National Corvette Museum Announces 2011 Hall of Fame Inductees

The National Corvette Museum has announced the following inductees to be recognized as part of the 14th Annual Corvette Hall of Fame Ceremony in 2011. Ron Fellows, a champion driver for Corvette Racing, Clare “Mac” MacKichan, a key designer for the first and other early Corvettes, and Ray Quinlan, donor of a 1953 Corvette to the Museum taking the project from an archives facility to museum will be recognized with the highest honor bestowed by the Museum for their contributions to the past, present and future of Corvette.

The 2011 Hall of Fame recipients will be inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame during a ceremony and banquet on Friday, September 2, 2011. Their induction will take place as part of the Museum’s 17th Anniversary Corvette Celebration festivities September 1-3, 2011.

Corvette Hall of Fame Inductee Ron Fellows’ impressive skill as a driver for the Corvette Racing Team has earned him the respect of Corvette fans everywhere. His 27 wins, three ALMS championships and two wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, along with his unprecedented four consecutive "Most Popular Driver" awards from ALMS fans, testify to his track record of success. Although he has not raced for the factory team since 2008, he remains one of the most recognizable, respected and popular personalities to ever represent Corvette's racing heritage. As evidence of his enormous popularity, GM paid tribute to Ron by creating the "Ron Fellows ALMS GT1 Champion Corvette Z06" in 2007.

While he still races in NASCAR events and is tied with Terry Labonte for the most road course wins in NASCAR history, Ron has served as an advisor for the GM/Pratt & Miller factory team and an ambassador for Corvette in general, showing up at races, Corvette Corrals, Corvette functions and charities, often auctioning off passes to the Ron Fellows Driving School for worthwhile causes.

Corvette Hall of Fame Inductee Clare “Mac” MacKichan was instrumental to the design and success of all Chevrolets in the mid-twentieth century. In his position as Chief Designer of the Chevrolet Studio, General Motors Design Staff, he was directly responsible for the design of all of the Corvettes from number one, through the 1950s and early 1960s. It was under his guidance that the 1954 Waldorf Show Corvettes were designed. In addition to his position as Chief Designer for Chevrolet, Mac also served as Director of Design for GM's Adam Opel AG in Germany, and later as Executive in Charge of Advanced Design and Engineering for Design Staff.

While he didn't always work on the Corvette brand, he continued to own one and participate in many Corvette activities - appearing and speaking at car shows and event all over the country. He would even decorate his office with parts of Corvettes that had been thrown away. Mac bought Corvettes and truly loved having a role in the creation and evolution of America’s sports car, even though it was unrecognized due to Harley Earl’s policy of giving credit only to himself, and later to Bill Mitchell. Sadly, Mac passed away but his contributions to the Corvette live on.

Corvette Hall of Fame Inductee Ray Quinlan is probably the first Museum enthusiast, and it's fair to say the Museum might not be where it is today without the support of this NCM Lifetime Member No. 001. When the idea of a Corvette Library & Archives first came about, it was Ray who came forward and said he would donate his 1953 Corvette if the plans would incorporate a Museum... a place to house not only historical documents but also artifacts and cars. Memberships were the sole means of raising money in the early days, and Ray was right there, joining at the beginning.

While Ray owned a number of collectible cars, Corvettes were his passion. He was a member of the Corvette Club of Illinois and active with the National Council of Corvette Clubs and National Corvette Restorers Society. Ray always loved the Museum and all it represented, talking to visitors that were looking at the 1953 on display and sharing with them the history. Today, every visitor passing through the halls of the Museum hears the story of Ray and how his donation started the Museum.

The National Corvette Museum established the Corvette Hall of Fame in 1998 to confer the highest honor and recognition upon the most influential individuals in the history of the Corvette. The award recognizes those who have made significant contributions to their respective fields, each having reached the highest level of accomplishment. Inductees must also reflect the highest standards of integrity and character to positively enhance the prestige of the Corvette and the National Corvette Museum.

Additional information on reserving a spot at the prestigious Corvette Hall of Fame banquet will be available in the coming months via our website at: www.corvettemuseum.org or can be obtained by subscribing to our weekly eNewsletter “NCM eNews” at: http://www.corvettemuseum.org/ncmenews/.

The National Corvette Museum is the ‘Gateway to All Things Corvette’ and a member-driven, 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation. Weekly news on the latest Corvette developments, racing updates, event features and raffles are available by subscribing to “NCM eNews” at: corvettemuseum.org/ncmenews. Dedicated to the mission of celebration, education and preservation, the Museum is open seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT - located at Exit 28 on I-65 in Bowling Green, KY.