Missouri Disc Golf Hall of Fame

David West   August 1 at 7:28pm

2023 Missouri Disc Golf Hall of Fame Class

Elections were held in July to select the 2023 Missouri Disc Golf Hall of Fame class. The inaugural class was inducted in 2016, the second class in 2018, the third class in 2021, and now this is the fourth group of disc golfers to be recognized and honored.

The 2023 inductees are:

John Chapman - Columbia, then Kansas City, now Maryland, PDGA # 5559
Jack Lowe - Kansas City area, PDGA # 15316
Chris Kinsella - St. Louis area, PDGA # 21342
Rhonda Crosby - Kansas City area, PDGA # 47106
Sta ... more

Elections were held in July to select the 2023 Missouri Disc Golf Hall of Fame class. The inaugural class was inducted in 2016, the second class in 2018, the third class in 2021, and now this is the fourth group of disc golfers to be recognized and honored.

The 2023 inductees are:

John Chapman - Columbia, then Kansas City, now Maryland, PDGA # 5559
Jack Lowe - Kansas City area, PDGA # 15316
Chris Kinsella - St. Louis area, PDGA # 21342
Rhonda Crosby - Kansas City area, PDGA # 47106
Stan Balke - Jefferson City, PDGA # 28703

We recognize, honor, and thank these people for their contributions, volunteerism, promotion, work and dedication to the sport of Disc Golf in Missouri!

The induction ceremony, along with a HOF tournament, will be held at the historic White Birch Disc Golf Course in Hazelwood, Missouri on September 23, 2023. Details to follow.

David West   April 24, 2023 at 2:50pm

HOF Club Changes agreed upon on October 23, 2021

Pasted in below are the minutes of the meeting (with the exception of HOF club finances, which were removed from this post), composed by Dave West on October 24, 2021:

It was a wonderful day yesterday for our new member induction! The weather cooperated with no rain so we were able to get a 9 hole round of disc golf with 6 teams. George and Lynne won with 5 under par. We then had a short lunch, a good HOF meeting and then the induction. Crazy John had a nice sound system setup for us upon ... more

Pasted in below are the minutes of the meeting (with the exception of HOF club finances, which were removed from this post), composed by Dave West on October 24, 2021:

It was a wonderful day yesterday for our new member induction! The weather cooperated with no rain so we were able to get a 9 hole round of disc golf with 6 teams. George and Lynne won with 5 under par. We then had a short lunch, a good HOF meeting and then the induction. Crazy John had a nice sound system setup for us upon our return from disc golfing and played some unique tunes for each inductee as they came to the microphone. The inductees speeches were all heartfelt and meaningful with many saying they did not do what they did to get into the HOF - they simply contributed to the sport of disc golf, the sport we all love,

In our meeting, we had a lot of good healthy discussion and made some important decisions. We also divided up our duties as many hands make for light work!

Here are the minutes as I recall - if you note anything I missed, please add it to this message.

15 years of service to disc golf in Missouri:
We decided this was too high of a hurdle and we need to remove the years of service requirement.


Nominations of new candidates:
If you nominate a candidate, you need to work with that candidate on their disc golf biography in order for it to display the true contribution of that nominee. Some nominees do not list all of the accomplishments and contributions the rest of us see. Once nominated by one of our members, that candidate will remain on future ballots.


Voting on candidates:
We decided to no longer do a weighted voting system. One vote = 1 vote. The Nomination and Election committee (see more description below) will decide on the number of desired inductees based upon the number of nominations. If they decide on 5 inductees, each existing member will have 5 votes and will need to cast all 5 votes. This will be done so that our members have to get out of their comfort zone of voting for only the candidates that they know. Alex made a strong point that all of our nominees have done a lot for the sport and all need to be considered by all of our members.


Day of induction venue and schedule:
Number one rule is to make our members and inductees happy. If we always want to play a round of disc golf on induction day and have a big part of the day outside, we should do so. If we want to move the induction around to different parts of the state, we should do so. There were also comments that having it in different parts of the state at some of our oldest courses would be a good opportunity for all of us to see how disc golf evolved throughout our state in the last 40+ years.


