Nebraska News: Government

Hall of Fame Commission Will Have To Vote Again

Panel previously chose Wherry for induction

June 03, 2004

LINCOLN – A majority of a state commission might wish to elect the late U.S. Sen. Kenneth Wherry to the Nebraska Hall of Fame by any means necessary.

But whatever the commission does, it can’t vote to do it in secret, according to Attorney General Jon Bruning.

Bruning’s decision nullified a previous commission vote, taken in secret last April, to put Wherry in the Hall of Fame. The commission can still give Wherry the nod, but it will have to do so via a public vote.

Wherry, initially thought to be a shoo-in, was eventually selected over the late Malcolm X on a 4-3 vote.

The move to have Malcolm X inducted into the Hall of Fame originated with four students from the Chadron area Job Corps program.

In April, several commission members noted that Malcolm X simply did not meet the established criteria for Hall of Fame inductees:

"To be considered for induction, a person has to have been dead for at least 35 years. In addition, he or she must have been born or lived in Nebraska, gained prominence while living in the state or had their life there be an important influence or contributing factor to their greatness."

Malcolm X wass born as Malcolm Little in 1925 in Omaha. The son of a Baptist preacher who was killed under mysterious circumstances, he achieved fame only after serving time in prison, where he studied the teachings of the Black Muslim movement and became a skilled orator. After release in 1952, he adopted the name Malcolm X, and became a leader and spokesman for the Nation of Islam and a favorite of its founder, Elijah Mohammed.
In the mid-1960s, Malcolm X split with the Nation of Islam and made the first of several trips to Africa and the Middle East. He was assassinated by Muslims in 1965, but left a legacy that continues to influence African-Americans, other minority groups and mainstream American culture.