Wall of Fame
The Wall of Fame was created to recognize the people who have filled significant roles with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta® over the years.
Those roles include Hall of Fame inductees, Heritage Award recipients, Current and Past presidents of AIBF, Balloonmeisters, and AIBF Executive Directors. Individuals are listed alphabetically.
Ben Abruzzo
Hall of Fame 1985
Richard Abruzzo
Hall of Fame 2011
Maxie Anderson
Hall of Fame 1985
Scott Appelman
Heritage Award 2013
Hall of Fame 2017
James Baca
Hall of Fame 1998
Raymond Bair
President 2008-09
Hall of Fame 2012
Jodi Baugh
Hall of Fame 1999
Sam Baxter
Hall of Fame 2011
Gary Bennett
President 2006-07
Jim ‘Badtoe’ Benson
Hall of Fame 1998
Wally Book
Balloonmeister 2001-02
Heritage Award 2014
Pat Brake
Balloonmeister 1996-97
Event Director 1998-2010
Dick Brown
Heritage Award 2012
Hall of Fame 2016
Dick Butterfield
Balloonmeister 1990-91
Jim Byrd
Heritage Award 2020
J.W. Byrd
Hall of Fame 2004
Ron Caldwell
Balloonmeister 1980
Aubrey Cookman
Hall of Fame 1998
Neida Courtney
Balloonmeister 1983-84
Neida Courtney Bueno
Balloonmeister 2011-12
Jewel Cutter
Hall of Fame 2022
Sid Cutter
Founder
Balloonmeister 1972, 74, 75
Executive Director 1973-75
Hall of Fame 1983
Heritage Award 2005
Jay Czar
President 2016-17
Carol Rymer Davis
Hall of Fame 2005
John C. Davis IV
President 1982
Hall of Fame 1985
Balloonmeister 1988-89
Heritage Award 2006
Don Draper
Balloonmeister 1972
Don Edwards
Event Director 2010-2015
Paul Enz
Balloonmeister 1981
Cheryl (Lete) Frost
Balloonmeister 2006 -2008
Doug Gallagher
Balloonmeister 1985
Matt Guthrie
Heritage Award 2017
President 2020-2021
George Hahn
Balloonmeister 1986-87
President 1991
Hall of Fame 2002
Heritage Award 2019
Bruce Hale
President 1995-96
Hall of Fame 1997
Sam Hancock
Executive Director 1996
Charles “Charlie” Hines
President 1977, 1985
Hall of Fame 1984
Jacqueline Hockey
Hall of Fame 1992
Heritage Award 2016
Neil Jackson
President 2025 –
Gov. Bruce King
Hall of Fame 2010
Gary King
Balloonmeister 2003-05
Al Kinney
Hall of Fame 1994
Charlotte Kinney
Balloonmeister 1982, 1984
Heritage Award 2018
Mayor Harry Kinney
Hall of Fame 1984
Steve Komadina
President 1999
Randy Lefevre
Hall of Fame 2019
Doug March
Balloonmeister 1977-78
Rodney May
Balloonmeister 1994-95
President 2004-05
Hall of Fame 2012
Heritage Award 2024
Tom McConnell
President 1992
Hall of Fame 1995
Heritage Award 2008
Frank Mezzencello
President 1994
Hall of Fame 2004
Julie Morgas Baca
Executive Director 2025 –
Sherri Moore
President 1978-79
Hall of Fame 1987
Judy Nakamura
President 2023-2024
Sam Parks
Balloonmeister 2013-18
Director of Operations 2018-2023
Executive Director 2023
Betty Perkins
President 1975-76
Hall of Fame 1998
Paul Petrehn
Event Director 2015-17
Chuck Raskob
Balloonmeister 2009-10
Allen Rector
Balloonmeister 1998
Mike Rice
President 2014
Richard ‘Dick” Rice
President 1983
Hall of Fame 2015
Heritage Award 2016
Henry Rosenbaum
Balloonmeister 2019 –
Bob Ruppenthal
Balloonmeister 1976
President 1989-90
Hall of Fame 1991
Heritage Award 2007
Marge Ruppenthal
President 1980-81
Hall of Fame 1988
Executive Director 1989-95
Heritage Award 2007
Linda Rutherford
Executive Director 1979-89
Hall of Fame 2001
Tom Rutherford
Hall of Fame 1983
Heritage Award 2010
Jim Schumacher
President 1993
Harry Season
Balloonmeister 1992-93
President 2000-01
Hall of Fame 2009
John Sena
President 2010-11
Hall of Fame 2013
Jim Shiver
President 1986-88
Hall of Fame 1993
Heritage Award 2011
Gail Short
President 1984
Paul Smith
Executive Director 1997-2023, 2024
Hall of Fame 2022
Heritage Award 2022
Mark Sullivan
President 1997-98
Hall of Fame 1999
Heritage Award 2021
Art Swenka
President 2002-03
Al Tetreault
Hall of Fame 2007
President 2022
Ken Tuley
aka Art Lloyd Jr.
Hall of Fame 2021
Kim Vesely
Heritage Award 2009
Hall of Fame 2012
Bill Walker
President 2012-13
Mark Wilson
Balloonmeister 1979
Steve Yazzie
Balloonmeister 1999-2000
Hall of Fame 2006
Ed Yost
Balloonmeister 1973
Ty Young
President 2018-19