National Rockhound and Lapidary Hall of Fame
Inductees.

The Rockhound & Lapidary Hall of Fame is proud to recognize the following individuals for their outstanding accomplishments and induct them as members of the Hall of fame. Not all categories were awarded in all years. This list is current as of July, 2011.

Lapidary | Metal Craft | Fossils | Minerals | Education | Tribute

   Museum
Lapidary

2011 - HAROLD SMITH - SOUTH CAROLINA

2008 - JIM HARMON - MONTANA

2007 - MARTIN HULTQUIST, PhD - COLORADO

2006 - STEPHAN M. AVERY - COLORADO

2005 - DENNIS PAUL BATT - CALIFORNIA

2004 - HENRY HUNT - ARIZONA

2003 - HELEN SERRAS-HERMAN - MARYLAND

2002 - JAY BOWMAN - OKLAHOMA

2001 - GLENN & MARTHA VARGAS - CALIFORNIA

2000 - THOMAS HARTH AMES - COLORADO

1999 - PAUL DOWNING - COLORADO

1998 - EDWARD SOUKUP - CALIFORNIA

1997 - EDWIN GUECK - NEBRASKA

1996 - ART GRANT - NEW YORK

1995 - WILLIAM GRUNDKE - CALIFORNIA

1994 - NORMAN STEELE - WASHINGTON

1993 - WILLIAM HORTON - MICHIGAN

1992 - EDITH STROUT - CALIFORNIA

1991 - NONE AWARDED

1990 - UTE BERNHARDT - ILLINOIS  JERRY MUCHNA - ARIZONA

1989 - HAROLD and ERICA VAN PELT - CALIFORNIA

1988 - OLIVE M. COLHOUR - WASHINGTON

Metal Craft

2010 - FRANK ZAMBROTTO - WEST VIRGINIA

2008 - NONE AWARDED

2007 - PAUL CORY - OHIO SHARON BERTCH - SOUTH DAKOTA

2006 - VERNE McCULLOUGH - CALIFORNIA

2005 - WALTER JOHNSON - NEW YORK

2004 - DALAN JAY HARGRAVE - TEXAS

2003 - TOM HARMON - MONTANA

2002 - WES LINGERFELT - CALIFORNIA

2001 - TIM MCCREIGHT - MAINE

2000 - LARRY RICHEY - CALIFORNIA

1999 - KEVIN LANE SMITH - OREGON

1998 - MAREN HIRSCH - TEXAS

1997JAMES KAUFMAN - ARIZONA

1996 - JERRY HARR - CALIFORNIA

1995 - WILLIAM HICKS - TEXAS

1994 - ROBERT KOEPPLER - WISCONSIN

1993 - JAMES FOWLER - VIRGINIA

1992 - MARTHA ANNE GILCHRIST - TEXAS

1991 - NONE AWARDED

1990 - DORIS KEMP - ILLINOIS

1989 - BETTY CRAWFORD - OHIO

1988 - BENJAMIN SCHMIDT - MARYLAND

Fossils

2008 - NONE AWARDED

2007 - BEN VRANA - NEBRASKA

2006 - CLODIS HUNT - KANSAS

2005 - NONE AWARDED

2004 - FRANK J. DANIELS - COLORADO

2003 - TERRY WENTZ - WASHINGTON

2002 - JOHN MOFFITT - TEXAS

2001 - FRANK GARCIA - FLORIDA

2000 - ROGER VAN CLEEF - TENNESSEE

1999 - NEAL LARSON - SOUTH DAKOTA

1998 - ALLEN GRAFFHAM - OKLAHOMA

1997 - HAROLD MEALS - CALIFORNIA

1996 - ROBERT BAKKER, Ph.D - COLORADO

