Technique Magazine

Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame Has a Good Beginning ... Again

Oklahoma City adopts the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame

A.B. Frederick, Ph.D.
IGHOF Historian 1987-1997

Governor Frank Keating of Oklahoma issued a proclamation on January 15, 1997 on behalf of the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame (IGHOF) to welcome it to a temporary facility in downtown Oklahoma City. The citizens of this state should be congratulated for the boost they are giving to the last of the great Olympic sports to have a permanent home and museum.

Yes, there are several other gymnastics-related Halls of Fame in the United States but none has a physical location to display the amazing variety of objects and art that may be seen at the First National Bank Center in the heart of down town Oklahoma City. Frank L. Bare, who was recruited in 1963 to be the first Director of the present national governing body (1), was summoned again along with his wife Linda, to prepare the temporary location, a former cafeteria offered rent free to the IGHOF. The permanent site on the River Walk sports complex is in the planning stages.

Unknown to most in the gymnastics community, an International Gymnastics Hall of Fame was founded in 1972 under the leadership of Frank Wells (2), long associated with the National Gymnastics Clinic. The Clinic was a "Mecca" for American gymnasts for more than twenty years and was the forerunner of the current annual Congress of USA Gymnastics. The first of these very successful clinics was held at Daytona Beach (FL) in 1950 and organized by the Clinic's founder, Lyle Welser. Thereafter it was scheduled annually in Sarasota. It is interesting to note that the only honoree selected by this forerunner of the present IGHOF was none other than Olga Korbut! When the Clinic disbanded in the late 70s, the Hall of Fame idea died with it. Olga became the first inductee of the present International Gymnastics Hall of Fame more than a decade later (1988). (3)

Olga Korbut sketch
Figure 1. High Contrast Photo Art of Olga Korbut after Bob Grieser/Los Angeles Times signed by Olga in Russian Cyrillic and English.

The International Gymnastics Hall of Fame's true beginning was in 1986. Gymnastics visionary, Glenn Sundby, one of the most honored men in the field, moved his magazine, the International Gymnast to Oceanside, Calif. Once settled, and noting an abundance of space in the new facility, Sundby proposed an "International Gymnast" (4) Hall of Fame to several friends tying the title to his magazine. He had met literally everyone of prominence in the world of gymnastics in his more than 40 years of publishing. The eternal optimist, he would not be deterred despite the misgivings of some that resources were not available to support such a venture.

Sundby sketch
Figure 2. Glenn Sundby and his "Believe It or Not!" feat.

The International Gymnastics Hall of Fame was incorporated in the State of California on June 26, 1986 and 501 (c) (3) status was granted by the Internal Revenue Service on the 20th of August, 1987. The Board first met in September of 1987 and included the Founder, Glenn Sundby; the writer; Richard Bertea, Commissioner for the very successful gymnastics venue at the Los Angeles Olympiad; C. Carson "Casey" Conrad, Director of the President's Council on Fitness and Sports; Bruce Hopping, a supporter of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and long time friend of the Founder; and John Vidmar, a retired business man and father of Peter Vidmar. Peter won the silver all-around medal and helped to win the Team Gold at the 1984 Olympiad in his home town of Los Angeles. (5)

Hopes ran high that the Oceanside city fathers and Chamber of Commerce would get behind the Hall of Fame featuring it as a shining star in a proposed face lift of the city in "North County" San Diego. A new municipal building was under construction and later completed but as time went on the city became even more depressed with businesses closing all around the Hall of Fame building on Brooks St. A Cartwheel-a-thon styled after the very successful "Swim-a-thon" of the International Swimming Hall of Fame (6), although off to an impressive start, fizzled out after a few years. Director Sundby was unable to marshal the volunteers which are imperative when organizing such events. Contrast this with the wealth of help volunteering in Oklahoma City not to mention the enthusiasm I heard first hand from city residents and a member of the City Council. When Sundby sold his magazine to Paul Ziert and Associates, Inc. and it was relocated in Norman, Okla., the Oceanside experiment for an IGHOF began to breathe its last.

