes through 14 states from Maine to Georgia.
“The fifth class to the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame will be inducted in 2015, and nominations are open for Hall of Fame nominees,” said Larry Luxenberg, president of the AT Museum Society—the organization overseeing the AT Hall of Fame. “Nominees should be people who have made a significant positive contribution to the AT and who have unselfishly devoted their time, energy, and resources toward making the Appalachian Trail a national treasure.”
The 20 Hall of Fame inductees named in the first 4 years include Myron Avery, Gene Espy, Ed Garvey, Benton MacKaye, Arthur Perkins, Earl Shaffer, Emma “Grandma” Gatewood, David A Richie, J. Frank Schairer, Jean Stephenson, William Adams Welch, Ruth Blackburn, David Field, David Sherman, David Startzell, Everett (Eddie) Stone, A. Rufus Morgan, Charles R. Rinaldi, Clarence S. Stein, and Pamela Underhill. These pioneers played critical roles in building, maintaining, and publicizing the AT, Luxenberg said.
Nomination criteria and the nominating and selection process for the 2015 Hall of Fame are
• Criteria. Those eligible for inclusion include anyone who has made an exceptional and positive contribution to the AT or the AT community. This contribution could be leadership, inspiration, service, achievement, or innovation. Eligible persons include, without limitation, pioneers who conceived of and developed the trail; those who organized or directed major trail organizations like the AT Conservancy and AT clubs; maintaining clubs; longtime trail maintainers; leaders who promoted and protected the AT; hikers who have made significant accomplishments; and other persons who have enriched the culture or community of the AT by their association with it. Eligible persons can be living or deceased. The emphasis will be on persons who have made their contribution to the AT over a long period, whether or not they are still active. Six individuals were elected in the first year. The sizes of the succeeding classes will be gradually reduced to create the maximum degree of honor and exclusivity. The first few classes will comprise primarily important historical figures (living or deceased) rather than contemporary figures. Eligibility and selection will be determined without regard to race, creed, color, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin.
• Nominations. Nominations will be solicited from throughout the hiking and trails community. The easiest way to submit a nomination is online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BXNSFS3. Nominations also may be submitted using the paper nomination form. Copies of the form can be obtained at http://tinyurl.com/ouxqnzd or by requesting one from the museum. A nominator need not be a member of any hiking organization to submit a nomination. A nominator may only make one nomination per election cycle. Nominators will be asked to justify their nomination in a brief statement not exceeding 200 words that describes the nominee and why he or she fits the criteria.
• Deadline for Nominations. February 28, 2015.
• Hall of Fame Committee; Election. An AT Hall of Fame Committee has been selected by the AT Museum Society Board of Directors to supervise the election process and submit the finalists to the board. That committee is chaired by Jim Foster, a museum volunteer and 2007 AT thru-hiker. Other members of the committee are Noel DeCavalcante, Tom Johnson, Brian King, Gwen Loose, Larry Luxenberg, Bill O’Brien, and David Sherman (a 2013 Hall of Fame inductee). The AT Hall of Fame Committee will deliver the slate of finalists to the museum board by March 15, 2015, for subsequent review and elections. The AT Museum Society Board elected 6 people to the 2011 Charter Class, 5 to the 2012 Class, 5 to the 2013 Class, and 4 to the 2014 Class. Up to 4 inductees may be elected to the 2015 Class.
• Announcement and Recognition of Inductees. AT Hall of Fame inductees will be announced in early May and the induction ceremony will be on Friday, June 5, 2015, at the AT Hall of Fame Banquet at the Allenberry Resort in Boiling Springs, Cumberland County. The inductees will be enshrined on an AT Hall of Fame Wall of Honor at the AT Museum.
About the AT Museum Society
The AT Museum Society, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization formed in 2002, organizes programs, exhibits, volunteers, and fundraising nationwide for the AT Museum. The museum opened on June 5, 2010, as a tribute to the thousands of men, women, and families who have hiked and maintained the approximately 2,186-mile-long hiking trail that passes through 14 states from Maine to Georgia. The museum is in Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Gardners, Adams County, near the midpoint of the AT. Additional information is available at www.atmuseum.org.