EXETER — Linda Lewis was inducted recently into the Pennsylvania State Auctioneer’s Hall of Fame, becoming one of only 62 members and only the second female auctioneer ever inducted.
And with the designation, she joined her husband, Jim, who is also a Hall of Fame Auctioneer, having been inducted in 2005.
This induction ceremony took place Jan. 10 at the 2020 Pennsylvania Auctioneers Association’s annual conference and show in Harrisburg and and the honor came as a surprise to Lewis.
Jim and Linda Lewis of Wyoming are co-owners of Chuck’s Auction Service in Exeter, which has been in operation for more than 40 years in the Wyoming Valley. Chuck’s Auction was formed in the 1970s by Jim, Linda, Linda’s father, Chuck, who was also a professional auctioneer, and Linda’s mother, Marce Tedrow.
Nominees for the Hall of Fame must have 20 years as a licensed professional in the state, be an active and participating member of the PAA (Linda Lewis has been president of the auxiliary committee for over a decade), and demonstrate a dedication that goes above and beyond to aid the benefit and promotion of the auction profession, as well as exhibiting exemplary character.
Nominations are made either by current Hall of Fame members or by their fellow auctioneers of a nominee’s local chapter of the PAA. These nominations are then voted on by the current members of the Hall of Fame at each year’s Annual Auctioneer’s Conference.
Linda Lewis’s son, Corey, said his parents have utilized their auction talents and abilities for a number of benefit purposes, most notably their Friday Families Christmas Tree program, which they’ve been doing for close to 20 years.
“In that time, they have raised well over $100,000 with the help of their Friday Families,” Corey said. “Their auctions are held almost every Friday since they’ve been in business and they’ve developed close relationships with a number of their attendees, and each Christmas they split the funds that have been raised between the CEO Food Bank and the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program. They don’t do a lot of self-promotion for this cause of theirs either. It’s a lot of word of mouth and organic growth over the years.”
Corey said last year, alongside large corporations such as Giant Foods, FirstEnergy, Cabot Oil and Gas, his parents “little Mom and Pop operation in Exeter” was one of the premiere sponsors of “Feeding Pennsylvania’s” Fill a Glass With Hope program that helps provide milk to families and children in need. He said they were featured at the Pennsylvania Farm Show for being a part of this and the company was part of a presentation given by Gov. Tom Wolf at the Farm Show.
“My parents have never really been ones to toot their own horns about their business and their accomplishments,” Corey said. “But having been a long-standing business in the Wyoming Valley (and even coming back from having to complete rebuild after the Flood of 2011), I found this award for my mother (and also indirectly for my father) as a great summation of their careers in the auction business and I’m incredibly proud of them.”
