ITHACA, New York—The Cornell Hotel Society Hall of Fame Nomination/Selection Committee announced the 2023 honorees to enter the Cornell Hotelie Hall of Fame. The honorees will be celebrated during Hotelie Super Sunday on November 12, 2023, at The Pierre in New York City.
The Hall of Fame inductees for 2023 are:
- James W. McLamore ’47
- John Harney ’56
- Harris Rosen ’61
- Burton “Skip” Sack ’61
- Annabella Santos Wisniewski ’65
- Steve Rushmore ’67
- James J. Eyster ’69
- Leland C. “Lee” Pillsbury ’69
- Cindy Estis Green ’79
- Chiaki Tanuma MPS ’80
- Evan Frazier ‘92
Additionally, Karim Abouelnaga ’13 has been selected to receive this year’s Rising Star award, recognizing early Hotelie successes.
Created with the vision and leadership of Ted Teng ‘79 and coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the founding of what is now known as the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration, the Hall of Fame event recognizes alumni of the School of Hotel Administration who have distinguished themselves in the industry. The affair recognizes honorees from across the 100 years of Hotelie history.
The mission of the Cornell Hotelie Hall of Fame is to:
- Celebrate Cornell Hotelie successes
- Build a library of inspirational stories for applicants, students, faculty, and alumni
- Hold an annual reunion of Hotelies to share the fellowship of Hotelie for Life
- Fortify the school’s brand in the industry by featuring Hotelie successes
The Nomination/Selection Committee is responsible for choosing the inductees annually and is comprised of Hotelies from different generations, geographic regions, and segments of the industry. The criteria for nomination/selection are:
- Contribution to the hospitality industry
- Contribution to the community
- Contribution to the Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration
“The committee has chosen a very special class of 11 inductees representing many aspects of Hotelie successes,” said Jeff Scott, MPS ‘91 and current president of the global Cornell Hotel Society.
Committee Chair Ted Teng noted, “While we didn’t start out with a theme for this class, as we selected the inductees, the theme of ‘Game Changers’ emerged. These Hotelies didn’t just play the game better than others, they literally changed the game for the industry.”
“Thanks to the generosity of hundreds of Hotelies who solicited and donated prizes or bid and won the prizes, we raised over $100,000 for CHS last year,” Teng added. “We will again be running an auction along with the Hall of Fame program and currently are accepting auction prize donations.”
