Overview

• IAAPA named the 2025 Hall of Fame class: Dolly Parton, Gary S. Wachs, Keith James, Gerardo Arteaga Oehninger and Su Zhigang.
• Inductees were selected by a committee of five past global chairmen and IAAPA’s four current regional chairmen.
• IAAPA cited Parton’s 1986 partnership with Herschend that turned Silver Dollar City into Dollywood, now a major resort destination.
• James and Wachs are honored for shaping Universal Studios Florida and the Kings Island–Kings Dominion–Canada’s Wonderland era of park development.
• Su leads China’s Chimelong Group, ranked fifth globally by TEA/AECOM, while Arteaga Oehninger built Fantasilandia and Happyland; induction is Nov. 17 in Orlando, with tickets available via IAAPA.