Finances:
We decided to stay on a cash basis, meaning no checking account. We have expenses just every two years so we want to keep it simple. Additionally, we may have our cash in various parts of the state. We just ask each of us to keep a tally. As we grow, this may change and we may need a Treasurer and an account.


Dividing up duties:
Everyone was happy with three main subdivisions of our workload being divided: 1. Nominations and Elections, 2. Discs, Posters, and Plaques, and 3. Induction Day Planning, Venue, and Schedule. For those of you not there, if you want to volunteer to be on one of the three committees, let us know.

Nominations and Elections:
The three people on the committee are Rick, Lynne, and LaRon. Based upon my past three times of doing this role, I suggest they start their process 6 months in advance of venue day. This committee will gather nominations from across the state. If a member nominates a person, they will remind that member that they have to work with that nominee on the disc golf biography. They will list a cutoff date for nominations, and will then send out all bios to our members so we have time to review the candidates. They will then decide on the number of desired candidates and allow each member that many votes. They will also ensure as the votes come in that everyone does cast that number of votes. We will all not know many of the candidates and it is up to us to read the bios to help us decide the worthiness of that candidate versus others. Keep in mind that once a candidate is nominated, that candidate will also appear on future ballots.

As just a point of clarification, with candidates remaining on future ballots, we eventually may see a time where there are 8 new nominees and 6 old ones. Just because there are now 14 names on the ballot does not necessarily mean there will be 7 or 8 new members - it is up to this committee to decide how many desired candidates and how many votes each of us cast in that election.

One more point that could get messy - I hope we do not end up naming every possible future candidate on the 2023 ballot and be in a case where we have too many and we get comfortably regionalized again. To give an example, if we had 20 nomination in 2023 and we had 5 each from the existing 4 regions of the state, and the committee decided only 5 will get in, then it could happen that all existing members would just vote for the 5 from their part of the state because those are the people we know. The committee should discuss this possibility and help figure out how to avoid this situation.


Discs, Posters, and Plaques:
Greg will handle discs (working with Dave McCormack), Alex will handle posters, and Bob will handle the plaques.


Induction Day Planning, Venue, and Schedule:
The committee here is Dave West, George Smith, Russ Burns, and Crazy John (note we have the existing 4 regions of the state covered where we have existing HOF members). This is a committee that will need to meet in 2022 so we can get some initial planning done for 2023. Our most important early duty is to select a date and venue so that the other committees know when they need to get to work. This committee will need to decide on items like sticking with Columbia as that nice central locale versus moving the venue around the state. This committee will also decide what the venue day will look like - casual disc golf versus a HOF tournament, food catered for lunch or dinner versus bring your own food, Inside versus outside for the induction ceremony, etc.


IT and Communications:
We nominated Duane to help us be more visible and in the right places. We currently have only our Disc Golf Scene Club page. Many people wanted to see a Facebook page. George noted that he has a Missouri Disc Golf Hall of Fame 2016 domain name if we want a web page. We will let Duane run with this.


Discs
Thanks again Dave McCormack for supplying the discs All 90 were signed and sold or distributed! I came home with only the one I bought.


Posters:
* The four 2021 posters are delayed as Alex's vendor is out of the foam board due to pandemic supply chain shortages. He had an example displayed and will get the real ones done over the next month hopefully.
* The 2016 poster was reprinted with a few corrections. One of these went to Dave McCormack's Gateway shop for long term display. The other is staying in Columbia at George's shop. These cost $90 each as they were a bigger 3' x 4' format and were paid for out of our past funds. An old version of the 2016 poster was taken by Russ to display in the Springfield area. It is nice to get these displayed throughout the state!


That's about all I can think of to provide in this summary message. Thanks all,

Dave West

David West   August 5, 2021 at 8:54pm

2021 Missouri Disc Golf Hall of Fame Class

Elections were held in July to select the 2021 Missouri Disc Golf Hall of Fame class. The inaugural class was inducted in 2016, the second class in 2018, so this is the third group of disc golfers to be recognized and honored.

