The Russell County Kansas Hall of Fame (or RCHF) is administered by the not-for-profit Blue Hills Heritage Foundation, located in Lucas, Kansas. The Foundation was formed in September 2018 with its stated mission as being to “preserving, presenting, and promoting the heritage and culture of the community of Lucas as it impacts the county of Russell, the state of Kansas, the nation, and the world.”

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The RCHF was established in 2018 to celebrate notable people from Russell County’s past and present.  The Hall's official motto is: “Not Only the Famous but Those Who Should be Famous”. 

 

Each year inductees will be chosen in three categories: (a) Individuals, (b) Businesses, and (c) Organizations & Events. In its inaugural year a special 20 inductees were selected for induction. They spanned the breath of Russell County historically as well as geographically.  Detailed biographies concerning each inductee will be created and placed on the RCHF’s website as well as on various social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and elsewhere. An archive of material gathered for each Hall of Fame member’s biography will be maintained as future reference material accessible by the public on each Hall of Fame member.  

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A list of potential inductees is kept and regularly updated by the Blue Hills Heritage Foundation.  A committee of current and former Russell County citizens is asked to vote on and select new honorees.

The public is invited to contact the Foundation via our Contact Us page and suggest potential nominees.   

 

A stated goal of the Foundation is to eventually have a physical Hall of Fame Museum as a permanent tourist attraction in Lucas to draw more visitors into the city and county. The Foundation also maintains the Kansas Film & TV Hall of Fame.

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Why a Russell County Kansas Hall of Fame?  Here are six reasons as to why:

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• The RCHF puts Russell County and her 147-year history squarely in focus. The Hall will present the county long term to the entire world in a modern fashion via social media, displaying through the various inductees’ stories in microcosm who and what Russell County is, along with the positive benefits Russell County embodies for all in doing business and raising a family.

• The Hall will celebrate notable Russell County people who are not only famous but should be famous on a national scale not utilized before in the county.

• It allows Russell County cities, communities and townships to discover and exhibit local pride in who they are and what they accomplish on a daily basis.

• The Hall can be utilized to educate our youth on their amazing local heritage and to encourage them to stay in the county and work to build an even better future for the county.

• Such a Hall exposes more people worldwide via online to Lucas and Russell County so that they become even more aware of Mother Bickerdyke, Bob Dole’s birthplace, Samuel Dinsmoor’s resting place, etc. The Hall will long term provide opportunities to expand economic development through tourism, and make Lucas and Russell County their tourism destination to discover more about those fascinating aspects of Russell County’s heritage they have learned about.

• It invites the families of RCHF inductees to renew their ties to Russell County and view potential economic development opportunities they discover while doing so.

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GUIDELINES FOR INDUCTION, RUSSELL COUNTY KANSAS HALL OF FAME:

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1. Five (5) individuals, one (1) business, and one (1) event/organization each year.

2. Inductees must either have been born in Russell County or have lived in Russell County a reasonable amount of time.

3. Inductees can be either living or dead. Preferably all living people have retired or have reached retirement age, in order to fairly assess their lifetime accomplishments. A person may be also declared eligible for Hall induction by special dispensation by the BHHF Board of Trustees.

4. To warrant consideration a person has to have accomplished the following:

   1. given outstanding service to their community and to Russell County, or service on a regional, statewide, national, or international scale

   2. performed a feat in their field of expertise that has garnered them (and through them, Russell County) special significance

   3. achieved recognition or notoriety through long-term association with a particular occupation

5. Singular inductee selections are preferred, except in rare cases where two individuals either helped each other or followed in each other’s footsteps in such a way that their stories are tightly intertwined. These can then be listed for potential induction together.

6. Impartiality and an open mind are mandatory during selection.  Be it a politician, teacher, farmer, hairdresser, ditchdigger, whatever—if they have fulfilled the Hall’s criteria for induction, then they are to be considered. 

7. The announcement of new inductees will be held on the first Thursday in November of each year, on social media and news media. The completed biographies will then be permanently posted on the Hall of Fame’s website.

8.  Future plans include a physical RCHF to properly honor all those inducted.