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Notice of Museum Annual Membership Meeting
The Appalachian Trail Museum, Inc. will hold its Annual Membership Meeting on Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 7 pm. The meeting will be held virtually via Zoom. The meeting information appears below. All Museum Members in good standing are invited to attend and will have a vote. The public is also invited to attend. At the Membership Meeting, the Officers and non-officer Directors will be elected. The Board of Directors has nominated the following persons to these positions: For a two year term: President: Larry Luxenberg Vice President: Gwen Loose Non-officer Directors: Ron Bungay, Jim Foster, Ryan Seltzer For a one year term: Treasurer: Jay Sexton Secretary: Bill O’Brien Membership Secretary: Robert Croyle Non-Officer Directors: Noel DeCavalcante, Joe Harold, Kristen Hoke, Dakota Jackson Museum members in good standing may submit alternate nominations for these positions by no later than Wednesday, May 24. Nominations should be submitted by email to info@atmuseum.org. Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87933624796?pwd=aDVVcitpQVNEeXNuTmhpbmdUenRMQT09 Meeting ID: 879 3362 4796 Passcode: 285517 One tap mobile +16468769923,,87933624796#,,,,*285517# US (New York) +16469313860,,87933624796#,,,,*285517# US Dial by your location +1 646 876 9923 US (New York) +1 646 931 3860 US +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 305 224 1968 US +1 309 205 3325 US +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 669 444 9171 US +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 689 278 1000 US +1 719 359 4580 US +1 253 205 0468 US +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 360 209 5623 US +1 386 347 5053 US +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose) +1 507 473 4847 US +1 564 217 2000 US Meeting ID: 879 3362 4796 Passcode: 285517 Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kbQWKm9YdS The thirteenth class of Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame honorees has been announced by the Appalachian Trail Museum’s Hall of Fame selection committee. The 2023 Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame class honorees are M.J. Eberhart of Olean, Missouri; Lester Kenway of Bangor, Maine; Brian King of Molers Crossroads, West Virginia; and the late Harry Rentschler of Reading, Pennsylvania.  Nimblewill Nomad (courtesy AP) M.J. Eberhart is universally known within the trail community as Nimblewill Nomad. By age 61, M.J. had lived a full life, born in New York State, growing up in the Ozark Highlands of Missouri and setting up a successful practice as an optometrist in Florida. Then one day, he took a walk. And he kept on walking, from the Florida Keys up the eastern seaboard to the northern tip of the Gaspe peninsula in Canada, 4,400 miles. Over the next 15 years, he hiked 34,000 miles including the Triple Crown of long-distance trails (A.T., Pacific Crest and Continental Divide), and the rest of the 11 national scenic trails. Nearing his 75th birthday, he vowed to hang up his hiking boots. Nimblewill’s friends thought this was unlikely to happen. They were right. In 2021, at age 83, the Nomad started the A.T. yet again, for a third time. In November, 2021, he finished the Trail, and became the oldest known person to hike it in one year. It was fitting that Nimblewill was met at the end by his friend, Dale “Greybeard” Sanders, the previous record holder. The two Trail champions toasted each other with glasses of champagne. Is the Nomad done hiking? No one who knows him would bet that he is.  Lester Kenway (courtesy ATC) Every hiker who summits Mount Katahdin, the northern terminus of the A.T., knows the iconic sign that graces the mountaintop. Lester Kenway is one of the volunteers who put that sign in place. Although he’s climbed Katahdin three times with that sign, it represents just a small part of Lester’s volunteer efforts on behalf of the A.T. Lester’s first trail crew experience was in 1972 as a member of the Bates Outing Club. Now a member of ATC and the Maine Appalachian Trail Club (MATC) for more than 45 years, Lester has chaired the sign committee, managed MATC’s Trail crew program, built shelters and trails and served as MATC’s President. Lester says his goal is to “build things once, and build them to last,” primarily using stone. He was a pioneer of using the Griphoist and other methods for moving stone that are now widely used on the A.T. and other trails. The late Bob Proudman called Lester “…the quintessential crew leader, always prepared with decades of trail-building experience”. Lester says building and maintaining trails “creates something good for people and something good for the earth.”  Brian King (courtesy ATC) Brian B. King of Molers Crossroads, W.Va., began work for ATC in June 1987, after eight years working as a volunteer on the Appalachian Trailway News and the board’s public-relations committee. For decades, he was responsible for ATC’s publications, sales program and the archives. He is the author of the award-winning Trail history, The Appalachian Trail: Celebrating America’s Hiking Trail. Brian is widely considered to be the Trail’s greatest living historian. Brian retired from ATC in 2022. A native of Washington, D.C., Brian is a graduate of Georgetown University, and previously attended the University of the South and Northwestern University’s National Journalism Institute. Prior to joining ATC, Brian worked for the Charleston (S.C.) Evening Post, the Colorado Springs Sun, the Associated Press, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Ford Foundation.  Harry Rentschler (courtesy A.T. Museum) Harry Rentschler grew up in southeastern Pennsylvania with a love of the outdoors. A physician practicing in Reading, PA, Dr. Rentschler and some friends founded the Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club in 1916. That name came from a trek that Rentschler led up the mountain to find an eagle’s nest. A decade later Dr. Rentschler learned of Benton MacKaye’s dream to create a trail stretching through the wilderness from Georgia to Maine. Under his leadership, BMECC stepped up to build 102 miles of the A.T. from the Susquehanna to the Lehigh River. Dr. Rentschler led the work trips during the five years that it took to build the Trail, using his 1917 Physician’s Memorandum to record notes about these trips.
