Ozark Whitewater Hall of Fame

[Joe Purdy]

Bill Herring, Ryan Johnson, Kevin Fendley, Jim Jernigan, Chris Collier, Mason Rather , Dan Daniels, Roger Head...
Chanoy Herring taught me how to roll the first time... way back.

[Steve S]

No matter who you put in the Hall of Fame, this picture needs to be on the wall.

[Ryan Center]

That is a GREAT photo!

[dthrasher]

That is a great picture. By the way, that is Terry Keefe standing on the rock with his back to us, and I was standing next to the photographer when the picture was taken. My guess is that this picture was taken in the late 70's. Also, just a brief history of the ACC. We started the club in the fall of 1975 in Fayetteville. Stewart Noland and I are the only original founding members that are still active. Other contributing members at that time were Joel Freund (our first president), Carla Crawley (Joel's wife and an excellent paddler in her own right), Phil Colwell (Wade and Ted's dad), and Steve Day. The first Canoe School was in April, 1976 and we had 12 students. Joel, Carla, Bud Fuchs, and I were the instructors. I did not mention any of these folks other than Stewart Noland for possible inclusion in the OWHOF since they have not been active with paddling or the club for perhaps 30 years and there have been tremendous advancements to both paddling and our club during that period. Even so, the club would not be what it is today without their early contributions.

[Half Ton]

Putting the qualifying criteria into the categories of pioneering and documenting the runs, saving and conserving the runs and their quality, and giving back to others and contributing to the sport itself are probably some of the best criteria out there.

Those criteria at least narrow down the field fairly easily.

[Freestone]

The thread appears to have lost some steam, and I am stuck at home today with menial chores and some side work to catch up on, so I don't feel to guilty for a somewhat off topic post pertaining to the photograph Steve posted.

The photo was the centerpiece of the "Omnibus" (section F) in the Sunday, April 23, 1978 edition of the Arkansas Gazette (prior to the paper being bought and becoming the Arkansas Democrat Gazette).

Gary Speed is the photographer and writer for the piece that ran under the headline "Cossatot Is Spiced By Danger" and included a great spread of photographs in addition to the one posted above.

David Hunter, Terry Keefe, Stewart Nowland, Alice Andrews, Paul Means (who is performing the hottest of rodeo maneuvers for the time in his photo, a pop-up), and Steve Day (who is side surfing and paddle twirling, simultaneously) are included in the other photos.

A brief description of the river's history, its rapids and whitewater specific gear comprise the majority of the story.

The spread is framed on my wall at home. I treasure it. I believe my grandmother framed it for my dad, who was also boating the falls that day has home video of the same happenings.

Flow river, flow.

[fryingsquirrel]

While I'm not a skilled WW paddler, and have only seen some of the runs listed, I would like to make a contribution, nonetheless. The people I will mention shortly have all been mentors, and are all people I greatly respect. Some of them have watched me grow up, mostly during summers spent on the Buffalo since I was 12. Some of them aren't Ozarks natives, but are still great paddlers and people I look up to. Here goes:
I'll start with the one and only Neil Compton, a man I had the privilege of meeting at the 25'th anniversary float of the BNR, when I was 12 and had the fortune of paddling most of the river that week. He had his granddaughter with him that muggy, hot day at the pavilion at Tyler Bend. I remember him bringing his granddaughter up to the stage and saying that she was the future, and the river was the inheritance of all youths, or something along those lines. Present that day was Stuart Noland, and I think Bob Stuart was also there, and those are names that go on the list. Harold and Margaret Hedges were there as well, and they also go on my list. Paul and Eunice Noland. Hubert and Mary Virginia Ferguson. Bobby Stout. Richard McFadden.
Alice Andrews. David and Laura Timby, who led me on my first full moon Buffy float.
There are plenty of others whose names are slipping my memory right now, but it is time to progress on to those that I consider to be current mentors, people who I'm still actively learning from. Eric Esche, and his wife, Susan, in Rogers. Cowper Chadborn and Debbie Doss. Wes Holden. Bill Herring. Tom Burroughs. Amos Turnipseed. Jim Binns. "Stan" and Gordon Bartlett, although I never had the fortune of meeting Gordon, I have heard nothing but good things about him. I almost forgot PainterBob, shame on me.

I am probably forgetting plenty of people who I've looked up to and still do but the point I am trying to get across with this post is that for me, it's not just about first descents or record runs, but about the personal actions of the people who've shaped the paddling community, and what they've done to help shape future paddlers. Wednesday night, I was headed towards roll practice with Cowper, and he mentioned how he's noticed that a lot of the people he runs creeks with now are the children of the people he used to paddle with. He even mentioned that in the near future, he'll probably be paddling with the grandchildren of those who were his contemporaries.
That about sums it up, I just wanted to thank those on this list who are still around to thank, and offer remembrance to those who aren't...
Jon Ellwood
Conway, AR