By Mark Langton

CORBA founders/Steering Committee/Board of Directors accepting the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame award for 2013. From left to right: Kurt Loheit, Peter Heumann, Jeff Klinger, Michael Goodman, Jim Hasenauer, Jennifer Klausner, Mark Langton, Steve Messer (not pictured, Hans Keifer).

Last week on September 18, CORBA was officially inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame during the Interbike Trade Show in Las Vegas. Several CORBA founding members, past and current board members, and VIPs attended the event. Also inducted were professional racers Marla Streb and Nicolas Vouilloz, Rim Cyclery (Moab, Utah) founders Robin and Bill Groff, and photographer David Epperson. Click here for more information on this year’s inductees.

In the weeks leading up to the event, I was tasked with compiling and editing a list comprised of founders, Steering Committee and Board of Directors members, and friends and significant contributors to CORBA, first provided by CORBA’s unofficial archivist Jim Hasenauer. It’s still a work in progress, but I believe it is fairly comprehensive (see below). The most noteworthy impression I get when looking at the list is that CORBA’s success in getting and keeping trails open to bicycles in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and greater Los Angeles County and Eastern Ventura County is due to a team effort.

In 26 years more than 30 people have joined CORBA’s Steering Committee/Board of Directors. They have all made significant contributions to keeping CORBA on the high road of advocacy. The list of significant friends and volunteers is made up of people who have in one way or another gone above and beyond to help guide and bolster CORBA’s efforts, such as organizing events, providing mentoring and guidance,  volunteering incredible amounts of time, and so much more. Their contributions are far too lengthy and complex to list here, but it is one thing I am endeavoring to do as well. To be sure, if their name is on the list, they have done something significant to keep CORBA moving forward (including some land management agency folks who certainly took their fair share of heat for siding with CORBA; of course, they were visionaries). If you see someone missing who you feel should be on the list, please send their name and description to me at mark@corbamtb.com. Thanks!