After a controversial inductee last year, Missouri residents are being given the chance this year to nominate two of the next three inductees for the Hall of Famous Missourians.
House Speaker Tim Jones, a Republican from Eureka, says he made the decision to seek citizens' input, in part, to see if someone who's worthy of induction has been forgotten over time or overlooked.
"Missouri has been around since 1821 as an official state," Jones says. "Is there someone in our past that was maybe great back in their time, in the 1800's (or) early 1900's, who has been forgotten, who was truly great and should be an outstanding Missourian in the Hall?"
Missouri residents who want to suggest someone for the Hall have until September 13th to do so, and can submit their suggestions here.
"And then I intend to boil that down to a top 10 list," Jones says. "Then we'll have another round of voting and see if we can narrow it down to a couple of really significant choices."
In 2012, former House Speaker Steven Tilley, a Republican from Perryville, inducted conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh into the Hall of Famous Missourians, which generated lots of controversy and led to calls by Democrats for changes into how members of the Hall are selected. Jones says last year's uproar had nothing to do with his decision to seek public input.
The Speaker of the Missouri House has sole authority to induct people into the Hall of Famous Missourians.
