by Jim Foster, Secretary, KTA Board of Directors
The 4th Annual Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame Banquet was held Friday, June 6, at the Allenberry Resort in Boiling Springs, PA. Approximately 90 friends of the Appalachian Trail Museum attended the event.
The highlight of the gala was the induction of the 2014 class of the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame. The honorees were A. Rufus Morgan of Franklin, NC; Charles R. Rinaldi of Boca Raton, FL; Clarence S. Stein of New York, NY; and Pamela Underhill of Harpers Ferry, WV. For more details on the 2014 class members, visit www.atmuseum.org.
The Museum presented 2 additional awards that were not announced before the event. Robert Croyle (“Red Wolf”) of Savannah, GA, was honored for his many years of support to the Museum. Red Wolf serves as Membership Secretary and Board Member for the Museum. Larry Luxenberg, Museum founder and president, said, “Red Wolf was involved from the beginning with the movement to start the Museum. He plays an important role in keeping track of our members, sending out communications, and getting donations.”
Master carver John “Bodacious” Beaudet was also honored at the Banquet. Beaudet, of Flag Pond, TN, has carved the custom-made hiking stick awarded to every person inducted into the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame since its inception in 2011. As chair of the Hall of Fame Committee, I’ve been trying to get Bodacious to attend the Banquet since we started the Hall of Fame. All of us involved with the Hall of Fame and the Banquet are thrilled to finally give him the recognition he deserves.
During the Banquet reception, author Richard Judy signed copies of his book Thru: an Appalachian Trail Love Story. Judy’s book is the first to be published by the Museum. All profits from the book go to support the Museum.
The Banquet emcee was Cindy Adams Dunn, President and CEO of PennFuture, one of Pennsylvania’s leading environmental organizations. Randy “Windtalker” Motz entertained during the reception. Windtalker performed his unique, contemporary-style Native American flute music, described as “Native Soundscapes,” accompanied by beautiful photos from the Appalachian Trail. Ronald J. Tipton, Executive Director and CEO of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, delivered remarks before the induction. Tipton also accepted induction into the Hall of Fame on behalf of the late Clarence S. Stein.
The Hall of Fame weekend continued with a festival on Saturday, June 7, honoring National Trails Day at the Museum’s home in Pine Grove Furnace State Park. The Museum hosted a 40th reunion of thru-hikers. from 1974. They each spoke about their trail experiences and how their thru-hikes affected their lives. In addition, David Sherman (inducted into the Hall of Fame last year) gave a speech, and John Beaudet demonstrated his carving techniques. During the weekend, more than 500 people participated in the events sponsored by the Museum, making it among the most well-attended National Trails Day events in the country.
Plans are already underway to select the Hall of Fame class of 2015. The Museum will open a Web site in January 2015 to accept nominations from the public. The Hall of Fame Committee will review the nominations and propose a class of inductees in March and April. The Museum board will make the final decision. The 2015 class will be announced in May and honored at the Banquet in early June.