1995 - WILLIAM ALLOWAY - CALIFORNIA

1994 - JAPETH BOYCE - SOUTH DAKOTA

1993 - CECILIA DULAK - MICHIGAN

1992 - ROGER PABIAN - NEBRASKA

1991 - NONE AWARDED

1990 - MARY BOLAND - WISCONSIN

1989 - THOMAS JOHNSON - OHIO

1988 - PETER LARSON - SOUTH DAKOTA

Minerals

2011 - GEORGE R. RAPP - MINNESOTA

2010 - PETER RODEWALD - WISCONSIN

2008 - NONE AWARDED

2007 - STEVE WEINBERGER - MARYLAND

2006 - DAVE WILBER - ARIZONA

2005 - JOHN MEDICI - OHIO

2004 - GEORGE ROBINSON - MICHIGAN

2003 - STEVEN CHAMBERLAIN, PhD - NEW YORK

2002 - JAY LININGER - PENNSYLVANIA

2001 - F. JOHN BARLOW - WISCONSIN  MARC WILSON - PENNSYLVANIA

2000 - FRED SCHAEFERMEYER - VIRGINIA

1999 - JESSIE HARDMAN - CALIFORNIA

1998 - NONE AWARDED

1997 - RICHARD KNOX - CALIFORNIA

1996 - JACK MURPHY - COLORADO

1995 - JOHN HALLAHAN, MD - PENNSYLVANIA

1994 - STANLEY J. DYL II - MICHIGAN

1993 - WILLIAM LARSON - CALIFORNIA

1992 - ROBERT JONES - ARIZONA

1991 - NONE AWARDED

1990 - PETER BANCROFT, Ph.D. - CALIFORNIA

1989 - NONE AWARDED

1988 - PAUL DESAUTELS - FLORIDA

Education

2011 - HAROLD BRADY - NORTH DAKOTA

2009 - MAXINE M. WILSON - SOUTH DAKOTA

2008 - LLOYD BROWN - WISCONSIN

2007 - ROGER CLARK - WISCONSIN

2006 - CLARENCE O. RYAN - PENNSYLVANIA

2005 - BILL & LOIS PATTILLO  EWING EVANS - TEXAS

2004 - DIANE DARE - FLORIDA

2003 - KATHARINA STUTE - CALIFORNIA

2002 - DON & LEE  KENDALL - OREGON

2001 - W. DAN HAUSEL - WYOMING

2000 - JOEL AREM - MARYLAND

1999 - THEODORE FREDERICKS - NEW YORK  LOUELLEN MONTGOMERY - KANSAS

1998 - GLENN and DOROTHY LEE - OREGON

1997 - KEN ZAHN - VIRGINIA

1996 - JIM STRAIN - CALIFORNIA

1995 - WILLIAM CORDUA - WISCONSIN

1994 - JOHN BOLAND - WISCONSIN

1993 - GREGORY GARDINER, Ph.D. - MAINE  PANSY KRAUS - CALIFORNIA

1992 - JUNE CULP ZEITNER - SOUTH DAKOTA

1991 - NONE AWARDED

1990 - RUSSELL KEMP - ILLINOIS

1989 - JOHN SINKANKAS, Ph.D. - CALIFORNIA

1988 - ROBERT MARKERT - MICHIGAN

Tribute

(deceased)

2011 - JACK NELSON - MARYLAND

2008 - BOB KING - CALIFORNIA

2007 - CONRAD CONE - CALIFORNIA

2006 - WILLIAM B. KELLY - OREGON

2005 - BOB LANG - CALIFORNIA

2004 - HAROLD & MARY LOU SPARKS - GEORGIA

2003 - ORO STEWART - ALASKA

2002 - BEN CHROMY - CALIFORNIA

2001 - QUINCY HOWELL - IDAHO

2000 - HELEN AND RICHARD RICE - OREGON

1999 - DR. H. H. NININGER - KANSAS

1998 - ANTONIO BONNANO - WASHINGTON, D.C.

