National Museum of Racing announced new leadership appointments for its Hall of Fame committees, with D. G. Van Clief taking over as chair of the Contemporary Nominating Committee and Josh Pons heading the Pillars of the Turf Committee.
Museum leadership has begun evaluating the overall nomination and election process, including a review of the contemporary Hall of Fame voting panel.
Van Clief, who previously chaired the Pillars of the Turf Committee, succeeds the late Edward L. Bowen, who held the position from 1987 through 2024 before his passing in January.
“I am honored to assume duties as Hall of Fame Nominating Committee Chair and look forward to working closely with fellow Committee Members, National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Chair Charlotte Weber, our Trustees, and the management team to ensure the results of our process embodies complete integrity, stands the test of time, and reflects well on our historic sport,” Van Clief said.
He added, “Former Committee Chair Ed Bowen was the consummate racing historian and is greatly missed, but I am fortunate to be joining a committee which possesses such a high degree of knowledge and expertise. I am confident this will be an enjoyable challenge.”
Pons brings significant industry experience to his new role. The third-generation Maryland horseman owns and operates Country Life Farm and Merryland Farm with his brother, Mike Pons. He has served on the Pillars of the Turf committee for the past two years and is a Museum advisory trustee.
A two-time Eclipse Award-winning writer, Pons expressed his vision for the committee’s selection process.
“The process of selecting inductees annually through the Pillars of the Turf category begins with the Hall of Fame mission statement–’to honor the sport’s most accomplished participants,'” Pons said. “The roster of worthy participants is rich and lengthy. I anticipate that my role will be to provide context to the nominees’ history. Then it’s a juried committee selection. I look forward to the process and working with the committee.”
The current Hall of Fame nomination and election procedures remain available for review on the Museum’s website.