Hall of Fame sketch
Figure 3. Artist's rendering of the Hall of Fame facility in Oceanside, California

And so, on to Oklahoma and a yet another new beginning. Nadia Comaneci Conner and her husband Bart were there at the opening of the temporary site and spoke to Channel 5 SPORTS which covered the proclamation by Governor Keating declaring January 15, 1997 as "International Gymnastics Hall of Fame Day." Jackie Fie, who chairs the FIG Women's Technical Committee, related, "I just had to be here!" Jay Ashmore, newly appointed to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) by the national governing body, was there as the official representative appointed by newly elected FIG President, Bruno Grandi. Seasoned representatives of the gymnastics community could spot Frank Endo, Bill Meade, Bill Sorenson, Dick Bertea, Sam Bailie, Sue Wilson, Paul Ziert, and Don Ohannes among others. Ironically, Founder Glenn Sundby missed the ceremony due to a long delay of a scheduled flight.

What lies ahead for the IGHOF in Oklahoma? If all goes well, one final beginning will be required when the temporary facility is replaced by a beautiful building in the sports complex across town. In the immediate future, the IGHOF Board will hire a Curator and work with a volunteer group to raise several million dollars. Judging from the upbeat nature of the recent opening in Oklahoma City, this may well be the last leg of the journey. A beautiful representation of Founder Glenn Sundby, himself a Hall of Famer and recipient of USA Gymnastics' Athlete's Council Spirit of the Flame award, hangs proudly in the new location. It should be an inspiration to others to complete the work that only he could begin a decade ago.

Footnotes/References

  1. Then known as the United States Gymnastics Federation.
  2. Wells, a former national champion and coach of many local, regional, national and international champions while Director of the Jersey City Department of Recreation, founded an International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1972. The Hall is mentioned in Cumiskey's Who's Who - Gymnastics published in 1973. This original Hall was cited once again in a recent ceremony for Wells at the US Military Academy at West Point, NY (West Point Open, 1997).
  3. A.B. Frederick, "Halls of Fame for Gymnastics - A Chronology." Technique, Nov.-Dec., 1994.
  4. The IRS still lists the corporation as the International Gymnast Hall of Fame. Mr. Steve Kerr, who is preparing materials to reincorporate the Hall in the State of Oklahoma, will correct this continuing error in due course.
  5. Vidmar is one of two American men to win a silver in the AA in an open international competition. The other individual is Kurt Thomas.
  6. An innovation attributed to Buck Dawson of the ISHOF. Dr. Frederick visited the ISHOF in 1987 and received excellent guidance from Dawson, an honoree of the International Association of Sports Museums and Halls of Fame, and other colleagues who shared the history and evolution of the Bylaws of the organization. Ft. Lauderdale enthusiastically endorsed the Swimming Hall of Fame from the beginning with a similar pattern in evidence in Oklahoma City at the recent opening of the IGHOF.

About the Author

Dr. Frederick has been a member of the Board of Directors of the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame (IGHOF) for the 10 years of its existence serving as Curator and Historian. He is well known to the American gymnastics community and for 30 years wrote on various topics as Education Editor for the International Gymnast magazine. He was elected to the National Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1990 as a contributor having published and illustrated more than a dozen books for gymnastics, preparing the first comprehensive library resource materials for the field and compiling articles for the first technical journal, the International Gymnast's Technical Supplement. His historical articles first appeared in the late 60s inspired by the writings of Leopold Zwarg of Temple University and others. He is Director of the Roots Project and has produced the widely acclaimed Roots of American Gymnastics, now in a second edition, identifying nearly 1,500 people from the American gymnastics community including all of its Hall of Fame honorees and Olympians. A companion volume, Who's Who and Was Who in American Gymnastics and An Illustrated History of American Gymnastics are in preparation. Dr. Frederick chaired the National Gymnastics Hall of Fame Selection Committee for four years and paved the way for USA Gymnastics to adopt the program in 1996. The National Gymnastics Hall of Fame, known in the gymnastics community for decades as the "Helms Hall of Fame" has existed for 40 years electing 186 honorees. It has no museum or displays at any specific site. Plans are underway to obtain photographs and sketches of our National Hall of Fame honorees to be displayed at USA Gymnastics headquarters in Indianapolis.

This article appears in the April issue of Technique magazine, Vol. 17, No. 4.


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