D. G. Van Clief, Josh Pons Named Hall of Fame Committee Chairs

[Wandering Eyes]

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame has revealed that D. G. Van Clief and Josh Pons have been named to the Hall of Fame committee as chairs of the Contemporary Nominating Committee and the Pillars of the Turf Committee, respectively.

With the new Hall of Fame committee chairs in place, Museum leadership is reportedly beginning an evaluation of the overall nomination and election process, including a review of the contemporary Hall of Fame voting panel. The current procedures may be found here.

Van Clief, who previously served as chair of the Pillars of the Turf Committee, succeeds the late Edward L. Bowen as chair of the nominating committee and has served the sport in a variety of capacities for decades. Bowen held the chair position from 1987 through 2024 before passing away in January.

“I am honored to assume duties as Hall of Fame Nominating Committee Chair and look forward to working closely with fellow Committee Members, National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Chair Charlotte Weber, our Trustees, and the management team to ensure the results of our process embodies complete integrity, stands the test of time, and reflects well on our historic sport,” Van Clief said.

“Former Committee Chair Ed Bowen was the consummate racing historian and is greatly missed, but I am fortunate to be joining a committee which possesses such a high degree of knowledge and expertise. I am confident this will be an enjoyable challenge.”

Pons is a third-generation Maryland horseman who owns and operates Country Life Farm and Merryland Farm with his brother, Mike Pons. He has served on the Pillars of the Turf committee for the past two years and is a Museum advisory trustee as well as being a two-time Eclipse Award-winning writer, among many other accolades.

“The process of selecting inductees annually through the Pillars of the Turf category begins with the Hall of Fame mission statement–'to honor the sport's most accomplished participants,'” Pons said. “The roster of worthy participants is rich and lengthy. I anticipate that my role will be to provide context to the nominees' history. Then it's a juried committee selection. I look forward to the process and working with the committee.”

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