The Derby Hall of Fame is made up of Derby natives and residents who have helped to shape the course of history through their achievements at the local, state, national or international level. Each of these individuals selected was either born in Derby or lived here at some point in his/her life. Living individuals are not eligible for selection. You can nominate someone anytime by clicking here to send an e-mail. Please make sure that you provide biographical information about the person that you are nominating and not just a name. Nominations are kept on file for three years. Derby Announces Class of 2023
The 17th anniversary class for the Derby Hall of Fame chosen by the Hall of Fame Committee brings the number of Hall members to 64. The official announcement of the new class each year coincides with Derby's birthday on May 13. Each of the members is memorialized with a brick on the plaza at the entrance to the Derby Greenway. In announcing the 2023 class, Mayor Dziekan said, “As the city begins to plan for its 350th birthday in two years, it's fitting that we honor two of the great chroniclers of Derby history and a woman who was an incredible trail blazer in making history for herself and for Derby." He praised the work of Samuel Orcutt and Leo T. Molloy whose writings captured the history or the city from the Colonial and Revolutionary periods right through to the 1930s. Mary Portis broke new ground as the first Afro-American female Boy Scout executive in the entire country when she became the head of the Housatonic Council Boy Scouts of America in 1990. Click here to learn more about the Class of 2023. In 2015 the Derby High School Athletic Hall of Fame was started, and you can learn more about that here. Two members of the City Hall of Fame were also in the inaugural class of the High School Athletic Hall.
The initial class of eleven individuals was inducted into the Hall of Fame on September 1, 2007. Click here for the story. Click the year to read more about each: 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 |