Michael Wallis, author of the seminal “Route 66: The Mother Road” and 14 other nonfiction books, was elected to the Class of 2010 for the Tulsa Hall of Fame, according to an article in the Tulsa World today.
“Route 66: The Mother Road” became a best-selling book shortly after it was published in 1992 and sparked a renaissance in the historical road that continues to this day. Wallis, a Missouri native, has lived in Tulsa for decades and has continued to be a vocal advocate for Route 66.
His work has been published in national and international magazines and newspapers, including Time, Life, People, Smithsonian, The New Yorker and The New York Times. […]
Wallis was inducted into the Writers Hall of Fame of America, the Oklahoma Professional Writers’ Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame, and the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame.
He received the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award, the Lynn Riggs Award and the first John Steinbeck Award.
In 2006, Wallis’ voice was heard in “Cars,” an animated feature film from Pixar Studios. He will be featured in “Cars 2,” scheduled for release in 2011.
Other inductees this year are Flintco Cos. owner and chairwoman Robin Flint Ballenger, Building Tulsa, Building Lives co-chairwomen Judy Zarrow Kishner and Gail Zarrow Richards, former Tulsa mayor Kathy Taylor and former Dollar Thrifty car rental owner Bill Lobeck.
The induction ceremony is set for Oct. 21 at the Tulsa Convention Center. To request an invitation to the event, contact the Tulsa Historical Society.
Congratulation, Michael!!
— Mike Ross (former colleague @ Beaumont E&J)