1888 – 1987
Clayton Bruckner was the founder and president of the WACO Aircraft Company in Troy, Ohio, which provided hundreds of jobs in the 1920s through the 1940s. During its operation more than 5,000 WACOs were manufactured and over 350 of them still flying today. During World War II the company manufactured gliders to support U.S. military operations. Clayton Bruckner was also active as an inventor and philanthropist. He designed among other things a
hydraulic operated log splitter, a mechanical sod cutter and a subversive office he used to study marine life in his family’s pond. He was the founder of the Bruckner Nature Center, which offers over 90,000 visitors a year the opportunity to study the natural surroundings. The center’s Wildlife Rehab Unit cares for injured wildlife and has been nationally recognized for its accomplishments.
Inducted: 1997