Rentschler’s property in the Reading suburb of Bernville became the headquarters for BMECC’s construction of their portion of the A.T. and later maintenance projects. Two A.T. shelters, Eagles Nest and Rausch Gap, were constructed there and then transported to the Trail. Dr. Rentschler willed his property to BMECC and today the Rentschler Arboretum is the headquarters of that club, by far the oldest one based in the Keystone State maintaining the Trail. Twelve classes have previously been elected to the A.T. Hall of Fame. The Charter Class, elected in 2011, comprised Myron Avery, Gene Espy, Ed Garvey, Benton MacKaye, Arthur Perkins and Earl Shaffer. Members of the 2012 class were Emma Gatewood, David Richie, J. Frank Schairer, Jean Stephenson and William Adams Welch. The 2013 Class was Ruth Blackburn, David Field, David Sherman, David Startzell and Eddie Stone. The 2014 Class was A. Rufus Morgan, Chuck Rinaldi, Clarence Stein and Pamela Underhill. The 2015 Class was Ned Anderson, Margaret Drummond, Stanley Murray and Raymond Torrey. In 2016, Maurice J. Forrester, Jr., Horace Kephart, Larry Luxenberg and Henry Arch Nichols were inducted. The 2017 Class was Harlean James, Charles Parry, Mildred Norman Ryder and Tillie Wood. In 2018, William Kemsley, Jr., Elizabeth Levers, George Masa and Bob Peoples were elected. Members of the 2019 Class were Jean Cashin, Paul Fink, Don King and Bob Proudman. The 2020 Class was Chris Brunton, Thurston Griggs, Warren Doyle and Jim Stoltz. Harvey Broome, Stephen Clark, Thomas Johnson and Marianne Skeen comprised the 2021 class. The 2022 class was Jim & Molly Denton, JoAnn & Paul Dolan, Laurie Potteiger and Tom Speaks. The 2023 Hall of Fame Class will be honored at the Hall of Fame Induction event on Sunday, September 10, 2023. Additional details will be announced soon.  For our Spring work day of 2023, we will concentrate on getting the outside grounds in shape. We will remove brush, etc. accumulated from the winter, clean out planting beds, trim bushes and spread mulch. In case of inclement weather, we will postpone to another date. Wear work clothing suitable for outside work. If you have them, bring gloves, shovels, rakes, gardening tools, etc. If not, they will be provided. Snacks & drinks will be provided, but bring your own if you wish.
To sign up for the work day, follow this link: https://signup.com/go/cOQtCiH
Dear Friends of the A.T. Museum: The Museum established the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame in 2011. Since then, legends of the Trail have been honored by election to the Hall of Fame each year. The 2023 Class will be announced later this year. From 2011 through 2019, each Hall of Fame class has been honored at an A.T. Hall of Fame Banquet. We had to cancel the 2020 Banquet and we haven’t been able to hold one since then. We would like to reinstitute the annual tradition of a Hall of Fame Banquet. But, to do so, we need a Banquet Committee to organize and run the Banquet. Jim Foster, who organized the first nine Banquets, is willing to assist the Committee with the planning of the next Banquet. If you feel led to be a member of the Committee, contact us at atmbanquet@gmail.com  The AT Museum is excited for the return of Heather Anderson on Thursday, March 30th at Gettysburg College! The AT Museum is honored to host this event in conjuction with the Garthwait Leadership Center and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies departments at Gettysburg College. Details can be found below and a poster for the event is attached. Feel free to share this far and wide and we hope to see you there!