1997 - LOUIS REDFERN - OREGON

1996 - C. ALBERT ZEITNER - SOUTH DAKOTA

1995 - MARTIN KONING - ARIZONA

1994 - LAFAYETTE FUNK - ILLINOIS

1993 - JOSEPH PHETTEPLACE - MICHIGAN

1992 - THOMAS BONES - OREGON

1991 - NONE AWARDED

1990 - ROBERT HARVILL - TEXAS

1989 - HENRY GRAVES - FLORIDA

1988 - MARK BANDY - IOWA  WILLARD ROBERTS - SOUTH DAKOTA

1987 -The following were posthumously elected to the National Rockhound and Lapidary Hall of Fame.
  • ZODAC, PETER
    Was a mineral collector and dealer from Peekskill, New York, who started the first mineral collectors’ magazine, Rocks and Minerals, in 1926.
  • YEDLIN, NEAL
    Was an amateur mineralogist from New Haven, Connecticut, who was a leading collector, lecturer and writer on micromounting.
  • DAKE, HENRY
    Was an avid field collector from Portland, Oregon. A prolific writer and founder, in 1932 of The Mineralogist.
  • QUICK, LELAND
    Was a California lapidary and writer who founded Lapidary Journal in 1947.
  • LEIPER, HUGH
    Was a Texas facetor and writer who was editor of Lapidary Journal from 1960 to 1970.
  • WILSON, BEN HUR
    Was founder of the Midwest Federation (MWF) and co-founder of the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies (AFMS). He was a teacher and writer from Joliet, Illinois.
  • MACFALL, RUSSELL
    was a collector of minerals and fossils, and a writer from Evanston, Illinois.
  • PEARL, RICHARD
    Was the founder of the Rocky Mountain Federation of AFMS. He was a prolific writer from Colorado Springs, Colorado and was the Editor of Earth Science Magazine.
  • DE NEUI, WILLIAM
    A collector and lapidary, he was a past president of AFMS from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was active for many years in AFMS Scholarship Foundation.
  • HOWARD, HARRY
    A pioneer lapidary and facetor from Greenville, South Carolina, who built his own slabbing, cabbing, and faceting machinery in the ‘20s and taught others how to do it.
  • BINGHAM, WILLIAM
    Was an early self-taught lapidary from St. Paul, Minnesota who discovered the tiger-eye look-a-like binghamite.
  • FLAGG, A.L.
    Was prominent in the early days of the Rocky Mountain Federation. He was a mineral collector, expert on Arizona minerals and curator of the State Mineral Museum at the Phoenix Fairgrounds.
  • JENSEN, DAVID AND KAY
    A husband and wife who were past presidents of the Eastern Federation. David Jensen was a mineral collector and writer who had an outstanding career at Wards Natural Science Establishment in Rochester, New York. Kay Jensen was noted for mineral photography and for editing the first bulletin editor’s guide.
 
  • CHOATE, SHARR
    Excelled in jewelry design and craftsmanship. She was an author who was active in the California Federation.
  • LIZZADRO, JOSEPH
    Was a collector of lapidary masterpieces who established the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Arts in Elmhurst, Illinois.
  • PARSONS, CHARLES
    A gemologist, lapidary, writer, and teacher of gemology from San Diego, California.
  • BEMENT, CLARENCE
    A Philadelphia collector whose exceptional mineral/gem collection went to the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
  • FOOTE, A.S.
    Was a noted early collector and dealer in minerals and gems from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  • ROEBLING, WASHINGTON
    The chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge whose extensive gem collection went to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
  • KUNZ, GEORGE
    Was the dean of American gemologists. He was an author, field collector, mineralogist for U.S. Survey and gem consultant for Tiffanys .
  • HIDDEN, W.E.
    A mineralogist, gem prospector and miner in North Carolina in the late 19th century. He discovered the gem Hiddenite.
  • RAKESTRAW, C.C.
    “Parson” Rakestraw, a minister from Cornwall, Pennsylvania, was a pioneer micromounter, founder of the first Pennsylvania micromounterrs’ club, and first member of the Micromount Hall of fame.
  • COURTER, ELLIS
    Was an officer in MWF and AFMS and Scholarship Foundation. Author, field collector, and mineral collector, whose specialty was Michigan.
  • REXIN, BERNICE
    Was past president of AFMS. A fossil collector as well as a columnist for Earth Science Magazine.
  • FLEENER, FRANK
    Was a teacher, fossil and mineral collector, field geologist and writer from Illinois.
  • PITTS, WILLIAM
    Was an educator and an avid collector from California.
     

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