Exactly 42 years after Roy Littlefield III showed up for his first day of work at the National Tire Dealers and Retreaders Association (NTDRA), his work and career were celebrated during his induction into the Tire Industry Association (TIA) Hall of Fame.
Littlefield, along with the late Martin Barry, are joining the Hall of Fame in 2021. They were honored during a luncheon on Nov. 1.
Littlefield’s introduction and induction was handled by none other than his son and coworker, Roy Littlefield IV, who said the senior Littlefield is “my boss, my mentor, and most importantly, my father.”
The elder Littlefield, who is retiring at the end of the year as the association's CEO, called his hall of fame induction “the greatest honor from this phenomenal industry.”
His fellow inductee is the late Martin Barry, the association's longest-running president and one of only three, triple-term presidents in TIA's history. He served three concurrent terms from 1931 to 1933.
TIA officials credit Barry in helping the association survive its early years, "guiding it through two evolutionary name changes, the Great Depression and World War II."
Bob Ulrich, the retired editor of Modern Tire Dealer, has been digging through the industry archives as part of TIA's 100th anniversary, and he led the festivities on behalf of TIA to induct Barry. That included reading a letter from Barry’s family. They were unable to attend the event.
The family said they were unaware of Barry’s many contributions to the industry, but said he was “a man of integrity.”
Also during the luncheon, MTD Editor Mike Manges recognized the work of Dan Nothdurft, the outgoing president of the TIA board of directors. Nothdurft led the association's board during much of the pandemic, and championed its transition to extend its technician training modules to an online platform. Manges presented Nothdurft with a portrait and thanked him for his work on behalf of the industry.
