Hall of Fame Commission meets Tuesday in Lincoln
digg it!
Facebook
del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit
By the Lincoln Journal Star
A commission will meet Tuesday in Lincoln to discuss and possibly select a new inductee to the Nebraska Hall of Fame.
The seven members of the Nebraska Hall of Fame Commission will meet at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in Room 1507 of the State Capitol.
The commission will discuss the seven people nominated to the Hall of Fame during the current consideration period. By law, only one person may be inducted every five years or the commission may opt to make no inductions.
- Grover Cleveland Alexander - “Suffering from epilepsy, haunted by his experiences in combat during World War I and shadowed by the dark side of alcoholism, Grover Cleveland Alexander was able to win 373 games during a 20-year major league career, the third highest total in major league history. He led the league in ERA on four occasions, wins in six different seasons, complete games six times and shutouts during seven campaigns. Alexander also won 30 or more games three consecutive seasons.” (baseballhalloffame.org) Born in Elba in 1897; died in 1950 in St. Paul. Nicknamed “Old Pete.” Loved baseball, constantly talked baseball and played "for love of the game" in an era without television. Subject of 1952 movie, “The Winning Team,” with Ronald Reagan playing role of Alexander.
- Charles Bessey - Born in 1845 in Ohio, joined University of Nebraska as a professor at the turn of the 20th century. A botanist and educator, he was recognized for his pioneering science, including among other interests the ecology of the prairie. Called the father of the Nebraska National Forest at Halsey, Bessey is credited with creating this man-planted forest in the Sandhills. He introduced to the United States the systematic study of plant morphology and the experimental laboratory for botanical instruction on the college level. Named dean of the University of Nebraska Agricultural College, and became head dean in 1909. He served as interim chancellor of the university 1888-9l, 1899 and again in 1899 Died in 1915.
- Georgia Arbuckle Fix - Born April 26, 1852, in Princeton, Mo. First woman to be graduated from the Nebraska State Medical School in Omaha. Settled on homestead near Minatare, later moving to Gering. Was the only doctor in a 75-mile radius and spent much of her time in a buggy traveling to visit sick patients. She was respected for her skill as a healer, her ingenuity with medications, and her determination to help her patients. When patients died, she often conducted the funeral and helped with the burial. Helped establish library, city park, school, churches, and other improvements in Gering. Died in 1918 in California, where she had gone to recuperate from an illness. She was buried in Gering. Mari Sandoz's book, Miss Morissa, was based on Fix’s life.
- Andrew Jackson Higgins - Born in Columbus Aug. 28, 1886. Attended Creighton Prep. Built his first boat in basement of family home. Joined Nebraska National Guard in early 1900s; his innovations in amphibious operations were first demonstrated with crossings over the Platte River. After moving to the South, where he worked in the lumber business, he designed a shallow draft boat to get to stands of hardwood trees in swamps. Used his lumber-boat design to develop a landing craft that could ferry troops and supplies from ships to beaches during World War II. More than 20,000 of them were built. Eisenhower said Higgins "was the man who won the war for us ... if he had not built those landing craft, the whole strategy of the war would have been different.” He died in 1952.
- William M. Jeffers - Former Union Pacific Railroad president and World War II “rubber czar.” Born at North Platte Jan. 2, 1876, he began work for the railroad as a callboy, advancing through the ranks - track laborer, telegrapher, train dispatcher and division superintendent - to reach the UP’s executive offices. Served as UPRR president from 1937 to 1946, and was rubber director of U.S. War Production Board for one year, succeeding in organizing the synthetic rubber industry. He had to solve huge technical problems and overcome resistance by some of the most powerful bureaucrats in Washington. Jeffers’ reputation for business tenacity was recognized both in and outside the railroad industry. His support helped North Platte Canteen succeed. He died in 1953.
- Malcolm X - One of the most charismatic and feared figures in the civil rights movement, Malcolm X's life was a story of self-transformation from petty hustler to internationally known political leader. Born Malcolm Little May 19, 1925, in Omaha, the son of a Baptist preacher. During Malcolm's early years, his family moved several times because of racism. He later propelled the Nation of Islam from a 500-member sect in 1952 into a political and religious organization with 30,000 members by 1963. After his split with the Nation of Islam in 1964 and an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, he began renouncing racial separatism. Became known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. His new direction prompted anger among black Muslims and led to his murder in 1965 during a speech.
- Evelyn Genevieve Sharp - Born Oct. 20, 1919, in Ord, she became one of the nation’s youngest pilots, learning to fly at age 15 at a pasture-turned-airfield. Sharp turned out to have a natural feel for flying and she soon made it her career. A barnstormer, giving rides for $1, she logged more than 5,000 such trips. The U.S. government hired her to train pilots for World War II, teaching mostly men at airfields in South Dakota and California. She later join the WAFS, a program to free up male pilots for combat, becoming one of the program’s 23 charter pilots. At the time of her death, she was flying military planes for the war effort. Sharp flew many trips across the country in open cockpit planes, ferrying planes from California factories to East Coast bases. She died in a crash April 3, 1944.
To learn more about the current nominees and induction procedures for the Nebraska Hall of Fame, go to www.nebraskahistory.org/admin/hall_of_fame/index.htm.
Currently, 23 people are in the hall. The last person honored was Chief Red Cloud in 2001.
In March, the current nominees were presented to the commission by groups supporting each nominee. Since then, the commission has received input in letters, e-mails and during public hearings at four additional meeting across the state, said Michael Smith, director of the Nebraska State Historical Society.
The purpose of Tuesday’s meeting will be to allow commissioners to discuss the merits of the nominees. The commission may vote to induct one nominee or none of them, or it may opt to set another meeting to continue the discussion, Smith said.
If the commission selects an inductee, the induction will take place in 2009, the final year for the current consideration period. A bronze bust of the inductee is commissioned, which is paid for by private donations.
Tuesday’s meeting is open to the public, but no public hearing is on the agenda.
The governor appoints six members of the commission, and the Historical Society director serves as the seventh.
Supporters of each nominee have strong feelings, and some of the commission’s decisions have been controversial in the past.
In 2004, the commission selected former U.S. Sen. Kenneth Wherry over slain civil rights leader Malcolm X on a 4-3 vote. The decision was called into question because of Wherry’s role in removing homosexuals from government posts in the 1940s and 1950s.
Attorney General Jon Bruning later ruled the commission’s vote violated open-meeting laws, so the vote was nullified.
In 2005, the Legislature changed the procedure by which the commission selects inductees, including public hearings in each of the congressional districts.
Malcolm X was renominated for the Hall of Fame, but Wherry was not.
By Nebraska law, to be considered for selection, individuals must have been born in Nebraska, lived a significant portion of their lives in Nebraska or made a contribution to society that was affected by their residence in the state. Nominees must have been dead for 35 years.
Primary consideration is given to persons whose achievements were in the areas of public affairs, the arts, sciences and professions. Secondary consideration is given to those whose accomplishments were in the entertainment, athletic or kindred fields.
Post Your Comment
Standards and RulesYour posted comment will appear after it has been approved.
Frequently asked questions about story commenting.