Baking & Snack - February 2019 - 25

SPECIAL REPORT
2019 Baking Hall of Fame

the

The journey to the Hall of Fame

in the
The 2019 Baking Hall of Fame celebrates
the impact of three industry leaders.
by Karlee Renkoski

You can't know where you're going unless you understand where you've been.
Since the launch of the American
Society of Baking (ASB)'s Baking Hall
of Fame in 2006, this proverb has been
an underlying message of the induction. "The accomplishments of people
that are the in Hall of Fame provide
case studies and role models for us
to learn from," said John Del Campo,
chair of the ASB Baking Hall of Fame
Selection Committee.
This year, ASB will recognize three
leaders - Arthur Trausch Sr., Arthur
Trausch Jr., and Arlen Don Lummus
- who made a difference in the lives
of their coworkers, their families and
the industry. They will be inducted
into the Baking Hall of Fame at ASB's
BakingTech 2019, being held Feb. 24-26
in Chicago.
Father and son duo, Arthur Trausch
Sr. and Arthur Trausch Jr., left a legacy as owners at Trausch Baking Co.,
Dubuque, IA, which was eventually acquired by Heileman Brewing Co. Both
were involved in a variety of industry
organizations, and they paved the way
for many baking inventions by being
the first or top company to demonstrate them. Mr. Del Campo said he is

amazed at these two men's accomplishments, resilience during adversity, loyalty despite acquisitions and their inspiring stories of caring for employees.
As the former co-owner and CEO
of Stewart Systems, Inc. and its subsidiary, The Middleby-Marshall Oven
Co., Mr. Lummus was known for his
innovative vision of the development
and application of new technologies,
in addition to his integrity and hard
work. Mr. Del Campo's first memory
of this awardee was just after Mr. Del
Campo's father had passed away and
Mr. Lummus allowed his family bakery
to return the equipment it wasn't able
to afford. "A great kindness was done
by Don at the beginning of my career,
and it's exciting that now I get to recognize him at the late stages of my career,"
Mr. Del Campo said.
This year's honorees impacted the
industry through business and personal contributions, providing examples for the leaders of today. "And
that's what history is about, isn't it?"
Mr. Del Campo said. "We look at the
past and learn from it. In this case,
the past is the outstanding people and
their accomplishments that made our
industry great."

There's no question that American
Society of Baking's Baking Hall of
Fame honorees deserve recognition
for their achievements, but how are
these industry greats nominated in
the first place? John Del Campo,
chairman of the Baking Hall of
Fame Selection Committee, compared the process to the US Open
because it's truly open to anyone.
Before Sept. 1, nominators fill
out a form about the individual or
individuals they deem outstanding. This form includes six criteria:
the candidate's scope of recognition within the baking industry,
impact on the industry, references
to character, work history, baking education and involvement in
industry associations.
While some proposals are
lengthy with magazine articles,
photos and details of accomplishments, others consist of a
few pages with responses to the
criteria.
Each of the selection committee's
10 members reviews the submissions and sends in his or her votes
privately to prevent bias. From
there, the committee meets to
discuss which of the voted nominees should be in the Baking Hall
of Fame. "There's no set number
every year. It's a judgment call,"
Mr. Del Campo said. "This year,
there was a gap between the top
three and the remaining nominations, so we selected the three who
far exceeded the number of votes."
Mr. Del Campo encourages more
and more people to send in proposal forms for those they believe
deserve this recognition. "It takes
a bit of effort to do a nomination,
and to do a meaningful nomination a little more effort," he said.
"The selection committee enjoys
reading histories and getting to
know the stories of each person."

Baking & Snack - February 2019

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