In March 2023 the Taxidermy Hall of Fame board of directors met in Cypress, Texas during which it accepted and approved eight nominations for consideration of being voted into the THOF. After a screening vote by the eighteen-member selection committee, there were two historical nominees: Will Richard and Jane Catharine Tost. Contemporary nominees are those who established their stature around and after 1973. After the initial screening vote, the contemporary nominees were: Henry Aguilar, Rod Connelly, Stefan Savides, Rodney Schreurs, Jan Van Hoesen and Fred Vanderburgh.
The final voting by the nine-member executive committee took place in May and the results were announced in June 2023 at the Texas Taxidermy Association convention. The two historical inductees were Will Richard and Jane Catharine Tost. The two contemporary inductees were Rod Connelly and Rodney Schreurs. The induction ceremony was held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at the annual National Taxidermists Association annual convention on July 22, 2023.
The Chairman of the Taxidermy Hall of Fame, Larry Blomquist of Louisiana, started the program off by thanking the National Taxidermists Association for this venue and time to honor and induct the 2023 newly elected members of the Taxidermy Hall of Fame.
Jane Catharine Tost
Larry Blomquist introduced our first historical inductee, Jane Catharine Tost of Australia. Born into the famous Ward family in 1817 in England, Jane Ward moved to Australia where her remarkable taxidermy skills, combined with her talent for industry and business acumen, combined to make her not only the first successful female taxidermist down under, but one of the most successful taxidermists on the entire continent.
Jane Tost blazed a path for many working women to come. Jane Tost died on 24 April 1889, and was buried in the Church of England section of Rookwood cemetery in Sydney, Australia. Two sons and a daughter survived her. Ada and her family carried on with Jane’s life work until the bookseller James Tyrell bought out the business in 1923.
Gary Pegg, an Australian World Champion taxidermist graciously provided a videotaped acceptance speech for this honor:
Will Richard
THOF Board of Director Ken Edwards of Georgia came on stage to introduce the next historical inductee, Will Richard, an amazingly talented naturalist, artist and taxidermist whose larger-than-life accomplishments spanned the 19th and 20th centuries. Born in Vermont in 1876, he was a hired as a taxidermist at age 19 at the New York State Museum in Albany, where he replaced the entire state museum collection with his own work, working alongside taxidermy Hall of Famer James L. Clark. Many of his mounts from 125 years ago are still on display.
In 1906 he moved to Cody, Wyoming and opened the Cody Museum and Taxidermy Shop. His clients included President Theodore Roosevelt and William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, as well as other luminaries. In order to study animals in their natural habitat, he became an avid hunter and fisherman, traveling the world to further his craft. He even acted in silent movies in the 1920s.
His talents also included painting, writing, sculpting and studying animal behavior and anatomy. He operated his successful business for nearly 50 years, retiring in 1952. Until his death in 1971, he continued to pursue art and taxidermy for pleasure, as well as generous community involvement.
To accept his induction, we welcomed Robyn Cutter, a historical archivist with Park County archives in Cody, Wyoming. She gave an eloquent and informative speech on the life and contributions of Will Richard. She accepted his plaque to be prominently displayed in the Cody Museum.
Rod Connelly
Larry Blomquist introduced our first contemporary inductee, Rod Connelly of Pennsylvania, who died in 2021. Rod’s many accomplishments included pioneering freeze-drying techniques, founding member and long-time president of the PTA, former director of the Taxidermy Hall of Fame, and master taxidermist. His taxidermy work was highly respected and he served as a judge at many state and national competitions, and the World Taxidermy Championships®. Rod always was willing to teach and train anyone who desired to advance their techniques and trade knowledge and served as an instructor at many shows at his own expense.
Rod’s son, John Connelly, accepted his induction with a high-spirited speech featuring entertaining stories from Rod’s eventful life. His immediate family, including his widow Ella, were in attendance and accepted his plaque of honor.
Rodney Schreurs
THOF Board of Director Ken Edwards of Georgia came on stage to introduce the next inductee, Rodney Schreurs of Wisconsin. Rodney won his first two gold medallions at the 1997 World Championships with an open-mouth possum raiding a duck nest. He won Best in World Lifesize Mammal and Judge’s Choice Best of Show, as well as People’s Choice Best of Show.
Over the next twenty two years, he went on to collect seven more Best in World Titles and eight more gold medallions utilizing subjects that were less mainstream that most competitors. Of his World Titles, four have come in different categories and he has accomplished every Best in World title with a difference species, a staggering accomplishment that may never be eclipsed.
Many years ago he set a personal milestone to reach ten World Taxidermy Championship gold medallions. He realized this dream at the World Championships in 2019, when he won his eighth Best in World gold medallion and his tenth overall gold, which placed him at the top of the all-time list. (With a spotted salamander).
He has been a judge, seminar instructor and as brought innovation to the industry; expanding the vision of what many taxidermists thought was possible.
His daughter Rhonda Schreurs and Mike Nakielski came to the stage to present more interesting stories from his life.
Finally, Rodney too the stage to accept his plaque and induction into the Taxidermy Hall of Fame.
Will Richard, Jane Catharine Tost, Rod Connelly and Rodney Schreurs are now part of a special group, joining the other 51 existing Taxidermy Hall of Fame inductees for all time. They were presented with a plaque which read in part, “In recognition of a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the taxidermy industry and significant achievements in advancing the art.”
