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St. Louis Walk of Fame
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The St. Louis Walk of Fame honors well-known people from St. Louis, Missouri who made contributions to culture of the United States. All inductees were either born in the Greater St. Louis area or spent their formative or creative years there. Contribution can be in any area; most of the current inductees made their achievements in acting/entertainment, music, sports, art/architecture, broadcasting, journalism, science/education, and literature.
The Walk consists of 116 (as of June 2007) brass stars and bronze plaques, each containing an inductee's name and a summary of his or her accomplishments.
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Encyclopedia
The St. Louis Walk of Fame honors well-known people from St. Louis, Missouri who made contributions to culture of the United States. All inductees were either born in the Greater St. Louis area or spent their formative or creative years there. Contribution can be in any area; most of the current inductees made their achievements in acting/entertainment, music, sports, art/architecture, broadcasting, journalism, science/education, and literature.
The Walk consists of 116 (as of June 2007) brass stars and bronze plaques, each containing an inductee's name and a summary of his or her accomplishments. The stars and plaques are set into the sidewalks of Delmar Boulevard in the Delmar Loop area, which is mostly in University City, Missouri. The Walk is about five miles west of the indoor Gateway Classic Walk of Fame, a recognition given by another organization, though some, including Dick Gregory, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Ozzie Smith, have received Hall of Fame recognition from both St. Louis groups.
Selection process
Anyone can submit a nomination by mail by supplying basic identification information as well as a description of the nominee's accomplishments and connection to St. Louis. About 30-40 finalists are culled from the nominees by the Walk's founder and director; the finalists are sent to
a selection committee of 120 St. Louisans. The selection committee has been variously described as
- "the chancellors of all area universities, key people from local libraries, arts organizations and historical societies, media journalists, and other citizens with an informed understanding of St. Louis’ cultural heritage.".; or
- "university chancellors, previous inductees and representatives of arts organizations, historical societies and libraries"
Prior to 2007, the open-air induction ceremony has always been held the third week of May, though more recently it has depended on the availability of the latest inductees.
History
The Walk was founded by developer Joe Edwards, owner of Blueberry Hill pub/restaurant and other establishments located along the Walk. The first stars and plaques for the Walk were installed in 1989; the inductees that year were musician Chuck Berry, dancer/choreographer Katherine Dunham, bridge builder James B. Eads, poet T. S. Eliot, ragtime composer Scott Joplin, aviator Charles Lindbergh, baseball player Stan Musial, actor Vincent Price, newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer and playwright Tennessee Williams. Ten more were selected for each of the next four years (in order to get the Walk established), but starting in 1994 no more than three have made the cut in any year.
In May 2008 Cedric the Entertainer received the first star and plaque located in the City of St. Louis portion of the Loop. The Walk (and the boundaries of the Delmar Loop in general) have been expanded eastward by Edwards in recent years as Edwards continues to invest in the area's redevelopment.
Inductees
External links
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