Endurance adventurer, author, speaker, and National Geographic 2018 Adventurer of the Year Heather "Anish" Anderson will share her story at Gettysburg College on Thursday, March 30 at 7 – 8p.m. in the Atrium. Heather believes the trail can teach us many important things about being a successful person and a better human. Join us to hear Heather's story and concrete principles applicable to daily life. The event will conclude with a questions and answer session and a book signing. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and refreshments will be provided. The event is free and open to the public. The event is hosted by the Garthwait Leadership Center, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department at Gettysburg College and the Appalachian Trail Museum. We have partnered with Appalachian Brewing Company - Battlefield Gettysburg as a pre-event location for food/drinks. Mention the AT Museum between 4-7pm and 15% of the total sales on food and drinks during that time will be donated to the AT Museum!  2022 Hall of Fame Inductee Laurie Potteiger photographed at the Hall of Fame display within the Ironmaster's Mansion Nominees for the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame Class of 2023 will be accepted through January 31, 2023. The Hall of Fame recognizes those who have made a significant contribution toward establishing and maintaining the approximately 2,190 mile footpath that passes through 14 states from Maine to Georgia.
"The thirteenth class of the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame will be inducted in 2023, and nominations are open for Hall of Fame nominees," said Larry Luxenberg, president of the Appalachian Trail Museum – the organization that oversees the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame. "Nominees should be people who have made a significant positive contribution to the Appalachian Trail and who have unselfishly devoted their time, energy and resources toward making the Appalachian Trail a national treasure." 52 individuals have been inducted into the Hall of Fame in the first twelve years. Their names and biographies can be found on the Museum's website, www.atmuseum.org "These pioneers played critical roles in building, maintaining, protecting and publicizing the Appalachian Trail", Luxenberg said. Nomination criteria and the nominating and selection processes for the 2023 Hall of Fame are: Criteria - Those eligible for inclusion include anyone who has made an exceptional and positive contribution to the Appalachian Trail or Appalachian Trail community. This could be by leadership, inspiration, service, achievement or innovation. This includes, without limitation, pioneers who conceived of and developed the trail; those who organized or directed major trail organizations like the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Appalachian Trail clubs; maintaining clubs; longtime trail maintainers; leaders who promoted and protected the A.T.; hikers who have made significant accomplishments, and other persons who have enriched the culture or community of the Appalachian Trail 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 A.T. over a long period, whether or not they are still active. 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 by using the online site https://tinyurl.com/yc62kxh9 Nominations also may be submitted using the paper nomination form. Copies of the form can be obtained at https://tinyurl.com/3sx85a9t 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 that describes the nominee and why he or she fits the criteria. Deadline for nominations – January 31, 2023. Hall of Fame Committee; Election – An Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame Committee has been selected by the Appalachian Trail Museum Board of Directors to supervise the election process. That Committee is chaired by Jim Foster. Other members of the committee are Noel DeCavalcante, David Field (a 2013 Hall of Fame inductee), Brian King, Gwen Loose, Karen Lutz, Larry Luxenberg (a 2016 inductee), Bill O’Brien and Ron Tipton. The Committee elected six people to the 2011 Charter Class, five to the 2012 Class, five to the 2013 Class, and four each to the classes since then. Announcement and recognition of inductees – Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame inductees will be announced in early April. They will be inducted at a time and place to be announced. The inductees will be enshrined on an Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame Wall of Honor at the Ironmaster’s Mansion, located near the Museum. Located in Pine Grove Furnace State Park and at the midway point of the Appalachian Trail, the Museum is near the Pine Grove General Store on Pennsylvania Route 233. A half dozen years ago, our outgoing Museum manager listed in detail the tasks that the manager performed routinely (then as now a part-time job). The list was so long and varied that I was too embarrassed to show the list to candidates.
