2022 Class
The twelfth class of the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame is comprised of the late Jim & Molly Denton of Front Royal, Virginia; JoAnn & Paul Dolan of New York, New York; Laurie Potteiger of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia; and Tom Speaks of Cleveland, Tennessee. The class was honored at the 2022 Hall of Fame Induction on October 1, 2022. Go to the VIDEOS PAGE to find a video of the Induction.
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Jim & Molly Denton were primarily responsible for the longest contiguous reroute in the history of the Trail. After the Blue Ridge Parkway was completed largely on the same path as the original A.T. route, an alternate route was needed for the Trail. Jim Denton scouted a new path within the newly expanded Jefferson National Forest and supervised the construction of the rerouted Trail by the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club. While Jim would lead trail relocation efforts and coordination with the ATC, Molly participated in relocation crews and was a leader in the photography, entertainment, publishing and fundraising committees. She would also be the first woman to serve as RATC President.
After the reroute was completed, the Dentons moved north in Virginia, and spent many years in the leadership of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. The Jim & Molly Denton shelter on the A.T. east of Front Royal is named for them. |
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Decades after the A.T. was routed through the Hudson River Valley north of New York City, development threatened the Trail and its surrounding area. JoAnn & Paul Dolan spearheaded the effort to acquire the Sterling Forest property and save it from intensive proposed development by forming a public-private partnership to coordinate the efforts of what grew to be over thirty organizations, including the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Their long efforts culminated in the formation of the 22,000-acre Sterling Forest State Park in one of the nation’s most densely populated areas.
JoAnn is active with the New York New Jersey Trail Conference, including spending 15 years as its Executive Director. Paul spent a long career as a senior executive of ABC News. The Dolans received the NYNJTC’s highest honor, the Raymond Torrey Award, in 2010. |
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Laurie Potteiger thru-hiked the A.T. in 1987, using the trail name “Mountain Laurel”. After that, she began volunteering with ATC in Harpers Ferry and soon was hired there. Following in the footsteps of her mentor Jean Cashin, she became the ambassador of ATC to thousands of visitors, including countless thru-hikers, at ATC’s headquarters, as Information Services Manager. She helped to found the Flip-flop Festival, designed to encourage long distance hikers to begin their hikes at various places along the Trail rather than adding to the annual crush in Georgia.
Beyond her role in Harpers Ferry, Laurie has been a supporter of the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association (ALDHA), was an early supporter of Larry Luxenberg’s dream to found an Appalachian Trail Museum and is a relentless advocate for Leave No Trace (LNT) principles. Since retiring from ATC in 2021, Laurie and her husband Dick have continued to maintain a section of the Trail for the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. |
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Tom Speaks played an important leadership role for the U.S. Forest Service in achieving critical land acquisitions in the South. During his career as a Forest Service employee, Tom was Supervisor of both the Cherokee National Forest and the George Washington - Jefferson National Forest. He also led a Forest Service team that was responsible for A.T. acquisitions from Georgia to central Virginia., including Rocky Fork, Spy Rock, Max Patch and Roan Highlands.
An example of Tom’s persuasive and relentless effort is Rocky Fork near Unicoi, a 10,000-acre tract that hosts about eight miles of the Trail. The Forest Service contacted the landowners, who were initially resistant. Tom met with one influential landowner and helped him to bail hay. This led eventually to a meeting in his living room, and the man agreed to sell the top of his property to the Forest Service. After that, all but one adjoining owner agreed to sell. After a long career, Tom retired from the Forest Service in 2016. |
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