Meet Our Inductees
After months of deliberating, weighing and measuring resumes and carefully considering each name from a master list of over 60, we have selected the 10 finalists under consideration for enshrinement for the inaugural class.
These names represent the very best; the legends that laid the foundation upon which the house of modern recreation rests. This class, which will be used as the measuring stick by which all future classes are measured, represents legends from a bygone era. As such, this first class will be known as the 'Legacy Class'.
The Maine Outdoor Hall of Fame proudly announces the 10 finalists under consideration for induction into the inaugural Hall of Fame class of 2027:
1. Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby
Cornelia Thurza Crosby, widely known as “Fly Rod,” was a pioneering Maine outdoorswoman, fishing enthusiast, writer, and promoter of the state's sporting heritage. Born in Phillips in 1854, Crosby developed a deep connection to Maine's woods and waters, particularly the Rangeley Lakes region, where she became an accomplished fly fisher and learned the traditions of the Maine woods. In her 40’s, she took to the writing desk where she authored the nationally syndicated column “Fly Rod’s Notebook”. She began attending trade shows, where she set up displays and promoted the vast recreational opportunities in Western Maine and beyond. She stumped for laws requiring guides to be licensed, and as such, became the first Registered Maine Guide in 1897. She was the last known person to have legally harvested one of Maine’s woodland Caribou just before the close of the season in 1897, was a known correspondent of Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill Cody, and is primarily responsible for the securing of funds, and erection of Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church in Oquossoc.
2. Wilmot “Wiggie” Robinson
A walking characterization of “Community Service”, Wiggie was heavily involved in the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, was the founder of the Maine Bird Dog Club, and founding member of the Millinocket Fin and Feather Club. He was a long time co-host of the radio show “Maine Outdoors” every Sunday evening, and was a writer and member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America and the New England Outdoor Writers Association. . His standing among outdoor professionals was recognized by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, which established the Legendary Maine Guide Award in his memory in 2009 to honor Registered Maine Guides who have demonstrated leadership within the state's outdoor community. Robinson died in 2007, but his name remains associated with the people and traditions that sustain Maine's outdoor culture.
3. Gene LeTourneau
Gene LeTourneau was one of Maine's most enduring outdoor writers, spending more than six decades chronicling the people, places, and experiences that defined the state's sporting traditions. Born in Waterville, he graduated from Waterville High School and Thomas College before beginning his newspaper career in central Maine. In 1930, he launched his celebrated “Sportsmen Say” column, which became a fixture of Maine outdoor journalism and continued for approximately 65 years. Through his writing, LeTourneau covered hunting, fishing, outdoor recreation, and the culture of Maine's sporting community, connecting generations of readers with the state's woods, waters, and outdoor way of life. He also authored several books, and his contributions were recognized by Colby College, which awarded him an honorary degree in 1976, and Thomas College, which followed in 1987. LeTourneau's remarkable career stands as a testament to the enduring role of outdoor journalism in documenting Maine's sporting heritage and passing its traditions from one generation to the next.
4. Percival Proctor Baxter
Percival Proctor Baxter was a Maine governor, philanthropist, and conservationist whose commitment to protecting the state's wild lands produced one of the most consequential conservation legacies in Maine history. A lifelong admirer of Maine's outdoors, Baxter developed an early appreciation for its forests, wildlife, and mountains. During his governorship from 1921 to 1924, and throughout the decades that followed, he pursued his vision of permanently protecting Katahdin and the surrounding wilderness. Beginning in 1930, Baxter personally acquired land for the park, including nearly 6,000 acres encompassing Katahdin, which he formally donated to the state in 1931 under conditions requiring the land to remain forever wild. He continued purchasing additional parcels over the following decades, making his final purchase in 1962. All told, through Baxter’s land contributions swelled the park to over 209,000 acres, making it the 6th largest state park in the United States. Baxter also donated the 29 acres that make up Baxter Woods in Portland. In 1943, he deeded Mackworth Island, including the causeway, and his summer home to the state of Maine, where it eventually became a state park.
5. Fred A. Goodwin
Fred A. Goodwin was a lifelong Maine woodsman, Registered Maine Guide, hunter, trapper, and collector whose name became inseparable from one of the state's most celebrated whitetail deer. Fred’s involvement in so many different things makes it nearly impossible to create a crude and short biography. Fred was a master photographer, and his photos were used in several outdoor related publications, he was considered the Godfather of antler collecting, and his inventory reached numbers north of 1300. Fred was a gunman, a particularly substantial fan of Winchester Arms, and dealt parts to every corner of the country. He was a longtime Registered Maine Guide and outfitter. Fred achieved national acclaim with his 1949 Silver Ridge Buck that remains atop the summit of Maine big game achievement.
