Bylaws

Mission Statement of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame:

“The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame is dedicated to celebrating, promoting and preserving the sport of bass fishing.”

ARTICLE I Directors

Section 1.1 Board of Directors: The Board of Directors (hereinafter, “Board”) shall have the power to manage and administer the business and affairs of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame (hereinafter, “Hall” or “Hall of Fame”) except as specifically limited by law, these Bylaws or by the Hall of Fame’s Articles of Incorporation. All corporate powers of the Hall of Fame shall be vested in and may be exercised by said Board.

Section 1.2 Number: The Board shall consist of not less than fifteen (15) nor more than twenty five (25) Directors.

Section 1.3 Proxies: Directors may vote at any meeting by proxy except in the election of inductees into the Hall of Fame. A proxy may be given to another Director by email, with a copy of the email submitted to the Executive Director and the President. Proxies shall be valid only for one meeting, to be specified therein, and invalid after adjournment of such meeting. Proxies shall be noted in the records of the meeting.

Section 1.4 Quorum: A majority of the Directors present or represented by proxy shall constitute a quorum at any meeting. If a quorum exists, a majority of the total votes cast by present Directors and by proxy shall decide every question or matter submitted to or by the Directors at any meeting.

Section 1.5 Director Eligibility: The Board recognizes the need for an orderly and balanced plan of retirement and replacement of its Directors. The following policy is established to govern addition to and retirement from the Board.

  1. Directors are elected for a three-year term, at the end of which Directors may be eligible for re-election if the Board determines the Director meets the necessary and appropriate criteria. Expiration of terms of individual Directors shall be staggered as determined by the Board to be in the best interest of the Hall of Fame.
  2. In the event the Board determines by majority vote that there are sufficient vacancies on the Board to justify doing so, it may at any meeting elect an interim Director to take the place of a Director who has left or will be leaving the Board. Such Director would serve for a term to be designated by the Board not to exceed the unexpired portion of the term of the Director replaced. This does not preclude such interim Board Director being subsequently elected to the Board following the otherwise-applicable process for adding new Directors.
  3. Prospective Directors must have demonstrated support of and interest in the objectives that govern the Hall of Fame and must demonstrate a willingness to contribute their time and unique gifts to the work of the Board. The Nominations Committee shall maintain a file of recommended persons. The written nomination should include a brief biographical sketch and must be submitted to the Nominations Committee no later than a date to be publicly specified by the Board to be considered for that year. The nominations shall be compiled and reviewed by the Nominations Committee and presented to the Directors at a subsequent meeting. A majority vote of those present or voting by proxy must approve, and the new Director(s) will begin service on a date to be determined by the Board.
  4. No Director shall receive or lawfully be entitled to receive any salary or remuneration except the Executive Director for services connected with the administration of the affairs of this organization whose compensation will be set by the Board. Reasonable travel, room, and meal expenses incurred by a director may be reimbursed when authorized by the Board.
  5. Removal From the Board
  6. Any Director who has missed three consecutive meetings without furnishing the Hall of Fame Officers an explanation for such absences prior to the third meeting will automatically be removed from the Board.
  7. It is expected of Directors that they conduct themselves in such a way that reflects favorably on the Hall of Fame as an institution. Any Officer or Director elected or appointed by the Board may be removed by the Board by majority vote whenever in the Board’s judgment the best interest of the Hall of Fame would be served thereby. The Executive Committee shall first review any such instance, and make appropriate recommendations to the Board.
  • Any Director who loses his or her position on the Board may only be reinstated by a majority vote of the Board after having been resubmitted for membership by a Director.

ARTICLE II Officers and Employees

Section 2.1 Officers   The officers of this organization shall be the President, two Vice-Presidents, a Secretary and a Treasurer, who shall each serve a term of two years. At the end of each calendar year, the Nominations Committee shall nominate Directors to fill each office that is expiring that year. Officers shall be elected by a majority vote of Directors present. Those selected to officer positions shall take office at the beginning of the following year.

Section 2.2 President   The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board. The President shall appoint all committees and all committee chairs, with the advice and consent of the Vice Presidents. The President shall be an ex officio member of all committees except the Executive Committee, of which the President shall serve as Chair.

Section 2.3 Vice Presidents   The Vice Presidents shall be Directors of the Board. In the President’s absence or in the event of the President’s inability to act, the Board shall appoint one of the two Vice Presidents to perform the duties of the President. They shall also perform such other functions as the Board may from time to time assign.