Over time, the manager’s responsibilities continue to grow and for a small Museum, the variety is staggering. In a single season, we arrange for pumping sewage, repairing gutters, deciding on a scanning machine for paper records or a new payment system, comparing a laser system for our new 3D map vs. a projection system, determining sufficient insurance as well as recruiting, training and motivating dozens of volunteers from varying backgrounds who engage in widely varying tasks. While we don’t have any Indiana Jones treasure hunting moments, we do have to employ lots of psychology in collecting treasured artifacts. Most people are quite attached to the gear they used on the adventure of a lifetime, or the memorabilia of their hostel and they want assurances that it will be well cared for and treated with the same importance that they assign to it. We take that trust seriously. Still, we can’t promise to display most items any time soon. Museums typically display two to four percent of its collection at one time. Sometimes we feel ghoulish in approaching family members who’ve lost a loved one, but if we don’t contact them quickly, our revered artifacts may end up in the dump in days. Other times we have to locate important artifacts or decide whether something that a donor considers a rare and critical artifact, is worthy of adding to our collection. This can be difficult when the item in question is a t-shirt with quarter size-holes and is frayed almost beyond recognition or a worn-out chain saw. My colleagues made fun of me for highlighting a small stack of documents from as long ago as the 1930s. The documents were in pristine shape and precious. I wanted the items in the hands of our librarians as soon as possible because I trust their handling. And if these artifacts aren’t added to our collection when offered and treated properly, they will likely be lost to history. It is a relief to consider these questions in 2022 as we regain a sense of normalcy after two pandemic years that were anything but normal. The highlight of the Museum season was introducing our interactive relief map of the A.T. The work of four years and a dozen vendors under the inspired direction of Museum Vice President Gwen Loose, visitors embraced the map, figuratively and literally. Unlike most exhibits, we encourage visitors to interact with the map at least lightly. As if to get a tactile sense of the whole 2,200-mile trail, it’s not unusual to see visitors draped over a corner of the map. Howard Models of Ohio designed and built the map. Our longtime exhibit design firm, Graphik Masters of York, Pa, built the map platform. We will use five electronic monitors to amplify the story of the trail and the first went live with the map in July. Several vendors worked on the monitor along with many volunteers who contributed Trail pictures and explanatory text. Completing the project, at least for now, is a laser pointer system designed by Steve Paradis. Steve was formerly a director of the Museum as well as acting head of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. As a former thru-hiker, Steve’s boots have touched every part of the trail and add a unique understanding to his technical competence. On Oct. 1, as we do for major milestones, we held a duct-tape cutting to inaugurate the exhibit. Bill O’Brien, a Museum board member, introduced this concept for our grand opening in 2010. What could be more appropriate for a small hiking museum than this versatile and enduring material? Major sponsors including Julia Chain of the South Mountain Partnership, Ashley Kurtz of the Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau and Rush Williamson, a Potomac Appalachian Mountain Club volunteer, cut the tape. The all-absorbing complexity of the map exhibit delayed some of our small exhibit plans but we hope to introduce some new things in 2023 including exhibits of historic trail tools and added artifacts to the Hikanation exhibit. Hikanation was a group which hiked across the U.S. in 1980-81. Also, this summer, we added to the exhibits for Heather “Anish” Anderson and Walkin’ Jim Stoltz. Heather gave a talk in June on the grounds of the Ironmasters Hostel. One of the outstanding hikers of our era, Heather gave an inspirational talk. Big Hill Cider sponsored that event and later did a fundraiser for the Museum at their nearby cidery. The Museum is co-sponsoring another appearance by Heather in 2023 at Gettysburg College. That same day in June one of the Museum newest volunteers, Sarah Robison, also gave an inspirational talk about the transformational impact of her recent thru-hike. Most summers we have fielded a full program of talks. The past two years we cut back sharply, but 2022 was a strong season. Late in August we hosted Anne Van Curen, an actress who portrays Grandma Gatewood. We had several speakers from Hikanation – Linda and Keith Wright and documentary film maker Alden Olmstead, whose father, environmental activist John Olmstead filmed Hikanation. Other speakers included David