Robert D. “Bob” Parker was inducted into the NEIBA Hall of Fame on April 30, 1977, for his contributions to baseball as a historian and cartoonist who played baseball in Fort Wayne in the 1930s for Nickle Plate Railroad and Wayne Pump . Born on August 8, 1915, in Fort Wayne, Ind., Parker is credited with creating the publicizing the G.E. Club baseball team that eventually won five semipro titles including the world amateur championship in Japan. His cartoons were published in The Journal Gazette in a feature called Fort Wayne Gallery of Sports. Parker worked as a photographer and commercial artist. He also produced corporate news letters for companies like Zollner Pistons, General Electric, North American Van Lines, Allen Dairy, etc. but Bob Parker gained extensive notoriety by drawing baseball cards for local players.
Parker was the first recipient of the Elmer Wagner Award given by the Old Timers Baseball Association. He also was awarded the Craftsman of the Year honor by the Fort Wayne Club of Prininting House Craftsmen and the June Hadley Award for Editor of the Year in the Industrial Editors Association. Bob Parker died on May 3, 1998.
2025 Thad Goff
2024 John Nolan
2023 Justin Prince
2022 Steve Krah
2021 Tom Clements
2020 no banquet
2019 Andy McManama
2018 Mike Maahs
2017 Bill Griggs
2016 Glen Marini
2015 Caleb Kimmel
2014 no banquet
2013 Dean Pantazi/ Fred Inniger
2012 Chad Gramling
2011 Don Converset
2010 Mike Nutter
2009 Dona Schaefer
2008 Isabel Alvarez
2007 Kent Hormann
2006 Doug Brookhart
2005 Art Brinkman
2004 Millie Gerdom
2003 Tim Kindler
2002 Patty Martone
2001 Don Graham
2000 Ben Smith
1999 Steve Warden