Before the sudden death of Marion Lee "Mickey" Thompson and his wife Trudy in 1988, in a double murder that wasn’t solved until 2007, Mickey was one of auto racing’s most popular stars. He was a car builder, racing driver and event promoter—he covered all facets of his favorite hobby and career, auto racing, with unprecedented success.

Before Dick went into business, trying to find off-road gear or tires for a four-wheel-drive truck or Jeep was a formidable challenge.  Dick opened a large store, which was later expanded to a small chain of retail outlets. He initially sold tires and wheels, but eventually expanded to all aspects of off-roading: jacks, tents, auxiliary lights and even survival books. The Dick Cepek line of lighting became extremely popular. Within just four years, his products began being sold in foreign countries; South Africa, New Zealand, Japan and Italy became home to Cepek products.

The term “mag wheels” can be traced to the racing wheels designed and produced by Ted Halibrand’s company. During the war, he worked for Douglas Aircraft as an engineer, where he often used magnesium to replace broken aluminum aircraft parts. He cast his first set of wheels out of magnesium in 1946, and their immediate success led to the formation of the Halibrand Engineering Co. in 1947. Referred to as “mags,” the custom wheels of today are steel or aluminum alloy. But it was Ted who introduced wheels of lightweight magnesium, sold exclusively for on-track racing applications.

Jerry operated one of the most popular (and earliest) speed shops, but he was also a hands-on racer. Jerry knew—and lived—the business of specialty cars and racing every waking hour, and was owner of Vic Hubbard Speed and Marine. His support of motorsports and help with industry causes earned him Hall of Fame recognition.

His name was associated with Cragar Wheels for many years; Tom managed the marketing and racing program for Cragar throughout the peak of his career in the specialty industry. His donation of time as a volunteer, his support to the racing community and his untiring work in the industry as a member of committees earned him many awards and Hall of Fame recognition, including a Sportsmanship Award in 1949.

It was Tom’s father who founded Babcox Publishing (Babcox Media), producer of an exclusive line of magazines for the automotive parts and service trade. Tom maintained the tradition of quality magazines as owner, devoting a lot of time to the causes of the specialty industry, a dedication that earned him SEMA Hall of Fame honors. Babcox Media’s first magazine was India Rubber & Tire magazine, which went into circulation in 1901; it is now called Tire Review.

Donna Imrie Foulger began working at SEMA as a young college student. With a very small staff, she and then CEO Eric Grant, spent countless hours creating a solidly recognized organization. He through marketing efforts; she through endeavors as membership liaison. SEMA went through its initial growing pains with a small staff wearing many hats. Soon, however, the association began unprecedented growth in prestige within the industry, as evidenced by growth of the SEMA Show, membership rolls, and legislative successes.

Leo served many companies in the specialty aftermarket—Hurst, Amco and others—but it was his dedicated service to SEMA and the industry that will be remembered. It was Leo who, as president of SEMA, spearheaded the unprecedented growth of the annual SEMA Show, including pushing to have it moved from Anaheim, California, to Las Vegas. Leo held a seat on the SEMA Board of Directors, and proposed the creation of the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund. He was named SEMA Person of the Year in 1994.

Best known as the founder of the So-Cal Speed Shop in Los Angeles—one of the first of its kind—Alex was also instrumental in the beginning of the SEMA Show; as an editor and publisher of Hot Rod Industry News, he helped organize the High Performance & Custom Equipment Trade Show, held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in January 1967. Over time, SEMA became increasingly involved with the management of the show and eventually took it over. Alex was also the editor of Car Craft magazine.

John Bartlett founded the Grant Piston Ring Company and pioneered the development of rings built to the highest standards for applications in auto racing. The Grant emblem is synonymous with major racing, a frequent image at the annual Indy 500 race. Grant was a founding member of SEMA, and John, an attorney, drafted the bylaws for the Association to represent performance parts for the automotive aftermarket—and "SEMA was born.”