Donaldson, biographer of first thru-hiker Earl Shaffer. We experimented with different ways of recording the programs and hope over time to build this into a robust oral history project. We’re planning a “Museum Author’s Corner” in our gift shop. The Museum has published six books including the Shaffer biography and one by the founder of Backpacker Magazine, William “Backpacker Bill” Kemsley titled One Step at a Time: A Geezer’s Guide to Living a Long and Healthy Life Through Hiking. We’ve published two trail journals by webmaster Alan “Gonzo” Strackeljahn: A Consistent Inconsistency and The Evolution of a Thru hiker; Then The Hail Came by George Steffanos; and Thru: An Appalachian Trail Love Story by Richard Judy. Also in the Author’s Corner will be Gwen Loose’s We Were There Too about early women A.T. leaders organizers and Tom Johnson’s From Dream to Reality, the definitive A.T. history. This year we lost an early Museum leader, Maurice Forrester Jr. In addition to helping establish the Museum, Maurice for decades was a leader of ATC the Keystone Trail Association and was a passionate advocate for Pennsylvania’s forests. Most importantly, Maurice was a longtime friend, mentor and moral compass. We celebrated Maurice’s life on Oct. 1, in the new Hall of Fame room at Ironmasters Hostel with a gathering of family and friends. That same day we inducted the 12th class of the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame at the Pine Grove Furnace State Park Furnace Stack Pavilion. The four inductees were Jim and Molly Denton, Joann and Paul Dolan, Laurie Potteiger and Tom Speaks. The Dentons managed an A.T. relocation in southwestern Virginia, the longest in Trail history. The Dolans spearheaded the drive to protect the A.T. through Sterling Forest in New York. Laurie was ATC Information Director, a title which masks her long importance and unique service to the trail community. As a forest supervisor with the U.S. Forest Service, Tom did much to protect the A.T. route and corridor in the southern Appalachians. Hawk Metheny of ATC was MC and earlier inductee Warren Doyle gave a talk reflecting his 49 years of hiking the A.T. and educating hikers. An original board member, Noel DeCavalcante, a 1989 thru-hiker, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on the Museum, ALDHA, where the served as coordinator and board member, and at ATC, where he initiated the Ridge Runner program. Jim Foster, who inaugurated and leads the Hall of Fame, developed a room at the Ironmasters Hostel for the Hall of Fame. A versatile and dedicated volunteer, Jim also redid the Museum’s bylaws, heads our renovation committee and is one of our tech gurus. He has a prominent role, filmed at the Museum, in a new documentary on one of the trail’s youngest thru-hikers, Little Man, who completed the Trail at age 5 in 2021. Thru-hiker Bruce “Ishmael” Dunlavy, a talented builder and longtime volunteer, collaborated with Jim on many construction projects at the Museum and the hostel including the new Hall of Fame room. The Museum’s collection is of critical importance to the Museum’s success in coming years as we mount new exhibits. Over the last three years dedicated volunteers Sandy Moyer, Jerry Johnson and Becky Foreman have catalogued and redesigned storage for our growing collection. All have also helped out in the library and with other tasks. The Museum collection was featured in the Green Tunnel podcast. New head librarian Kurt Bodling became a 2,000 miler this year as he took over our 3,000-book A.T. research library. Also, this year we had a changing of the gardeners. Ann Bodling, Kurt’s wife, expanded her role to include the pollinator garden inside the ramp to the top floors. Ann had been taking care of our welcoming garden after longtime gardener Georgia Freet stepped down. Lori Preston, who had initiated the pollinator garden and published the “Latest Buzz” newsletter relinquished these responsibilities but continued with other Museum work. For 2023, a major project the Museum is pursuing is the reconstruction of a stone shelter that Earl Shaffer built on North Mountain around 1960. Not long after the Museum opened, volunteers took apart the stone shelter and transported it to the Museum grounds under the direction of Karen Balaban. We are hoping to rebuild the shelter next summer in time to mark the 75th anniversary of Earl’s pioneering 1948 thru-hike. The Museum is cooperating with the Earl Shaffer Foundation and its representative, Mack Thorpe, on the project. The Museum is also working with the Shaffer Foundation to revive the Katahdin Art Project as a joint fundraiser. Photographer and hiker Bart Smith, the first person to hike all 11 National Scenic Trails, took a dramatic photo of Katahdin. Before his death, Earl signed hundreds of cards to go with the photo and the project benefits the Foundation, the Museum and other hiking groups. With the fading of the pandemic, the Museum stepped up its outreach in 2022, participating in the Carlisle Earth Day Celebration in