Hall of Famer

Each year a new group of Route 66 Superstars are considered for induction into the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame.

Nominations received after the submission deadline each year will be considered for induction next year, as will nominations reviewed this year but not chosen.

Nominate that special someone you know who has significantly contributed to the character and history of Route 66 in Illinois while it was an official US Highway between 1926 and 1977.

Please submit nominations and related documentation to:

Route 66 Association of Illinois
Attn: Hall of Fame Committee
110 Howard St.
Pontiac, Il 61764

Nominations to the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of fame are being accepted for consideration January 1 through February 28, 2009.

We at the Route 66 Association of Illinois are sad to report the death of Hall of Fame Member, Annabelle (Horrie) Parkinson. Mrs. Parkinson passed away on January 23, 2009 at the age of 89.

She and her husband, H. Burt Parkinson owned and operated the Gardner Chronicle until 1987. They were inducted into our Hall of fame on June 10, 1995.

Read the Notice for Annabelle (Horrie) Parkinson.

We are proud to announce the creation of an Online List of Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame Members!

Its permanent link, Hall of Fame Members, has joined the other points of interest in the Discover menu to the left. We hope you'll check it out!

We are excited to provide the list in its entirety...but there is much more to come! Our website team is working toward linking each inducted person and attraction to stories about their valued contributions to the Mother Road. Consider it an ongoing labor of appreciation to make this information available to all here on the site.

The Route 66 Association of Illinois invites you to submit nominations into the Hall of Fame.

All nominations will be accepted for consideration beginning January 1, 2009 and ending February 28, 2009 by the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame Committee. Nominations received at other times shall be considered in the following year.

Nominations must include accurate documentation or declaration of the Nominee's qualities, deeds and history on Route 66 that merit this honor. All nominations considered, but not elected, will automatically be reconsidered the following year.

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES 2008

Mr. Sheets was born in Ohio on October 5, 1890, but his family moved to Springfield, Illinois, so that his father, Edgar could take a job as Superintendent in the Illinois State Highway Department. Frank Sheets also joined the Highway Department at the age of 17 as a clerk. He started his studies in highway engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1911, and then returned to the Highway Department upon his graduation in 1914. By 1916 he was the Assistant Maintenance Engineer of the Highway Bureau of Maintenance.

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES 2008

Back in the 1940’s Leroy worked at Martin Oil Company, 401 Ladd St. (corner of Rt. 116 and Ladd St. or Rt. 66) where you
would receive premium gifts, various pieces of glassware, which drew customers to this location from near and far. There were a total of 7 pumps in 2 rows supplying regular ethyl white gas (10 cents a gallon). They pumped their motor oil into glass tubes and supplied kerosene. You could purchase a pack of cigarettes for 10 cents with a gasoline purchase.

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES 2008

The World’s Largest Brooks Catsup Bottle – Since 1949

Businessmen raised $5,000 and created the Collinsville Canning and packing Co. The plant struggled and went through a few different owners/operators until 1908 when the Brooks brothers took over. They operated under the name of Triumph Catsup and Pickle Company. In 1920, the brothers sold out to American Cone and Pretzel Company, and in 1933 the G.S. Suppiger Company purchased the plant. The catsup factory had great success in those years, surviving the Great Depression and growing by leaps and bounds through the 1940’s. They retained the Brooks label because it had acquired such an excellent reputation.

Home of the Cozy Dog (a delicious hot dog on a stick) that was created by proprietor Ed Waldmire Jr. in the 1940s.  The delicacy is still made daily by the Waldmire family - Monday through Saturday. 

As you enjoy a cozy dog, you can check out the restaurant walls which are lined with Route 66 history.

Location

The Launching Pad Drive-In opened in 1960 as a Dari Delite. Originally the establishment sold only hot dogs and ice cream but today the menu has expanded. Launching Pad is the home of the Gemini Giant, who has welcomed Route 66 travelers since the 1950's! It's a must to have your photo taken with the Giant! In 2000, the Launching Pad Drive-In was inducted into the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame.

Location