The ICCFA’s most prestigious award is entry into our Hall of Fame. Since its creation in 1965, it has been awarded to only 38 individuals. This award recognizes those who have demonstrated unselfish service and outstanding contributions to the ICCFA, to the cemetery, funeral, cremation, and memorialization profession, and, ultimately, to the public.
The ICCFA will proudly induct Darin Drabing, President and Chief Executive Officer of Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries, into the ICCFA Hall of Fame during the President’s Banquet at the 2026 ICCFA Experience.
Darin Drabing
The ICCFA has named Darin Drabing, President and CEO of Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries, as a recipient of the 2026 ICCFA Hall of Fame Award, the association’s highest honor, recognizing his more than 40 years of leadership, innovation, and service to families and the profession. Drabing, who began his career at Forest Lawn in 1984 and advanced through nearly every level of the organization before becoming CEO in 2011, is widely respected for his ethical, people-centered leadership and deep operational expertise. Under his guidance, Forest Lawn has navigated industry change and the global pandemic while investing in technology, employee experience, education, and long-term sustainability, including the creation of the Forest Lawn Academy of Mortuary Science. A longtime ICCFA leader and past president, Drabing will be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame during the President’s Banquet at the 2026 ICCFA Experience in Fort Worth, Texas.
2024 Inductee
I. Frederick Lappin, CCE
Lappin began serving as a volunteer with the ICCFA in 2001 as a member of the Sales and Marketing Committee. His subsequent positions have included multiple terms on the Board of Directors, including three Vice President appointments. He was a co-chair for both the Fall Leadership and Sales & Marketing Conferences and has served on a variety of committees, including the Mission Statement, Strategic Planning, Future Directions, Service Bureau, and more. Lappin has also been selected to serve on numerous Executive Committees and, most notably, was elected ICCFA President for 2014-15. Additionally, he was an original Trustee/Board member of the ICCFA Educational Foundation and was integrally involved with the inclusion of The Jewish Funeral Directors of America, Inc. (JFDA), as well as expanding the relationship between the ICCFA and the Latin American Association of Cemeteries and Funeral Services (ALPAR) by attending their events in Panama, Guatemala, and Spain.
1965: Raymond L. Brennan
1965: Eric S. Marmorek
1969: Roy Hatten
1969: R. Lee McNitt, Jr.
1970: William Boyd
1975: George Young
1981: Herschel Auerbach
1981: James E. Watkins, Jr.
1986: Frederick Llewellyn
1987: Robert G. Garrison, CCE
1987: Kenneth R. White, Sr.
1988: John T. Bailey, CCE
1989: Alvin E. Melton, CCE
1990: C. H. Shackelford
1991: Robert G. Neel
1992: Charles B. Locke, CCE
1993: H. E. Burton, CCE
1994: Frank L. Karnes, Jr., CCE
1995: Daniel E. Reed, CCE
1997: Harry “Hap” D. Bledsoe, CCE
1999: Harold Brown
1999: Hugh Keatley, CCE
2000: Edward C. Laux, CCE
2000: J. Asher Neel, CCE
2002: B. David Daly, CCFE
2004: Irwin W. Shipper, CCE
2006: Samuel B. Saxton, CCE
2008: Robert T. “Ted” Nuckolls, CCE
2009: Robert A. Gordon, Sr., CCFE, CCrE, CSE
2011: Robert M. Fells, Esq.
2012: Arlie T. Davenport, Jr.
2013: Richard T. Sells, CCE
2014: David J. Shipper
2015: Frederick W. Miller, CCE, CSE
2018: Paul M. Elvig
2022: Jim Price, CCFE, CCrE
2022: Bill Wright, CCE
2024: I. Frederick Lappin, CCE