Seven inducted into third annual Spokane Citizen Hall of Fame

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

As reported in The Spokesman Review

(Photo by Sean Girard: Rich Hadley, the former president and CEO of Greater Spokane Incorporated for over 20 years, accepts the Elson S. Floyd Community Impact Award at the Spokane Citizen Hall of Fame breakfast on Tuesday)

For the third time since its inception in 2015, the Spokane Citizen Hall of Fame welcomed a new batch of inductees during its awards ceremony in the Davenport Hotel on Tuesday morning.

The Spokane Citizen Hall of Fame, sponsored by the library foundation and the city of Spokane, recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the city of Spokane. The honorees in six categories are:

  • David Dutton and Moritz Kundig, in the category of Arts and Letters. Dutton is the founder of various musical organizations in Spokane, including the Connoisseur Concerts and Allegro Baroque and Beyond. He is an adjunct professor at Whitworth University. Kundig is an architect known for bringing his modernist style to Spokane. He helped develop the Spokane Civic Theatre and worked on renovating City Hall.
  • Betsy Cowles, in the category of Economic Development and Business. Cowles is chairman of the Cowles Co., which owns The Spokesman-Review. She directs the broadcasting, insurance and real estate divisions.
  • Jim Sheehan, in the category of Public Service and Philanthropy. Sheehan is credited with having a large role in the development of Main Avenue’s east end in downtown Spokane. He founded Saranac LLC, which owns the Community Building, Main Market Co-op and the Saranac Commons along Main.
  • Tom Armitage, in the category of Education. Since 1979, Armitage has been an educator at North Central High School, where he has directed more than 70 plays in the school’s theater department. He also holds an “etiquette con” each year, where he teaches teenagers appropriate behavior at events.
  • Paul Redmond, in the category of Innovation and Leadership. Redmond was the president, chairman and CEO of Avista Utilities for 13 years until his retirement in 1998. He also served 21 years in the Washington Air National Guard and became the commander of the radar control squadron.
  • Dr. George Schneider, in the category of Science, Health and Medicine. Schneider is a member of the Washington Health Services Commission, where he oversaw the implementation of the Washington Health Services Act of 1993. He also founded Pathology Associates, now Incyte Diagnostics, in Spokane.

“We are honored to celebrate the people in our community who go above and beyond their work each day to make Spokane a better place to live and work,” Sarah Bain, director of development for the Spokane Public Library Foundation, said in a library news release. “By honoring them, we are giving every citizen an opportunity to continue to strive for excellence.”

The inductees join more than 30 notable past and present citizens of Spokane, including actor and musician Bing Crosby and author Jess Walter.

Rich Hadley, the former president and CEO of Greater Spokane Incorporated for over 20 years, was presented with the second Elson S. Floyd Community Impact Award. Elson Floyd, the late president of Washington State University for whom the award is named, was the recipient of last year’s award.

Four historic individuals were also honored and inducted: Ned Barnes (1936-2011); Sister Peter Claver (1916-1991); Kirtland Cutter (1860-1939); and Aubrey Lee White (1869-1948).