ADCI Hall of Fame Recipients 2005-2024 (1978-2024)

Since 2005, ADCI has inducted selected nominees into the Commercial Diving Hall of Fame. These individuals, who hail from diverse walks of life, represent men and women who have, throughout their lifetimes, made exceptional, recognised and lasting contributions to the global commercial diving industry.

In 2004, the ADCI Board of Directors made a landmark decision to permanently establish the Hall of Fame, a platform that celebrates and honours individuals in the commercial diving industry for excellence. The inaugural group of inductees were historical giants who had previously, between 1978 and 2003, received either the John B. Galletti Memorial Award (established in 1978) or the Tom Devine Memorial Award (established in 1995). This pioneering group of thirty-three individuals set the bar and stage for the subsequent forty-nine recipients, who, since 2004 up until and including 2024, have been acknowledged for their dedication and exceptional contributions in their fields.

Recently, the number of nominees forwarded to the selection committee has slowed. This decline may be due to a lack of understanding of what the Commercial Diving Hall of Fame represents or simply because individual persons’ contributions become less apparent as the diving community expands. Or, it may be that some individuals who deserve recognition are from smaller nations where the commercial diving community is not as well recognised as in other world areas. Whatever the reasons, the fact remains that many individuals from our global community have dedicated their lives to improving commercial diving in one manner or another. These may be men and women who have themselves been commercial divers, developers of equipment, contributors to the medical sciences striving to keep divers safe from the rigours and challenges faced at depth, safety professionals who recognise and alert us to on-the-job hazards, individuals who establish companies to employ commercial divers or others who produce improved tools and incorporate technology for underwater use. The entire industry is responsible for ensuring their contributions are acknowledged and celebrated.

Listing of Awardees

John B. Galletti – Memorial Award (1978-2003) (26 Recipients)

Capt. George Bond (P) – 1978

Cdr. Jackie Warner (P) – 1979

Dr. Chris Lambertsen – 1980

Huge (Dan) Wilson – 1981

Bev Morgan – 1982

D. Michael Hughes – 1983

Dick Evens (P) – 1984

George W. Samson (P) – 1985

Jim Joiner – 1986

Henri Delauze – 1987

Phil Nuytten – 1988

Murray Black (P) – 1989

Lad Handelman – 1990

Dr. Joseph McInnis – 1991

Herbert G. Newbury (P) – 1992

John T. Johnson – 1993

Jack D. Smith, Jr. – 1994

Andre Galerne – 1995

Ellis R. Cross (P) – 1996

Joe Savoie (P) – 1997

Steve Helburn – 1998

Bill Dore – 1999

Bob Kirby – 2000

Ross Saxon – 2001

Conway Whitey Grubbs (P) – 2002

R. H. (Dutchy) Holland – 2003

Tom Devine – Memorial Award (1995-2002) (7 Recipients)

Ms. Bernice McKenzie (P) – 1995

Juan R. Crofton – 1996

Mike McGovern – 1997

Fred Aichele – 1999

Rick Jager – 2000

Jon Hazelbaker – 2001

Jim Caldwell – 2002

ADCI – Hall of Fame (2005-2024) (49 Recipients)

Bob Barth – 2005

Rodney Cruze – 2006

Dick Long – 2006

Torrence Parker – 2006

Jack Reedy – 2006

Wilber (Jerry) O’Neill – 2007

Walter (Whitey) Stephens – 2007

Lazaro Del Castillo – 2008

Norman Ketchman – 2008

John Manlove – 2008

Dr. Robert Workman (P) – 2008

Dr. Jeff Zhang – 2008

Leonard Greenstone – 2009

Robert W. Honaker – 2009

Dr. Joseph Serio – 2009

Bud Mills – 2010

Bob Ratcliff – 2010

Tom Angel – 2011

Ben Miller – 2011

Joe Sanford (P) – 2011

Paul Leblanc – 2012

Drew Michel – 2012

Richard Geyer – 2013

Lawrence Goldberg – 2013

Bob Merriman – 2013

Van T. Bell – 2014

George Cundiff – 2014

Dr. Keith Van Meter – 2014

Dr. John Beran – 2015

Denny Swartz – 2015

S. Joe Vidrine – 2015

Mike Von Alvensleben – 2016

George Wiswell – 2016

Owen Boyle – 2017

Leslie Leaney – 2017

Craig Fortenbery – 2018

Mike Ward – 2018

Jean-Claude Le Pechon – 2019

Dick Rutkowski – 2019

Randy Abadie – 2020

Jim Elliot – 2020

Richard Fryburg – 2020

Mike Brown – 2021

Barbra Treadway – 2022

Bruce Banks – 2022

Les Gorski – 2022

Richard Walter Radecki – 2022

Dr. Tony Alleman – 2024

John Carl Roat – 2024

 Note: Posthumous Awards are denoted by the letter “P.”