The RV/Motorhome Hall of Fame has announced the election of the 2009 Hall of Fame class, which will be officially inducted at the Hall in Elkhart, Indiana, on August 3. Honorees are selected by the RV/MH Heritage Foundation Inc. and include the following individuals.
Richard A. “Dick” Baidas (deceased), General RV Center, Michigan. Baidas was a long-time RV industry supporter who had a hand in the founding of 10 different RV and motorhome manufacturers.
Susan Bray, Good Sam Club, Ventura, California. Affinity Group’s own Susan Bray has been a leader with Good Sam for 30 years, and served 25 years on the board of the American Recreation Coalition as well as serving on the advisory board for the US Dept. of Transportation’s Scenic Byways program.
Kevin Clayton, Clayton Homes, Tennessee. Clayton is a three-time MHI Industry Person of the Year honoree. He is recognized as the leader of of the most dynamic team in the housing industry.
Tim Dewitt, Michigan MHA. Executive Director of Michigan MHA for 30 years, Dewitt has been a spokesman for the RV and MH industry.
Hal Fowler, DTI RV Appliance Parts, Indiana. Fowler served as a board member of the Warehouse Distributors Association (WDA) and is an active member of RVIA. He is recognized for maintaining a huge inventory of parts for obsolete RV appliances and other parts.
David Garvin, Camping World, Bowling Green, Kentucky. Garvin built the world’s largest RV supply and service business, revolutionizing the marketing of RV aftermarket products and services at the same time.
Donald F. Glisson Sr.,Triad Financial Services, Florida. Glisson brought over 250 commercial banks into serving the motorhome industry and was selected MHI Lender of the Year.
Jake Hannon (deceased), AAA Mobil Homes, Arizona. Hannon developed a popular market research program for housing retailers, developed 11 sales centers with annual sales in excess of $50 million and was elected twice as the MHI national retailer of the year.
Kristian Jensen Jr., Jensen’s Inc., Connecticut. Jensen is a member of the MHI Board and was the 2000 National Community Operator of the Year. He received recognition for the best land-lease community in the nation in both the over 150 and under 150 sites categories.
Peter Leigl, Forest River Inc., Elkhart, Indiana. A longtime recreation vehicle industry advocate, Leigl built Forest River into the nation’s largest towable RV manufacturer, and as an industry executive, had a hand in developing several RV companies.