The 2021 inductees are:

Dan Cashen - Kansas City area, PDGA # 2874
Russ Burns - Springfield area, PDGA # 11699
Greg Dohogne - St. Louis area, PDGA # 12184
LaRon Harris - Kansas City area, PDGA # 5703
George Smith - Columbia, PDGA # 4034

We recognize, honor, an ... more

Elections were held in July to select the 2021 Missouri Disc Golf Hall of Fame class. The inaugural class was inducted in 2016, the second class in 2018, so this is the third group of disc golfers to be recognized and honored.

The 2021 inductees are:

Dan Cashen - Kansas City area, PDGA # 2874
Russ Burns - Springfield area, PDGA # 11699
Greg Dohogne - St. Louis area, PDGA # 12184
LaRon Harris - Kansas City area, PDGA # 5703
George Smith - Columbia, PDGA # 4034

We recognize, honor, and thank these people for their contributions, volunteerism, promotion, work and dedication to the sport of Disc Golf in Missouri!

David West   May 14, 2018 at 4:45pm

2018 Missouri Disc Golf HOF Class

Elections were held in May to select the 2018 Missouri Disc Golf Hall of Fame class. The inaugural class was inducted in 2016, so this is the second group of disc golfers to be recognized and honored.

The 2018 inductees are:

Crazy John Brooks, Kansas City and California, PDGA # 2022
Lynne Warren, Kansas City, PDGA # 2876
Alex Dadant, Columbia, PDGA # 2529
Duane CD Steiner, Kansas City, PDGA # 2883
Dave West, St. Louis, PDGA # 752

We recognize, honor, and thank these people for their work and dedication to the sport of Disc Golf in Missouri!

David West   July 11, 2017 at 9:29pm

Missouri Disc Golf Hall of Fame Selection Process

Missouri Disc Golf Hall of Fame Selection Process

This October 2015 proposal is to model our Missouri Disc Golf (DG) Hall of Fame (HOF) similarly to the PDGA HOF process, with some blending of ideas we have gathered from other states HOF's.


The Missouri Hall of Fame inductees shall be judged to fit the following standards:

* Favorable standing and an honorable reputation within the disc golf community

* Made significant contributions to the sport of disc golf in Missouri through develo ... more

Missouri Disc Golf Hall of Fame Selection Process

This October 2015 proposal is to model our Missouri Disc Golf (DG) Hall of Fame (HOF) similarly to the PDGA HOF process, with some blending of ideas we have gathered from other states HOF's.


The Missouri Hall of Fame inductees shall be judged to fit the following standards:

* Favorable standing and an honorable reputation within the disc golf community

* Made significant contributions to the sport of disc golf in Missouri through development, promotion, leadership, volunteerism, and/or sportsmanship that merits our recognition, remembrance and respect

Nominees are to have at least 15 years of active participation in disc golf. Exceptions may be presented to the DGHOF Board of Directors for consideration. All nominees should be submitted first to the DGHOF Director (with a disc golf biography / resume) for official posting.

Nominees must have contributed to the sport of disc golf in the state of Missouri, which most often means they live in Missouri. However, due to both Kansas City and St. Louis being the major metro areas next to adjacent states, there could be exceptions (e.g., a Kansas resident living in the KC metro area who contributes significantly over many years to disc golf in the state of Missouri). Exceptions will be considered and approved by the Board of Directors.


Initially we will have a committee of 4 people to decide on the initial HOF class. We expect this initial class to be 4-6 members. These need to be very solid, obvious hall of fame people so the initial class is not questioned. This initial class will be announced and honored at one of Missouri's big two day tournaments in the summer of 2016.

As per the proposed charter, for the second election we will move to five Directors of the Board to guide the institution, over-see methods of operating, vote on Charter amendments, and make decisions to maintain the integrity of the Missouri DG HOF. Three of the 5 Board members will be Missouri HOF members, and the other 2 Board members will not be HOF members. All Board members will vote as well as any other HOF members who are not on the Board. By the time we get to the third election, we may decide that Board members must be HOF members.

The Chairman of the Board also acts as the Administrator and facilitates the annual selection. Most selection processes are confidential and stay within the membership. Only Missouri DG HOF members may submit a nomination Into the Hall. Anyone may approach a member with suggestions for membership. The DG HOF Administrator requests and requires written biographies before BOD screening. If a person on the ballot the previous election had been one of the top ten vote getters, they merit a spot on the next ballot

The DG Hall of Famers select new inductees semiannually in the spring. First, the DG HOF Administrator announces last year's top ten vote recipients. The members make more nominations. All candidates must receive a seconded nomination to appear on the ballot.

