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John Muir Named Inaugural Inductee in the new California Hall of Fame
On July 31, 2006, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver announced the creation of the California Hall of Fame, a groundbreaking institution extolling the inspirational contributions of extraordinary Californians who have made their mark on the state, the nation and the world. John Muir is included among the first 13 inaugural leaders, trailblazers and legends to be inducted in the new California Hall of Fame. Other inductees include Cesar Chavez, Walt Disney, Amelia Earhart, Clint Eastwood, Frank Gehry, David Ho, M.D., Billie Jean King, Ronald Reagan, Sally Ride, Alice Walker and the Hearst and Packard Families. In presenting the first inductees, First Lady Maria Shriver described Muir as "the founding father of our environmental movement, of our national park system, who taught us to respect and take care of the land that we live on, and the air we breathe.” Conceived by First Lady Maria Shriver, the California Hall of Fame was established to recognize individuals who embody California’s innovative spirit. Inductees will come from all walks of life, and are people who have made distinguished achievements across many fields including the arts, education, business and labor, science, sports, philanthropy and public service. Inductees (or their families for posthumous awards) will be installed at a formal, annual event each year at the California Museum for History, Women and the Arts in Sacramento.
The accomplishments of each inductee will be made part of the permanent record in the California State Archives and become the subject of a year-round education campaign. In addition, their unique stories and personal achievements will be showcased at the California Museum in a permanent exhibit serving as the visual, encyclopedic record of the California Hall of Fame and its inductees. A California Hall of Fame selection committee, comprising representatives from the California Museum, the California Arts Council, and the Governor’s and First Lady’s Offices, established selection and eligibility criteria for inductees. The inaugural Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on December 6, 2006, at the California Museum in Sacramento, including the presentation of the Spirit of California Medals by the Governor and First Lady, followed by a special reception for inductees, dignitaries and invited guests. The Muir family will accept the posthumous award for John Muir. The Spirit of California Medal is the tangible representation of the inductee’s installation into the California Hall of Fame, given to inductees (or their families, if a posthumous award) each year at the formal state induction ceremony. Clan Currie profiled the “Life and Legacy of John Muir” in a thirteen-panel exhibition prepared for their 2005 celebration of National Tartan Day on Ellis Island. The traveling exhibition is available for rental from the Society. About John Muir
John Muir was a powerful voice for the wilderness, and left an indelible mark on the history of this nation, a legacy that continues to this day. John Muir led a life dedicated to exploring, admiring, and preserving the American natural landscape. Wanderer, poet, inventor, explorer, accomplished author and political activist, Muir is best known for his pioneering work in the field of conservation, work that culminated in the establishment of the world’s first national park system. Born in Dunbar, Scotland in 1838, Muir immigrated to the United States at the age of eleven and spent his adolescent years hard at work on his family’s Wisconsin farm. After leaving home at the age of twenty-two to seek his fortune as an inventor, Muir went on to embark on a life of exploration, adventure, and activism. A contemporary of Emerson and Thoreau, John Muir spent his adult years forging and strengthening an emerging public interest in the preservation of the American wilderness. He authored fourteen books and literally hundreds of articles, each penned with an eloquent reverence for the sublime beauty of the American landscape and a sincere desire to share that love with future generations. “The Life and Legacy of John Muir” traces his remarkable life journey from his days exploring the moors, mountains, and shoreline surrounding his childhood home in Scotland, to his lasting legacy as America’s first passionate conservationist and the father of the American national parks. His legacy lives on in geographic names from Alaska to Florida, in Yosemite National Park, which he was instrumental in establishing in 1890, and in the Sierra Club, which he founded in 1892 and served as its first president. In 1976, the California Historical Society dubbed Muir the greatest Californian in the history of the state, and his birthday has since become a state-recognized holiday. Most recently, the image of John Muir was chosen to appear on the newly-minted California commemorative quarter which was unveiled in January 2005.
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