[VIDEO] National Corvette Museum Inducts the Class of 2022 into the Corvette Hall of Fame

Sep 9, 2022

2663

[VIDEO] National Corvette Museum Inducts Class of 2022 into the Corvette Hall of Fame

Photo Credit: Keith Cornett

During the 28th Anniversary Celebration for the National Corvette Museum, four individuals were inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame. Those honored in the Class of 2022 and representing enthusiasts, racing, and GM/Chevrolet were Elfi Arkus-Duntov, Gary Pratt and Jim Miller, and Ed Welburn.

This was the first real Hall of Fame Celebration since COVID and the NCM, under the leadership of CEO Sharon Brawner, pulled out all the stops to make this one of the best Museum events we’ve ever attended. The ceremony was moved to downtown Bowling Green where it was held at the Southern Kentucky Performance Arts Center. On the stage were three Corvettes representing each of the inductees: Zora’s 1974 Corvette, C8.R race car, and the 2020 Corvette Stingray.

Photo Credit: National Corvette Museum

Each of the inductees was honored with their own video showcasing their achievements, and then a speaker came out to introduce the inductees to the assembled crowd. The Corvette Museum has posted the full Hall of Fame Ceremony as well as the three individual inductee videos. We have all four embedded below.

Elfi Arkus-Duntov, The First Lady of Corvette
Enthusiast category inductee

Elfriede “Elfi” Wolff married Zora Arkus-Duntov in February of 1939 just before the outbreak of World War II. Throughout his career with Chevrolet as the Chief Engineer of Corvette, Elfi was a constant companion, impressing everyone with her grace, enthusiasm, and knowledge of Corvette. After his retirement in 1975, Zora and Elfi would attend many Corvette shows together, often sitting for hours to sign autographs. After his passing in 1996, she became a source and principal enabler behind the definitive biography of Zora’s life.

Fellow Hall of Fame member Werner Meier introduced Elfi while HoF member Jerry Burton accepted the award posthumously on her behalf. You can see her induction video here:

Gary Pratt & Jim Miller, Founders of Pratt & Miller Engineering
Racing category inductee

In 1989, race car builder Gary Pratt and successful businessman/visionary Jim Miller, joined forces to form Pratt & Miller Engineering. In 1996, Chevrolet would approach them about building and campaigning a factory-backed racing effort beginning with the C5 Corvette. Since their debut in 1999, Corvette Racing has added up eight Le Mans wins and 15 Championships, while working with the Corvette production team to advance the street car development through technology transfer. Their efforts have not only advanced the reputation of Corvette but created a worldwide fan base along the way.

Fellow Corvette Hall of Fame member Doug Fehan had the pleasure to introduce Gary Pratt and Jim Miller to the stage to receive their awards.

Ed Welburn, Retired VP, GM Global Design
GM-Chevrolet category inductee

Ed began working at GM in 1972 as an associate designer, and would rise through the ranks to become the first Global VP of Design ever, with a team of 2,500 people in design studios around the world. To foster a sense of teamwork and cooperation between studios, Ed invited all design staff worldwide to submit their ideas for the C7 Corvette. He held the bar high, encouraging his team to make a Corvette that could be called “Stingray” once again.

Ed was introduced to the stage by Corvette Hall of Fame member and fellow GM designer Tom Peters.

Following the ceremony, the theater’s atrium was transformed with food and drinks available while a string ensemble played music that filtered down into the crowd. Like many award shows you see on TV, this event had an NCM backdrop for taking photos, and we enjoyed the moment talking and mingling with the inductees, Corvette Museum members, and the special guests who attended. Those attending the celebration also received a commemorative coin with the likeness of the inductees on the reverse side.

The next day at the NCM, we spoke to several members who attended the HoF event, and like us, they were blown away by the pomp and circumstance of the induction ceremony. For those who have never attended a Corvette Hall of Fame event, make your plans for 2023, as this event is one you won’t want to miss.

Here is the full replay of the 2022 Corvette Hall of Fame induction ceremony courtesy of the NCM.

The National Corvette Museum’s Hall of Fame currently has 75 members who have been inducted. Each year a new slate of honorees is assembled for the three categories by the HoF committee and then voted on by over 100 members of the Corvette community.

Here are some of the photos we took during the ceremony: