Hall of Fame Announces Officers
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Board of Governors announced on Thursday that it unanimously approved its officers for 2018-2020 at its meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 14. The officers are Tom Slowey as Chairman, Tom Talbot as Vice Chairman, John Harris, III as Secretary and Ed Gallegos as Treasurer. The board also unanimously approved Frank Mosier as a member and Steve Silver as a lifetime Governors Associate.
“The National Wrestling Hall of Fame is blessed to have qualified and resourceful board members, and we are confident that these new officers will provide us guidance and direction to help us serve our mission in the years ahead,” said Hall of Fame Executive Director Lee Roy Smith. “We could not be more excited about Tom Slowey’s willingness to take over as chairman of the board for this great cultural institution. We have exciting plans for the advancement of our great sport and are confident that Tom’s leadership and the commitment of our board will help us reach our goals.”
The Board of Governors is responsible for preserving the history and tradition of the sport of wrestling by operation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. The Board is also responsible for overseeing the annual election of Distinguished Members, Outstanding American, Medal of Courage, Order of Merit, and Meritorious Official as well as the State Chapter program.
Slowey (Torrance, California) replaces Terry Shockley (Madison, Wisconsin and Orlando, Florida) as Chairman while Talbot (Oakwood, Georgia) replaces Silver (Forney, Texas) and Harris (Holland, Ohio) replaces Slowey. Gallegos was re-elected for a second two-year term. Slowey served as secretary of the board from 2014-2018 and as State Chapter Program Chairman from 2012-2018. Slowey became a member of the board in 2009 while Gallegos and Talbot joined in 2007 and Harris joined in 2015.
“I believe that wrestling changed my life and instilled many positive life traits that greatly contributed to my business and personal success,” said Slowey. “Working with the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Beat The Streets and other wrestling organizations provides me with an opportunity to give back to the sport that gave so much to me and to help others benefit as I did.”
Shockley joined the board in 2007 and was elected as secretary in 2008, serving until his election as chairman in 2014. He directed the fundraising and subsequent total renovation of the museum in Oklahoma, and guided the campaign and design planning for the renovation of the museum in Iowa, scheduled to begin in the fall of 2018. Shockley helped re-align board committees in a more effective manner while overseeing a strategic plan to advance the mission of the organization as it moves forward. He was also responsible for creating an ethics committee to review and rule on matters that could affect the integrity of the Hall of Fame.
“Serving as the chairman of the board for the Hall of Fame has been humbling and, at the same time, awesome,” said Shockley. “The opportunity to be a part of such positive changes, particularly in our museums, and to help grow and strengthen a sport that I not only love, but that has returned so much to me is very rewarding.”
The Board is comprised of no less than 10, and not more than 30 members, who shall serve a maximum of six consecutive years in as many as three consecutive two-year terms. Three members of the Board shall represent United World Wrestling, USA Wrestling and the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Those individuals are nominated by their organizations and must be approved by the Board.
Tom Slowey, Chairman
Slowey wrestled and played football in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and as a top-rated 185-pounder helped Bethlehem Catholic High School go undefeated and win the AAA state championship in 1979. He wrestled at Penn State University from 1979-83 and graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in business logistics with computer science emphasis. He worked in the business information technology/software field for 18 years. Slowey spent 11 years as executive vice president of sales at Platinum Technology, Inc., joining the company at its inception as a key member of its start-up executive management team. He built and grew the organization’s sales force from the ground up, achieving 250 percent growth during each of its first eight years. After becoming the sixth-largest software company, it was acquired by Computer Associates in the largest acquisition the software industry had ever seen. Slowey then served as executive vice president at Divine, Inc., a start-up company specializing in creating, developing and investing in internet-based business technology companies. For the last 17 years, he has volunteered as an assistant wrestling coach at West High School in Torrance, California. Slowey endowed the 177-pound weight class for Penn State wrestling and was a major supporter of the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex. He has served as director of Beat The Streets Los Angeles since its inception. He will be honored as an Outstanding American by the California Chapter of the Hall of Fame in April.
Tom Talbot, Vice Chairman
Talbot played football at Centerville High School in Centerville, Iowa, which did not start its wrestling program until two years after he graduated. Despite never wrestling, Talbot became an avid fan after being introduced to our sport while attending the University of Northern Iowa. Throughout his adult life, he has worked tirelessly on behalf of wrestling, including creating opportunities for wrestlers at all levels. He served on the Portage (Wisconsin) High School Wrestling Club Board of Directors and donated materials and installation of a state-of-the-art floor system for the school’s wrestling room. At the University of Wisconsin, he was an active member of the Wisconsin Weigh-In Club, including serving as president for three separate terms. In the 1990s when Wisconsin needed a new wrestling facility, Talbot led the fundraising campaign and organized a volunteer demolition and reconstruction of the wrestling room. When the wrestling room was updated in 2007, Talbot’s companies outfitted the locker room with custom-made materials. Because of his support the Wisconsin wrestling facility is named the “Talbot Wrestling Complex.” He has also generously supported USA Wrestling and wrestling clubs for world-caliber wrestlers. After receiving his bachelor’s in marketing and business from Northern Iowa in 1971, Talbot moved to Madison, Wisconsin, to broker softwood lumber. In 1979, he began his own lumber company, Glen Oak Lumber & Milling, Inc. Headquartered in Montello, Wisconsin, and with plants and distribution centers in four states, Glen Oak produces a diversified range of hardwood products. Talbot, who is now retired and living in Oakwood, Georgia, was recognized as an Outstanding American by the Wisconsin Chapter of the Hall of Fame in 2010 and received the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award from the Ohio Chapter in 2013.
John Harris, Secretary
Harris received his bachelor’s degree from Grand Valley State University and his master’s degree in education from the University of Toledo. Harris is a partner in Performance pH, which utilizes a variety of people-oriented strategies to help employers improve business performance, and serves as the chairman of HERO. He has over 40 years of experience in the health management field in both the corporate and private sectors. He served as Chief Well-Being Officer and Vice President Innovations for Healthways, Inc., after being an executive vice president of Axia Health Management, which was acquired by Healthways. Harris was previously the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Harris HealthTrends, an entrepreneurial corporation specializing in the prevention of disease and the reduction of health care costs. Harris HealthTrends developed a base of over 100 clients and helped shape the prevention industry into what it is today. Harris speaks internationally and has authored numerous publications on employee health while also serving on the boards of Lourdes University, HERO, Mercy Health Partners, the Mercy Health Foundation, Health Promotion Advocates, and a number of for-profit businesses.
Ed Gallegos, Treasurer
Gallegos was an NCAA Division II All-American at The Colorado School of Mines, graduating with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. He founded Iron Sights Operating, Inc., an oil and gas company, in 1997, and sold it to Chesapeake in 2007. He then founded another oil and gas company, Territory Resources LLC.
Frank Mosier, Board Member
Mosier was part of a group that helped found the New Jersey Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2000, and has helped develop it into one of the premier chapters. He wrestled at Trinity High School in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, and was a three-time Northern Intercollegiate Conference champion and two-time NAIA national champion at Minnesota State University Moorhead. He was recognized as an Outstanding American by the New Jersey Chapter of the Hall of Fame in 2015 and is also a member of the Minnesota State University Moorhead Hall of Fame and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Hall of Fame.
“The National Wrestling Hall of Fame is blessed to have qualified and resourceful board members, and we are confident that these new officers will provide us guidance and direction to help us serve our mission in the years ahead,” said Hall of Fame Executive Director Lee Roy Smith. “We could not be more excited about Tom Slowey’s willingness to take over as chairman of the board for this great cultural institution. We have exciting plans for the advancement of our great sport and are confident that Tom’s leadership and the commitment of our board will help us reach our goals.”
The Board of Governors is responsible for preserving the history and tradition of the sport of wrestling by operation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. The Board is also responsible for overseeing the annual election of Distinguished Members, Outstanding American, Medal of Courage, Order of Merit, and Meritorious Official as well as the State Chapter program.
Slowey (Torrance, California) replaces Terry Shockley (Madison, Wisconsin and Orlando, Florida) as Chairman while Talbot (Oakwood, Georgia) replaces Silver (Forney, Texas) and Harris (Holland, Ohio) replaces Slowey. Gallegos was re-elected for a second two-year term. Slowey served as secretary of the board from 2014-2018 and as State Chapter Program Chairman from 2012-2018. Slowey became a member of the board in 2009 while Gallegos and Talbot joined in 2007 and Harris joined in 2015.
“I believe that wrestling changed my life and instilled many positive life traits that greatly contributed to my business and personal success,” said Slowey. “Working with the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Beat The Streets and other wrestling organizations provides me with an opportunity to give back to the sport that gave so much to me and to help others benefit as I did.”
Shockley joined the board in 2007 and was elected as secretary in 2008, serving until his election as chairman in 2014. He directed the fundraising and subsequent total renovation of the museum in Oklahoma, and guided the campaign and design planning for the renovation of the museum in Iowa, scheduled to begin in the fall of 2018. Shockley helped re-align board committees in a more effective manner while overseeing a strategic plan to advance the mission of the organization as it moves forward. He was also responsible for creating an ethics committee to review and rule on matters that could affect the integrity of the Hall of Fame.
“Serving as the chairman of the board for the Hall of Fame has been humbling and, at the same time, awesome,” said Shockley. “The opportunity to be a part of such positive changes, particularly in our museums, and to help grow and strengthen a sport that I not only love, but that has returned so much to me is very rewarding.”
The Board is comprised of no less than 10, and not more than 30 members, who shall serve a maximum of six consecutive years in as many as three consecutive two-year terms. Three members of the Board shall represent United World Wrestling, USA Wrestling and the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Those individuals are nominated by their organizations and must be approved by the Board.
Tom Slowey, Chairman
Slowey wrestled and played football in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and as a top-rated 185-pounder helped Bethlehem Catholic High School go undefeated and win the AAA state championship in 1979. He wrestled at Penn State University from 1979-83 and graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in business logistics with computer science emphasis. He worked in the business information technology/software field for 18 years. Slowey spent 11 years as executive vice president of sales at Platinum Technology, Inc., joining the company at its inception as a key member of its start-up executive management team. He built and grew the organization’s sales force from the ground up, achieving 250 percent growth during each of its first eight years. After becoming the sixth-largest software company, it was acquired by Computer Associates in the largest acquisition the software industry had ever seen. Slowey then served as executive vice president at Divine, Inc., a start-up company specializing in creating, developing and investing in internet-based business technology companies. For the last 17 years, he has volunteered as an assistant wrestling coach at West High School in Torrance, California. Slowey endowed the 177-pound weight class for Penn State wrestling and was a major supporter of the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex. He has served as director of Beat The Streets Los Angeles since its inception. He will be honored as an Outstanding American by the California Chapter of the Hall of Fame in April.
Tom Talbot, Vice Chairman
Talbot played football at Centerville High School in Centerville, Iowa, which did not start its wrestling program until two years after he graduated. Despite never wrestling, Talbot became an avid fan after being introduced to our sport while attending the University of Northern Iowa. Throughout his adult life, he has worked tirelessly on behalf of wrestling, including creating opportunities for wrestlers at all levels. He served on the Portage (Wisconsin) High School Wrestling Club Board of Directors and donated materials and installation of a state-of-the-art floor system for the school’s wrestling room. At the University of Wisconsin, he was an active member of the Wisconsin Weigh-In Club, including serving as president for three separate terms. In the 1990s when Wisconsin needed a new wrestling facility, Talbot led the fundraising campaign and organized a volunteer demolition and reconstruction of the wrestling room. When the wrestling room was updated in 2007, Talbot’s companies outfitted the locker room with custom-made materials. Because of his support the Wisconsin wrestling facility is named the “Talbot Wrestling Complex.” He has also generously supported USA Wrestling and wrestling clubs for world-caliber wrestlers. After receiving his bachelor’s in marketing and business from Northern Iowa in 1971, Talbot moved to Madison, Wisconsin, to broker softwood lumber. In 1979, he began his own lumber company, Glen Oak Lumber & Milling, Inc. Headquartered in Montello, Wisconsin, and with plants and distribution centers in four states, Glen Oak produces a diversified range of hardwood products. Talbot, who is now retired and living in Oakwood, Georgia, was recognized as an Outstanding American by the Wisconsin Chapter of the Hall of Fame in 2010 and received the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award from the Ohio Chapter in 2013.
John Harris, Secretary
Harris received his bachelor’s degree from Grand Valley State University and his master’s degree in education from the University of Toledo. Harris is a partner in Performance pH, which utilizes a variety of people-oriented strategies to help employers improve business performance, and serves as the chairman of HERO. He has over 40 years of experience in the health management field in both the corporate and private sectors. He served as Chief Well-Being Officer and Vice President Innovations for Healthways, Inc., after being an executive vice president of Axia Health Management, which was acquired by Healthways. Harris was previously the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Harris HealthTrends, an entrepreneurial corporation specializing in the prevention of disease and the reduction of health care costs. Harris HealthTrends developed a base of over 100 clients and helped shape the prevention industry into what it is today. Harris speaks internationally and has authored numerous publications on employee health while also serving on the boards of Lourdes University, HERO, Mercy Health Partners, the Mercy Health Foundation, Health Promotion Advocates, and a number of for-profit businesses.
Ed Gallegos, Treasurer
Gallegos was an NCAA Division II All-American at The Colorado School of Mines, graduating with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. He founded Iron Sights Operating, Inc., an oil and gas company, in 1997, and sold it to Chesapeake in 2007. He then founded another oil and gas company, Territory Resources LLC.
Frank Mosier, Board Member
Mosier was part of a group that helped found the New Jersey Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2000, and has helped develop it into one of the premier chapters. He wrestled at Trinity High School in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, and was a three-time Northern Intercollegiate Conference champion and two-time NAIA national champion at Minnesota State University Moorhead. He was recognized as an Outstanding American by the New Jersey Chapter of the Hall of Fame in 2015 and is also a member of the Minnesota State University Moorhead Hall of Fame and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Hall of Fame.
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