2022 Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

On Saturday, July 9th the two new inductees into the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame were announced in Clinton, Oklahoma. It was a standing-room-only crowd at the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum at 2:00 PM when Ken Busby, Master of Ceremonies and Executive Director/CEO of the Route 66 Alliance, began the ceremony. Mayor David Berrong of Clinton spoke about how vital Route 66 is to the city’s identity and Trait Thompson (Executive Director of the Oklahoma Historical Society) praised the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum on their ongoing success and impact to the Route 66 corridor as a whole.

Above images courtesy of Shellee Graham

Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell spoke next, telling the crowd, “If you want to see America, you’ve got to see Oklahoma.” He marked Route 66 as one of the state’s most important historic assets and congratulated Clinton on seeing the potential as we work towards the Centennial in 2026. All of the speakers celebrated longtime museum director, Pat Smith, for her hard work and dedication.

Finally, the 2022 inductees were announced by Oklahoma Route 66 Association President Rhys Martin: Betty Wheatley of Afton and Allen Threatt, Sr. of Luther. Check out the videos below to hear why these two Oklahoma citizens were selected as the latest entries into the Hall of Fame:

At the end of the ceremony, photographer and historian Jerry McClanahan introduced his new photo exhibit at the museum, Route 66 Transitions. The exhibit showcases his photographs in the first decade of his work, from 1980 to 1990. It captures the road in a period of transition, from fading, forgotten federal highway to a focus of historic preservation.

Stop by the museum next time you are in Clinton to see the Hall of Fame wall and to check out Jerry’s great photography exhibit! Past winners of the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame are listed here.