Section 2.4 Treasurer The Treasurer shall be a Director of the Board. The Treasurer shall collect all membership dues and shall have the care and custody of the funds and property of the Hall of Fame, which shall be disbursed by the Treasurer only upon the order of the Board. The Treasurer shall submit a report for the preceding year at the annual meeting of the Board and shall render special reports whenever asked to do so by the Board. The Treasurer shall deposit all funds in the account of the Hall of Fame in such bank or banks as may be designated by the Board. Any or all of these duties may be delegated, temporarily or permanently, to the Executive Director, as appropriate.

Section 2.5 Secretary   The Secretary shall be a Director of the Board and shall be custodian of the records, keep the roll of the Directors and discharge such other duties as may be assigned to the Secretary by the Board or the President. The offices of Secretary and Treasurer may be occupied by the same person who shall be a Director of the Board. Any or all of these duties may be delegated, temporarily or permanently, to the Executive Director, as appropriate.

Section 2.6 Administrative Secretary(ies)  The Administrative Secretary(ies), if needed, may be a contractor or contractors hired by the Board to perform duties as may be assigned by the Board or the President.

Section 2.7 Vacancies   Should any vacancy of an office occur by death, resignation, or for any other reason, the office shall be filled without undue delay by the Board of Directors.

Section 2.8 Executive Director   The Executive Director, if required, shall be a Director and a contractor of the organization. This position shall be hired by the Board to develop and implement the organization’s business plan. The Executive Director shall report to the President. The Executive Director shall be an ex officio member of all committees except the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE III Committees of the Board

Section 3.1 Executive Committee: The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers of the Hall of Fame and any other Directors the President may choose to appoint, with the advice and consent of the Vice Presidents. The Executive Committee shall appoint members of all standing committees of the Hall of Fame Board. The Executive Committee may be assigned additional duties and authority by majority vote of the Board. Officers of the Board shall not serve in a single Officer position for more than two consecutive two-year terms, for a total of four years consecutively, except when approved by a majority of the Board.

Section 3.2 Nominations Committee: The Nominations Committee shall consist of not less than three Directors and shall serve at the appointment of the President, with the advice and consent of the Vice Presidents. It shall be the duty of this committee to:

  1. Recommend candidates for Officers of the Board whenever offices become vacant or when terms expire.
  2. Oversee the nomination of potential inductees to the Hall of Fame, to include the selection of not less than 10 nor more than 25 candidates for induction into the Hall of Fame from the master list of nominees.
  3. Send the condensed list of nominees to the Selection Panel for voting.
  4. Receive and tally the votes from the Selection Panel and then submit the results to the Board for ratification.
  5. Recommend to the Board names of those persons whom they deem meet the criteria for special recognition other than, or in addition to, induction into the Hall of Fame.

Section 3.3 Outreach Committee: The Outreach Committee shall consist of not less than three Directors and shall serve at the appointment of the President with the advice and consent of the Vice Presidents. It shall be the duty of this committee to:

  1. Work with the Executive Committee on all printed and electronic communications, to include publicity for the annual banquet, a program for the banquet, newsletters, press releases and other efforts deemed appropriate by the Board.
  2. Provide the Board with recommendations on membership, when appropriate, to include dues, benefits and ways to increase membership.

Section 3.4 Arrangements Committee: The Arrangements Committee shall consist of not less than three Directors and shall serve at the appointment of the President with the advice and consent of the Vice Presidents. It shall be the duty of this committee to:

  1. Provide assistance in arrangements for the annual banquet d for the purpose of honoring inductees into the Hall of Fame.
  2. Provide assistance in arrangements for receptions at other events consistent with the mission of the Hall of Fame 

Section 3.5  Development Committee: The Development Committee shall consist of not less than three Directors and shall serve at the appointment of the President with the advice and consent of the Vice Presidents. It shall be the duty of this committee to:

  1. Participate in the long range financial planning process for the Hall of Fame.
  2. Oversee all fundraising efforts necessary for the Hall’s operation.
  3. Develop and evaluate all contracts and agreements with outside entities engaged by the Hall for necessary Hall activities.

Section 3.6 Rules Committee: The Rules Committee shall consist of not less than three Directors and shall serve at the appointment of the President with the advice and consent of the Vice Presidents. It shall be the duty of this committee to:

  1. Conduct periodic reviews of these bylaws and make appropriate recommendations on all proposals to amend such bylaws.
  2. Provide guidance to the Board on the history and proper interpretation of these bylaws to ensure that all Board actions are consistent with the Hall’s mission and operating documents.

Section 3.7  Facilities and Preservation Committee: The Facilities and Preservation Committee shall consist of not less than three Directors and shall serve at the appointment of the President with the advice and consent of the Vice Presidents. It shall be the duty of this committee to:

  1. Coordinate with the Wonders of Wildlife staff and other interested parties on all matters relating to the Hall’s artifacts and exhibits at the Wonders of Wildlife museum.
  2. Engage in other activities deemed by the Board necessary to fulfill the mission of preserving the history of the sport of bass fishing.

