History
In 1976, the Steuben County Board of Supervisors deemed it necessary to
create the Steuben County Hall of Fame for the Bicentennial Year of our
Nation.
A committee of 12 people representative of the people of Steuben County
was
formed to review submitted nominations from the public. The committee
was to
present their recommendations to the Steuben County Board of
Supervisors for
approval.
The
Hall of Fame has continued each year, with the exception of
1998-2002 when there was a lack of interest from the public. In 2003, the Historian’s Office became
involved in this endeavor and has successfully recaptured the
excitement of the
public. This year, 2005, there were 5 inductees; one living – Ted
Markham of
Bath and the deceased inductees were Sarah Lyon Davenport, Elmer (Slim)
Faucett, Bessie M. Hille and LTG Lemuel Mathewson. All of these
inductees were
been born in Steuben County and successes in their own rights, whether
their
careers or lives were carried out in the United States or abroad.
There
have been 100 people inducted into the Steuben County Hall of
Fame to date. Their photos adorn the Southern hallway on the Main Floor
in the
Steuben County Office Building at 3 E. Pulteney Square, Bath, New York.
A total
of 381 have been nominated for this prestigious honor for their
contributions
to the County of Steuben.
Nominations
are received from people from all walks of life and we
encourage our local schools to participate in this adventure. In 2005,
the
Campbell-Savona Elementary School Historical Society presented their
nomination
for Elmer James (Slim) Faucett. They were honored at the Steuben County
Hall of
Fame Luncheon for their work in researching this man born in Savona,
New York.
Each
fall, the Historian’s Office invites nominations from the public
through the many newspapers in Steuben County from all its citizens
with the
deadline for submission being the last day of December. The committee
then goes
through all the nominations, followed up by a meeting in which the
nominees are
voted upon. When the winners are announced, they are presented to the
Steuben
County Board of Supervisors for approval. After this, the nominees or
their
nominators are advised. The biographies and photos are accumulated and
announcements are made as to when and where the annual Hall of Fame
Banquet
will be held. The families and friends are encouraged to attend this
honorable occasion.
05/05/05
