Inductees were selected by the Pennsylvania Tourism Office in consultation with the Governor's Tourism Partnership.

Mickey Rowley, Deputy Secretary for Tourism with the state Department of Community and Economic Development, said Steffee was inducted based on his promotion of the concept of enterprise in tourism development.

Steffee’s restaurant, hotel, winery, library renovation and other projects brought him attention from the Keystone Society for Tourism. Rowley said.

“Dr. Steffee single handedly made quite a difference in his little town,” Rowley said. “Not every community has a Dr. Steffee…we felt he should be recognized.”

The induction “was quite a wonderful ceremony” Rowley said, and it the presentation of a medal: a blue and gold ribbon suspending a blue keystone inscribed with the state coat of arms.

The governor bestowed the honor during the first Governor's Conference on Tourism in Gettysburg , created to focus on preserving the distinctive character of a community while building economic development through cultural and place-based tourism.

“This conference has provided practical examples of how tourism has spurred economic development while taking preservation into account,” Rendell said. “Small towns do not need to become cities to create a more robust economy. Our quaint farming communities should not lose their rustic nature to attract tourists. And, our urban communities do not need to dilute their strong cultural heritage to share it with others.”

Rowley noted that more inductees from the western half of the state were honored than from the east.

Other inductees in the region include: Bill and Jane Campbell, Campbell Pottery Store, Cambridge Springs; Jim and Donna Winner, Buhl Mansion Guesthouse & Spa, Sharon ; and Dale Fox, The Towers Victorian Inn, Ridgway.

“The tourism opportunities in the commonwealth would not be as strong or as diverse without the contributions of these inductees who, through their inspiration, leadership, enterprise, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit, have enriched the experience of visiting the various regions of the commonwealth,” Rendell said.

“They are the keystones of the tourism economy.”