Four inducted into ANA Numismatic Hall of Fame
The American Numismatic Association inducts the following individuals into the Numismatic Hall of Fame in recognition of their overall contributions to and their outstanding achievements in numismatics.
OSCAR H. DODSON (1905-96)
A numismatist most of his life, Oscar Dodson served as president of the American Numismatic Association from 1957 to 1961 and was responsible for bridging the transition between “traditional numismatics” and the then-new investment market. In the Centennial History of the American Numismatic Association, author Q. David Bowers wrote, “More than any other ANA president since August G. Heaton . . . Oscar Dodson was a philosopher.”
A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he retired as a rear admiral in 1957. However, his collecting interests always were with him. He joined the ANA in 1933, and became life member number 78 in 1950 – the same year he received the ANA Medal of Merit. He served on the U.S. Assay Commission in 1948 and the Hobbies Committee of the U.S. State Department’s “People-to People” program. In 1962 he authored the book Money Tells the Story, and he served as a contributing editor to COINage magazine from 1973 to 1987.
Two years after retiring from the Navy, he established The Money Museum at the National Bank of Detroit, serving as its director for six years. He also was honorary assistant curator of the ANA Money Museum. Through his generosity, many important ancient Greek coins and other items were donated to the Association.Oscar Dodson received the Association’s highest honor, the Farran Zerbe Memorial Award, in 1968, and the ANA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995.
ROBERT L. HENDERSHOTT (1898- )
The world has changed a great deal since this man first started on his lifelong journey in numismatics at the beginning of the last century. Since Robert Hendershott’s birth more than 100 years ago, the North and South Poles were discovered and explored; 16 United States Presidents occupied the White House; man took flight and landed on the moon; and all of the nation’s regular, circulating coinage changed several times.
Introduced to the numismatic hobby by his grandfather, who was a postmaster in a small Missouri town, Robert Hendershott started collecting coins when he was just 12 years old, finding half cents, large cents, 2-cent pieces, half dimes and other obsolete coinage still in circulation.
Once the door to numismatics was opened to him, Robert Hendershott explored virtually every facet of the hobby, from coins and tokens to medals and paper money. An ANA member since 1931, he has served as exhibits chairman, and assistant and general chairman at ANA conventions. He organized the Tampa (Florida) Coin Club and Florida United Numismatists (FUN), serving as president of both organizations.
Robert Hendershott is a recipient of the ANA’s Glenn Smedley Memorial Award, Numismatist of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award, Medal of Merit, and the Association’s highest honor, the Farran Zerbe Memorial Award for Distinguished Service.
EDWARD C. ROCHETTE (1927- )
A lifelong collector, Ed Rochette has devoted nearly all of his adult life to ANA service. First joining the Association’s staff as editor of The Numismatist in 1966, he spent most of his 20 years as executive vice president. In 1987 he was elected to the ANA Board of Governors, serving as president from 1991 to 1993. He returned to the staff in 1998 and today is executive director.
A prolific writer, Ed Rochette has written a variety of numismatic books, including The Romance of Coin Collecting, Medallic Portraits of John F. Kennedy and Making Money: Rogues and Rascals Who’ve Made Their Own. For many years, he wrote a weekly coin column nationally syndicated by the Los Angeles Times, contributed a regular column to COINage magazine, and he continues to pen his monthly column in The Numismatist, “The Other Side of the Coin.” Before joining the ANA staff, he was executive editor of Numismatic News. He has received the Numismatic Literary Guild’s coveted Clemy Award and the Sandra Rae Mishler gold medal for original research.
Ed Rochette was instrumental in developing the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) numismatic exhibit at the IOC’s museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, and served as a numismatic consultant to the United States Olympic Committee and the United States Air Force Academy.
Rochette is a recipient of the ANA Glenn Smedley Memorial Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, Medal of Merit, and the Association’s highest honor, the Farran Zerbe Memorial Award for Distinguished Service.
RUSSELL RULAU (1926- )
Involved in coin collecting for more than 60 years, Russ Rulau has gone from casual collector to writer, editor and club organizer. His interest in world coins led him to create the “Coin of the Year” award presented annually by Krause Publications’ World Coin News.
While working for Amos Press, Russ Rulau edited Coin World and Numismatic Scrapbook and created World Coins magazine. He later worked for Krause Publications, editing World Coin News and Bank Note Reporter. He has written several numismatic books, including How to Order Foreign Coins, Modern World Mint Marks, World Mint Marks, Hard Times Tokens, Early American Tokens, U.S. Merchant Tokens 1845-1860, U.S. Trade Tokens 1866-1889, Tokens of the Gay Nineties and Latin American Tokens. He also served for a number of years as the North American representative for the Pobjoy Mint.
In addition to the American Numismatic Association, Russell Rulau is a member of the American Numismatic Society, Royal Numismatic Society and the Canadian Numismatic Association. He is a recipient of the Numismatic Literary Guild’s coveted Clemy Award, as well as the ANA Glenn Smedley Memorial Award, Lifetime Achievement Award and Medal of Merit.
Photographs of Oscar H. Dodson, Robert L. Hendershott, Edward C. Rochette and Russell Rulau will be enshrined in the Numismatic Hall of Fame Gallery at the Money Museum of the American Numismatic Association in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Association expresses the sincere appreciation of its members for their lasting contributions.
Originally Release Date: August 12, 2000
ANA Contacts: Phone: 719-482-9872
Email: pr@money.org