April, Trail Days in May, in June Foundry Day in Boiling Springs, the Round Hill Festival, The Duncannon A.T. Festival and the Gettysburg Farmers Market. In August, we participated in a fundraiser at the Thirsty Farmer Brew Works with a dunk tank – a new role for the manager. In October the Museum had a table and workshop at the 40th anniversary ALDHA Gathering. This year the Museum attracted some new and highly talented volunteers including a masters’ student, Jeff Houser, as an intern. Late in the season, we began an effort to launch four new committees to engage our new volunteers, offer more opportunities and meet the growing workload of the Museum. The initial committees we discussed are Exhibits, Fundraising, Finance and Outreach. In future years we hope to add additional committees. Anyone interested in joining this effort should contact Manager Julie Queen. At the Ironmasters Hostel, under the leadership of Hostel Keeper Missy Shank, we continued to work to make the hostel more friendly to visitors. Among the changes we’ve instituted are stocking toilet paper for the Trail in the hiker box along with Pepto Bismol for those who complete the Half Gallon Ice Cream Challenge. We also try to separate snorers from quieter sleepers. Many visitors have responded by filling our visitor register with high compliments for the hostel. The Museum continues to tightly control finances and has been healthy all through the pandemic thanks to veteran treasurer Jay Sexton and assistant Nan Lowe. Under the direction of Membership Secretary Robert “Red Wolf o’ da Smokies” Croyle, the Museum completed a fundraising campaign in December, 2021 and began a new one to fund new exhibits and continued upgrading of both buildings. Red Wolf was honored at the ALDHA Gathering as only the fourth ALDHA member to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his thru-hike. Red Wolf hiked the Trail in 1971 and was one of the first 40 hikers to complete the A.T. in a single season. He was also one of the first flip floppers, beginning his hike at Bear Mountain, the original stretch of the A.T. We thank our many volunteers, our supporters throughout the trail community, our hardworking board and our two dedicated managers and we look forward to another great year in 2023. For those who are in a position to support the Museum’s continued growth and operations, we appreciate any financial contributions. Follow THIS LINK to contribute. Your support makes the Museum the success we all enjoy. Sincerely, Larry Luxenberg Museum President www.atmuseum.org Contact info: Julie Queen, Museum Manager, 717-486-8126, manager@atmuseum.org Missy Shank, Ironmasters Manager, 717-486-4108, ironmasterspinegrove@gmail.com www.ironmastersmansion.com Robert “Red Wolf o’da Smoky’s” Croyle, membership secretary, atmuseumfriends@gmail.com A large crowd honored the 2022 Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame inductees at the A.T. Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held on October 1, 2022. The venue for the event was the Furnace Stack Pavilion at Pine Grove Furnace State Park, near Gardners, PA. Emcee for the Banquet was Hawk Metheny, Vice President of Regional and Trail Operations for Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The 2022 Hall of Fame class is 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. Jim & Molly Denton were primarily responsible for the longest contiguous reroute in the history of the Trail, which moved the A.T. from a rapidly urbanizing area in southern Virginia to a more protected area within the Jefferson National Forest along the Virginia-West Virginia border. JoAnn & Paul Dolan spearheaded the effort to save from development a forested area north of New York City through which the A.T. passes and form the 22,000-acre Sterling Forest State Park. After her 1987 A.T. thru-hike, Laurie Potteiger became the ambassador of Appalachian Trail Conservancy to thousands of visitors, including countless thru-hikers, at ATC’s headquarters and 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. Tom Speaks played an important leadership role for the U.S. Forest Service in achieving critical land acquisitions in the South, leading a Forest Service team responsible for A.T. acquisitions from Georgia to central Virginia., including Rocky Fork, Spy Rock, Max Patch and Roan Highlands.
Each Hall of Fame honoree or representative received a hiking stick custom carved by John “Bodacious” Beaudet. The Induction Day also featured a talk by Trail legend and 2020 Hall of Fame inductee Warren Doyle, the grand opening of the Museum’s interactive trail display, an interview with 2022 inductee Laurie Potteiger and guided tours of the Museum and the Ironmasters Mansion. The Induction ceremony, Warren Doyle talk and Laurie Potteiger interview were all recorded. They can be viewed either on the Museum’s YouTube channel or HERE on the Museum’s website. HERE is a link to an album of photos from the Induction Day activities, |
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