History

The creation of Huntington County Honors began in 2014 with the goal of recognizing individuals from all walks of life who have impacted the community directly, or who have their roots in Huntington County and have made a lasting mark in their chosen field away from their hometown. The plan was to honor those individuals and their achievements, and to hold them up as sources of pride for the community. Huntington County Honors also wanted to educate the public on the significance of the efforts of the individuals being honored, and how those efforts have contributed to the betterment of life in Huntington County and beyond.

Joe Santa, a Huntington native and former athletic director at Huntington North High School, initiated the idea of the organization, and was joined by local attorney Joe Wiley, local physician David Carnes, and two former editors from the Huntington Herald-Press in Mike Perkins and Paul Siegfried. The newly-formed Huntington County Honors reached out to other community leaders to build an initial list of possible nominees for the inaugural class, and from that list, the first group of 25 inductees was chosen.

Inductees represent five different categories — historical, community and public service, business and professional, humanities and cultural, and athletics and recreation. Candidates must have made a lasting contribution to the betterment of Huntington County, or brought recognition to the community through their actions or achievements.

By 2016, Huntington County Honors was ready to introduce its first class of 25 honorees to the community with a public ceremony on October 22 in the rotunda of the Huntington County Courthouse. The recognition program takes place during the time of celebration of Indiana’s Bicentennial, a time when all communities are embracing 200 years of the state’s history.