Nominees for the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame Class of 2020 will be accepted through January 31, 2020. 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 tenth class of the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame will be inducted in 2020, 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."
40 individuals have been inducted into the Hall of Fame in the first nine 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 2020 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://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YPJHHP9 Nominations also may be submitted using the paper nomination form. Copies of the form can be obtained at https://tinyurl.com/uhjmtlc 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 – Thursday, January 31, 2020.
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), Tom Johnson, Brian King, Gwen Loose, 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 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 Classes.
Announcement and recognition of inductees – Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame inductees will be announced in early April and the induction ceremony will be on Saturday, May 2, 2020, at the A.T. Hall of Fame Banquet at the Army Heritage & Education Center, Carlisle, PA. The inductees will be enshrined on an Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame Wall of Honor at 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.