Betty Skelton 

Corvette Museum Proudly Announces Betty Skelton Frankman, As First Woman To Be Inducted Into Prestigious Corvette Hall Of Fame

Bowling Green, KY - The National Corvette Museum recently announced the three inductees selected for the prestigious 2001 Corvette Hall of Fame. Noted as one of the highlights of the Corvette Celebration held each year at the Museum, this year's Hall of Fame features a "first-ever" with the induction of Betty Skelton (Frankman), the first woman to take a place in the Corvette famed group. This unique award recognizes those people who have made significant contributions to their respective fields, each having reached the highest level of accomplishment. The National Corvette Museum established the Corvette Hall of Fame in 1998. 

Corvette Hall of Fame Inductee, Betty Skelton (Frankman), frequently referred to as the "first lady of firsts", worked side-by-side with some of the biggest names in Corvette, and established unbelievable records of her own in racing, aviation and automotive history. The first woman to be inducted in to the Corvette Hall of Fame was also the first woman in the world to drive racing cars to new records through the famous NASCAR measured mile on the sands of Daytona Beach. Skelton established records for Chevrolet behind the wheel of the Corvette, and appeared at major auto shows, as well as in national ads and TV commercials. 

Working as the first woman technical narrator for GM at major shows, Skelton attended and participated in many major races where Corvettes were showcased. She was on the committee that originated the "Corvette News" currently "Corvette Quarterly", and worked as the agency's editor for many years. Harley Earl at the GM Tech Center along with Bill Mitchell, designed a special Corvette for Betty in 1956-57. Skelton drove the translucent gold Corvette to Daytona for Speed Week and then paced all the NASCAR races with it in 1957.  

In 1959, she was invited by NASA to become the first woman to undergo physical and psychological testing for the first seven astronauts, and was directly involved with arranging America's first astronauts to become Corvette Owners. Her list of accomplishments span from honors at many Hall of Fames and Museums throughout the United States, to the recipient of record breaking honors in world land speed, stock car endurance, and the stock car flying mile record. Betty Skelton was considered the Official Spokeswoman for Chevrolet.

Past inductees to the Corvette Hall of Fame include Zora Arkus-Duntov, Ed Cole, Dick Guldstrand, Dave McLellan and other legendary Corvette history contributors. Gibson Hufstader and Joe Spielman will also be inducted at this year's banquet, and each will personally accept the honor at the Fourth Annual Corvette Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony, hosted by the National Corvette Museum at the Bowling Green/Warren County Convention Center on August 31st, 2001.

The National Corvette Museum is a non-profit foundation dedicated to educating the public through the preservation of the Corvette's past, present and future heritage. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT the Museum is located at Exit 28 on I-65 in Bowling Green, KY.

For more information on the Corvette Hall of Fame call (800) 53-VETTE, or visit our website at: http://www.corvettemuseum.com
Bobbie Jo Lee - bobbiejo@corvettemuseum.com