Section 3.8  Conservation and Education Committee: The Conservation and Education Committee shall consist of not less than three Directors and shall serve at the appointment of the President with the advice and consent of the Vice Presidents. It shall be the duty of this committee to:

  1. Assess and make recommendations to the Board concerning grants, scholarships and other endeavors necessary to fulfill the Hall’s conservation objectives.
  2. Develop plans and materials, as deemed appropriate by the Board, aimed at educating interested parties about matters pertinent to the Hall’s mission and efforts.

Section 3.9 Other Committees: The President, with the advice and consent of the Vice Presidents, may appoint from time to time temporary committees for such purpose and with such powers as the Board may determine.

ARTICLE IV

Honorees

Section 4.1 Selection of Inductees: The Board shall have the responsibility for establishing and maintaining the procedure for election of the eligible candidates.

Section 4.2 Criteria to be Eligible for Induction: Induction into the Hall of Fame is open to outstanding individuals involved in the sport of bass fishing who have made a major impact on the sport of bass fishing, and have brought honor and credit to the sport of bass fishing.

Section 4.3 Procedures for Inductees: 

Step 1 Nominations

  1. Any interested party may nominate individuals to be considered for induction into the Hall of Fame. Nominations are to be submitted to the office of the Hall of Fame and must be accompanied by a resume and other biographical information that establishes the potential nominee’s qualifications.
  2. A master list of all candidates whose names have been submitted with resumes, and who have subsequently been vetted by the Board, shall be maintained at the office.
  3. Any name that has been on the master list for five years without being placed on the ballot shall be removed from the master list. Such lapsed candidates may subsequently be nominated.

Step 2   The Nominations Committee shall select not less than 10 nor more than 25 candidates from the master list. These nominees are then to be presented at a called Board meeting for ratification by the Board.  Should a Director be nominated for induction, said Director shall not participate in any part of the selection process.

Step 3   The Selection Panel shall review the list of nominees forwarded by the Nominations Committee.

  1. Each Selection Panel member and all living Hall of Fame inductees shall vote for five nominees, ranking each from 1 through 5 in descending order of preference (five points for top nominee, four for second highest, and so on).
  2. Should a member of the Selection Panel be nominated, he or she shall recuse himself or herself from voting, and the chair of the Nominations Committee shall vote in their place. If more than one Selection Panel member is on the ballot, the Nominations Committee will choose a member of the Nominations Committee to take the place of each Selection Panel member who is on the ballot.
  3. Each Selection Panel member and all living Hall of Fame inductees will submit his or her completed ballot to the Hall of Fame office, where votes will be tabulated and scored. Ballots must include votes for five nominees in order to be counted.
  4. Selection Panel voting shall be anonymized before the results are presented back to the Board.

Step 4  The names of all candidates along with the number of points each received shall be presented to the Board at a meeting on the earliest possible date. Only the top five nominees as determined by the point rankings shall be considered by the Board, except where a tie in points causes the number to exceed five. The Board may select any or all of the top five vote-getters for induction.

Section 4.4 Procedures for selection of special recognition: Persons the Board deems to have made a significant contribution to the sport of bass fishing or to the Hall of Fame may be provided with special recognition. Candidates shall be nominated by the Nominations Committee and approved by a majority vote of Directors in attendance at a called meeting. The awards may be presented at any function of the Hall of Fame, including the Induction Banquet.

  1. The Ray Murski Lifetime Achievement Award — The Ray Murski Lifetime Achievement Award is for individuals chosen by the Board of Directors who have made exceptional contributions to the sport of bass fishing over their lifetime in such a way as to have fundamentally changed the sport of bass fishing.
  2. Meritorious Service Award — The Meritorious Service Award is presented to individuals involved in the sport of bass fishing who have made a major impact on the sport of bass fishing and who have brought honor and credit to the sport of bass fishing.

ARTICLE V

Amendment

Section 5.1 Inspection: A copy of the bylaws, with all amendments thereto, shall at all times be kept in the office of the Hall of Fame and shall be posted in current form on the Hall of Fame’s official website for inspection by the Board and by the public.

 Section 5.2 Amendments: These Bylaws may be amended, altered or repealed upon vote of a majority of the Board at any duly called meeting of the Board where a quorum of the Board is represented in person or proxy, provided ten (10) days notice of the meeting and the proposed amendment, alteration or repeal have been emailed to each Director.

Section 5.3 Bylaws: All bylaws and amendments heretofore adopted are repealed and superseded in entirety, and these bylaws shall be and become the bylaws of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame from and after their adoption by the Board.

Updated 12/20/23