6. Herbert L. Welch
Herbert L. Welch was an accomplished Maine guide, fly tier, artist, sculptor, and taxidermist whose influence extended far beyond the Rangeley Lakes region. Best known for creating the Black Ghost streamer fly in the late 1920s, he helped influence other great fishing innovators such as Carrie Stevens and David Footer.. Herb’s reputation as a Maine Guide was as solid as they come, and he guided for several prominent figures including Ted Williams, Herbert Hoover, and governor Enoch Lincoln. Welch was also celebrated for his taxidermy and artistic abilities and gained national recognition through public fly-casting demonstrations and appearances at major sporting venues.. Through his innovations in fly design and his work promoting Maine's fishing traditions, Welch secured a lasting place in the history of American fly fishing. His Black Ghost remains an enduring symbol of the ingenuity and craftsmanship associated with Maine's legendary fishing country.
7. George A. Smith
George A. Smith was a prominent Maine outdoorsman, author, columnist, and advocate whose decades of work helped shape public policy surrounding hunting, fishing, wildlife conservation, and outdoor recreation. A lifelong sportsman who grew up in Winthrop, Smith became executive director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine, serving in that role for 18 years and representing hunters and anglers before the Maine Legislature. His advocacy extended beyond individual sporting interests to initiatives supporting the state's natural resources, including his instrumental role in establishing the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund, which has directed substantial funding toward conservation and outdoor recreation projects. Smith was also a prolific communicator, writing for Maine newspapers and outdoor publications, hosting the television program Wildfire, and publishing books that captured the experiences and traditions of a life spent outdoors.. Smith's career demonstrated how effective advocacy, informed public debate, and a lifelong connection to the outdoors could contribute to the preservation of Maine's sporting heritage.
8. Carrie Gertrude Stevens
Carrie Gertrude Stevens was a pioneering Maine fly tier whose innovative streamer patterns earned her international recognition and secured her place among the most influential figures in American fly-fishing history. Born Carrie Gertrude Wills in Vienna, Maine, she later settled with her husband, fishing guide Wallace Stevens, in the Rangeley Lakes region. Noting her small hands, and being a milliner by trade, she was encouraged by her husband to start creating fly patterns in 1924. One of her early creations helped her land a remarkable 6-pound, 13-ounce brook trout at Upper Dam, and the resulting publicity brought orders for her flies from anglers around the country. Her work evolved into the celebrated Gray Ghost streamer, which became her signature pattern and one of the best-known flies associated with Maine fishing.. Her legacy endures through “Carrie Stevens Day”, as ordered by Governor Kenneth Curtis, which occurs on August 15th annually.
9. Dr. Alonzo Garcelon
Dr. Alonzo Garcelon was a Maine dentist, outdoor writer and advocate, firearms enthusiast, and founding member of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine. He was the great-grandson of his namesake who was a physician and governor of Maine in 1870. Garcelon graduated from Edward Little High School, and Colby College before attending McGill University’s Faculty of Dentistry. In 1943, he opened a dental practice in Augusta where he served the community for decades. He was founder and chairman of the Augusta Board of Health, member of the Kennebec Valley Dental Society, the Maine Dental Association, and Eastern Region of the American Association of Public Health Dentists. He became a hero to sportsmen for his dedication to the support of gun rights, and his advocacy at the state and federal level. He was a founding member and early leader of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine in 1975, was elected to the presidency of the National Rifle Association in April of 1985, where he served until his death in November that same year. His leadership earned him appointments to the Atlantic Salmon Commission, and the Hunter Safety Committee of the International Association of Game, Fish, and Conservation Commissioners, and served as the editor of Precision Shooting Magazine. His dedication to the outdoors earned him honorary lifetime memberships to the Hampden Rifle and Pistol Club, Waldo County Fish and Game Club, Knox County Fish and Game Club, and New Hampshire State Rifle and Pistol Association, among others.
10. Ralph “Bud” Leavitt
Ralph “Bud” Leavitt was a beloved Maine outdoor columnist and broadcaster whose work brought the state's sporting traditions into homes across Maine for nearly half a century. Born in Old Town in 1917, Leavitt built his reputation through his long-running outdoor column in the Bangor Daily News, which he wrote from 1948 until 1994. Through newspaper columns and broadcast television, he shared stories of hunting, fishing, and outdoor life with generations of readers and viewers, making the experiences and traditions of Maine sportsmen accessible to a broad public. From 1953 to 1973, he hosted The Bud Leavitt Show, an outdoor sports program that helped establish television as a means of sharing outdoor knowledge and culture. His work reflected a distinctly Maine approach to outdoor communication, grounded in firsthand experience, regional identity, and a deep appreciation for the state's woods and waters. Leavitt also played a major role in the introduction of many celebrities to Maine’s outdoors through his friendships with Ted Williams, Brooks Robison, and Curt Gowdy.
In the coming months, the selection committee will be narrowing this list further, and in late winter/early spring 2027, we will formally select 6 to comprise the inaugural Hall of Fame class. Please follow our Facebook page for the date of this announcement.
