Local snowmobile pioneer to be inducted into Hall of Fame
Richard E. "Dick" Harrison, co-founder Trail-A-Sled, Inc. (later Scorpion snowmobiles) will be inducted into the International Snowmobile Hall of Fame (ISHOF) on Feb. 22. Harrison also has been selected to receive the Allan Hetteen Memorial Award of Merit for his outstanding contributions to the sport.
In the mid-1950's Harrison's endless fascination with mechanical devices birthed a successful wild rice processing facility and, by 1958, a host of propeller-based air-sled and air-boat contraptions. After co-founding Trail-A-Sled, Inc. in 1959, Harrison designed the company's award-winning fiberglass air-sled. In 1964 he invented a continuous rubber track that propelled the transition from air-sleds to snowmobiles.
Harrison's track was the first of it's kind. It was patented and provided the company with a keen competitive edge during those early years, when an entirely new industry was being formed. As the company grew Harrison worked tirelessly to improve the Scorpion snowmobile, including innovations in clutch design and suspension.
A self-taught draftsman, Harrison also was an expert machinist and fiberglass fabricator. His design and manufacturing expertise were central to building the Crosby-Ironton company into a dynamic organization that eventually employed more than 500 persons and became the second largest snowmobile manufacturer in the nation. Following the company's sale in 1969 (and his subsequent resignation in 1970), Dick leveraged his business experience into a successful real estate development career in which he remains active today. Over the years, Dick has been a quiet benefactor to numerous faith-based organizations.
Founded in 1989, the ISHOF has annually saluted pioneering members of the snowmobile community for their role in the creation and on-going evolution of the snow belt's favorite sport. The ISHOF is dedicated to the promotion and preservation of the historical aspects of snowmobiling, which include recognition of individual achievements made on behalf of the sport. Along with Harrison, Don and Charlotte Haynes of the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC ) and Marilyn Ruediger, long-time editor of the South Dakota Snowmobile Association's Sno-Plainsman, are to be honored.
For information on attending the ceremony, please contact: International Snowmobile Hall Of Fame, 25929 County Road 59, Bovey, MN 55709; (218) 245-1725; admin@ishof.com, or http://www.ishof.com.