The Board screens nominees. Nominees must have must have 15 years of contributions in the state of Missouri to the sport with exceptions approved by the Board.

Deadlines are announced for nominations so the board may screen the members in private communications. We give the voting members time to rally and support their favorites. Once the Ballot is complete, each Hall member may vote for up to five on the ballot.

After the vote tabulation, we ask the top two or three vote recipients if they accept membership in the Hall before planning the summer celebration. There can be exceptions to that number if it is the right thing to do.


Bricks and Motar:

Where should the Missouri DG HOF be located physically? Initially we should allow it to be located in multiple locations to help promote interest and recognition our sport. There should be no problem with similar posters being located in St. Louis, Kansas City, and Columbia if those areas secure a location for doing so. For example, Hazelwood, MO is the location of the state's first disc golf course - White Birch - in 1979. That location has already offered a display case in their lower room to display disc golf history and hall of fame recognitions. When we do get to the point where we make a nice plaque for the HOF members, then is when we may need to decide on a single location for all of the plaques.


Initial Recognition - first year inductees:

Similar to Iowa, we should be able to get discs printed with the initial HOF members. We should also be able to create a poster board of the initial HOF members that can be displayed at the induction ceremony and have multiple copies of such poster to allow them to be displayed in different cities / regions.

David West   July 11, 2017 at 9:27pm

Missouri Disc Golf Hall of Fame Charter

MISSOURI DISC GOLF HALL OF FAME CHARTER

The Missouri Disc Golf Hall of Fame seeks to honor outstanding contributors to the sport of disc golf by semi-annually inducting individuals nominated and selected by a duly empowered Board of Directors.

Hall of Fame inductees shall be judged to fit the following standards:

* Favorable standing and an honorable reputation within the disc golf community.

* Made significant contributions to the sport of disc golf in Missouri through development, promotio ... more

MISSOURI DISC GOLF HALL OF FAME CHARTER

The Missouri Disc Golf Hall of Fame seeks to honor outstanding contributors to the sport of disc golf by semi-annually inducting individuals nominated and selected by a duly empowered Board of Directors.

Hall of Fame inductees shall be judged to fit the following standards:

* Favorable standing and an honorable reputation within the disc golf community.

* Made significant contributions to the sport of disc golf in Missouri through development, promotion, leadership, volunteerism, and/or sportsmanship that merits our recognition, remembrance and respect.

Nominees are to have at least 15 years of active participation in disc golf. Exceptions may be presented to the DGHOF Board of Directors for consideration. All nominees should be submitted first to the DGHOF Director (with a disc golf biography / resume) for official posting.

Nominees must have contributed to the sport of disc golf in the state of Missouri, which most often means they live in Missouri. However, due to both Kansas City and St. Louis being the major metro areas next to adjacent states, there could be exceptions (e.g., a Kansas resident living in the KC metro area who contributes significantly over many years to disc golf in the state of Missouri). Exceptions will be considered and approved by the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors shall be comprised of a Chairman and up to four Directors

The Board of Directors shall convene at least once every 2 years (in person and/or by mail, telephone, etc.) to conduct the business of administering the Disc Golf Hall of Fame. Yearly inductees shall be celebrated at an annual PDGA two day event (e.g., KC Wide Open, St. Louis Open, Mid-America Open).

The chairman of the Board shall serve the Board until he chooses to remove him or herself. A departing Chairman may either appoint a successor or direct the incumbent Board members to nominate and elect a new Chairman.

A Director may be removed from the Board if he receives fewer than three votes of confidence should such a vote be called and seconded by the Board members. When a Director's position becomes vacant, nominees for a replacement will be accepted from the incumbent board members. At least three favorable votes shall be required to confirm a nomination to the Board.

If for any reason fewer than three Board positions are filled and available for voting, the Chairman of the Board may at his or her discretion unilaterally appoint replacements to the Board Members.

Until the Hall of Fame has at least 10 members, the Board of Directors can be comprised of non-HOF members. The BOD should be comprised of at least 3 HOF members until the HOF reaches 10 members.