• Washington Roebling, one of our inductees in the Tribute category, was best known for designing the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.  He had an extensive mineral collection that was given to the Smithsonian Institution.• Lafayette Funk, a member of the family that hybridized a type of corn (Funk’s G Hybrid), collected giant mineral specimens.  Lafayette donated his first collection of enormous minerals to Illinois State University at Normal.  Later collections were donated to Wesleyan University and the University of Illinois at Champaign.  Originally inducted in the Minerals category, he is now deceased.

• Also in this category Joseph Lizzaddro, collector of lapidary masterpieces, established the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Arts in Elmhurst, Illinois.

• A Lapidary inductee, Ute Bernhardt was the first American and the first woman to carve the official cameo of the Pope.  She lived in the Vatican for the six weeks it took to carve the cameo.

• Roger van Cleef, an inductee in the Fossil category, played football for the Dallas Cowboys.

• In the Mineral category, Paul Desautels was curator of Minerals at the Smithsonian until his retirement.  Paul also served on the Board of Consultants for the Hall of Fame.  He is now deceased.

• Bob Jones, Sr. Editor of Rock & Gem Magazine, author and frequent speaker at gem and mineral clubs and shows was inducted in the Mineral category.