Four men and a lady, all who have made significant contributions to the sport of recreational fishing, will be inducted as the 10th class into the International Game Fish Association International Fishing Hall of Fame this fall. The announcement of the class of 2008 includes Henry Chee, Dr. Roy Dean, Jimmy Houston, Kay Rybovich and Karl Wickstrom.
The 10th annual star-studded enshrinement ceremony and dinner will be held Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 6 p.m. at the IGFA International Fishing Hall of Fame in Dania Beach, Fla. The public is invited.
Each year the honorees are selected for the significant contributions through angling achievements, literature, the arts, science, education, invention, communication or administration of fishery resources.
The five inductees and their contributions are:
- Henry Chee was one of the original two charter skippers in Kona, Hawaii. In the 1940s he was responsible for the advent of trolling lures, making his first “tube” lure out of fiberglass resin, using a drinking glass as a mold, and went on to perfect the use of brass for leader tubes and strips of pearl shell for inserts. Chee died in 1965.
- Dr. Roy Dean dedicated his life to light-tackle fishing. Recognized for his extensive exploration of the coastlines of Mexico and Costa Rica, research on billfish migration, and promotion of catch-and-release, he is best known as the founder of the International Light Tackle Tournament Association (ILTTA) more than 60 years ago. Dean died in 1990.
- Jimmy Houston won his first professional bass tournament in 1966, his first B.A.S.S. “Angler of the Year” title in 1976, and has produced and hosted the popular TV show Jimmy Houston Outdoors for more than 30 years. He was inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2002. Houston lives in Cookson, Okla.
- One of three founders of the International Women’s Fishing Association (IWFA) in 1955, Kay Rybovich remains one of the grand ladies of sport fishing. An early proponent of catch-and-release fishing, she is a long-time supporter of fisheries research programs and numerous conservation organizations. Kay was married to the late John Rybovich Jr. who was inducted into the IGFA International Fishing Hall of Fameâs first class in 1998.
- Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Florida Sportsman magazine, Karl Wickstrom initiated and chaired the Save Our Sealife constitutional amendment campaign that banned gill nets in 1994 and revitalized Florida’s inshore waters. He was also instrumental in the founding of the state’s Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) chapter more than 20 years ago. Wickstrom lives in Stuart, Fla.
There are currently 70 Hall of Fame members enshrined including Zane Grey, Ernest Hemingway, Curt Gowdy, Ted Williams, Lee Wulff, Michael and Helen Lerner, Philip Wylie, Bill Dance, Roland Martin, Johnny Morris, Don Tyson and Stu Apte.
Tickets are $200 and include the cocktail reception beginning at 6 p.m., silent auction, dinner and the induction ceremony beginning at 7:30 p.m. Special sponsorships and sponsor tables are available. For reservation information please call 954-924-4222.
The IGFA is a nonprofit, membership-supported, conservation and record-keeping organization founded in 1939 with members in over 120 countries. The association welcomes visitors to the 60,000 square foot IGFA International Fishing Hall of Fame in Dania Beach, Florida. For further information, contact Lesley Arico at the International Game Fish Association, 300 Gulf Stream Way, Dania Beach, Florida 33004 Email: [email protected] or by phone (954) 927-2628 Fax (954) 924-4299.
