I don't need cooler temperatures, turning leaves or Friday night football games to remind me that it’s fall and that winter (gulp) is right around the corner.

I know it’s fall because I’m at my computer getting ready for two halls of fame in which I take a great deal of pride — the Farrell High School Alumni Hall of Fame and the Mercer County Sports Hall of Fame.

I’m chairman of the Farrell group and treasurer of the Mercer County organization. I direct a lot of my energy into both because I believe that such halls of fame are great ways to honor deserving individual achievement in a public and lasting way.

I have been a member of the county hall since 1983. I have enjoyed watching the group grow in stature as well as increase its generous contributions to the community. That banquet is scheduled for Jan. 24 at the Radisson Hotel of Sharon and will no doubt attract another sellout crowd of more than 400.

While other halls of fame sadly have fallen by the wayside, such as the one in neighboring Lawrence County, ours in Mercer County, established more than 60 years ago, continues to prosper and maintain its status as the oldest local hall of fame in the world.

The Farrell Hall is a baby when compared to the county sports organization. It was established only four years ago and is the brainchild of Ted Pedas, former planetarium director at Youngstown State University and a huge school district benefactor and philanthropist.

It was Ted’s seed money that enabled the hall to get started, and by design, its annual induction ceremony is held in the cafeteria at Farrell High. This year’s dinner is scheduled for Oct. 18 and like in previous years offers an impressive list of honorees.

Unlike the Mercer County Hall of Fame, the Farrell Hall honors professional and community achievements of its alumni. While graduates who excelled in sports can be inducted, it’s not a sports hall of fame.

The inductees for 2008 are Pat Buzzeo, Alphonso Mazyck, James Campman, Dr. Sol Gully, Dr. Fred (DeGerolamo) Jerome, Wally Wachter, Marc Knezevich, Dom Apisa, retired Lt. Col. Terry Komar and Daryl Winston. The posthumous inductee is former Farrell educator and coach, Edward J. McCluskey.

I have had the privilege to be the master of ceremonies for the banquet since its inception, and I have been amazed at the achievements of the honorees. Most of them live away from the area, and without such a hall of fame to recognize their contributions to their professions and communities, much of it would go unnoticed.

I’ll be especially glad to reminisce with Marc, with whom I graduated in 1970. He spent 26 years with the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, where among other things, he served as manager of the Nine Mile Run and South Side Works projects. He retired from the URA in July and began a second professional career at the UPMC School of Medical Imaging, training as a registered radiographer.

And of course, there’s Wally, with whom I worked at The Herald for 10 years before he retired, and continued to keep in contact with throughout the years. His weekly column, “The Way We Were,” has been a staple in The Herald for 25 years.

Successful halls of fame, fueled by the dedication of individuals in the community who serve on their boards, are one of the best ways that I know to mark achievements in a sincere and memorable way. That’s not my opinion, but an observation from inductees throughout the years.

Such halls of fame are capable of providing an experience that honorees won't forget, despite all of the accomplishments in their lives. The ceremonies provide a chance to return home, where everything started, and be honored in front of family and friends.

Area school districts that don’t have such an organization should establish one. A hall of fame not only honors the past, but offers an opportunity to affect present and future generations as well by highlighting local examples of success and achievement.