FINAL_FW2607-08_DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 26
L AU N C H
Movers & Shakers
Melissa Chiu will step down as director of the
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden to
become director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim
Museum in New York. Chiu has led the
Hirshorn, part of the Smithsonian Institution,
since 2014, overseeing a period of growth,
expanded public engagement, and strengthened
fundraising.
Henick
In Memoriam
Walter Pondorfer
Walter Pondorfer, founder of Austria-based
Funtime and an entrepreneur at the Vienna
Prater, died in a small aircraft crash in Croatia
on June 4 at the age of 64. Originally trained as
a church roofer, Pondorfer developed his first
Pondorfer
attraction at the Prater in 1995 before founding Funtime, maker of the towering Star Flyer ride. Pondorfer is
survived by his family, including daughter Viola, who continues
operating attractions at Vienna’s Wurstelprater (Prater).
EBERSOLE MORTUARY
Pat Ternes passed away in April at the age of
65. He began his career with BRC Bearing before
joining Chance Rides Manufacturing as a customer service troubleshooter in 1987. He retired
in August 2025 after 38 years with the company.
Ternes
Ternes became known not just for his technical
knowledge and reliability, but for the relationships he cultivated
and the integrity he brought to his work.
PRATER
Funworld | JULY/AUGUST 2026 | IAAPA.org/Funworld
Krofft
Plevneshi
Patrick J. Ternes
SID KROFFT
Sid Krofft passed away peacefully on April 10
at the age of 96. A lifelong puppeteer, Krofft was
known at the artistic half of the Sid and Marty
Krofft partnership, which created several children’s television shows in the 1960s and 1970s.
NEID FUNERAL HOME
Harry “Henny” Henninger Jr. passed away on
June 2 at the age of 80. Henny joined the family business at Kennywood in West Mifflin,
Pennsylvania, working his way up from
locker room attendant at the pool to CEO of
Henninger
Kennywood Entertainment. He’s remembered
for creating the Steel Phantom roller coaster (and its subsequent
transformation into Phantom’s Revenge), the Lost Kennywood
land, developing the Sandcastle water park, and acquiring
Idlewild Park, Lake Compounce, and Storyland before retiring
in 2007. In addition, Henny twice served on the IAAPA Board of
Directors.
Elvis Plevneshi passed away suddenly in
January at the age of 50. A native of Albania,
she was a long time executive at leading Turkish
games distributor Meridyen Spor. Remembered
as a trusted business partner eager to embrace
new challenges.
INTERCARD
Düpmann
Harry Henninger
In 1961, the pair created Les Poupees de Paris, which played at
World’s Fairs in Seattle and New York, and later, they produced
puppet shows for Six Flags, Coney Island (Ohio), and Kings
Island. In 1976, the brothers opened the short-lived indoor theme
park, The World of Sid and Marty Krofft, in Atlanta.
Elvis Plevneshi
DÜPMANN FAMILY
Rolf Düpmann
AMBROSE FUNERAL HOME
Daniel Dudley passed away in February at the
age of 87. Hired as Maryland’s first ride inspector in 1972, Dudley later became an independent
ride inspector. In the 1980s, he was a cofounder
of the National Association of Amusement Ride
Dudley
Safety Officials (NAARSO), remaining involved
into the 2020s. In 2010, Dudley received AIMS International’s
first Red Wood Award, which recognizes the most outstanding
contributions to amusement ride inspection and midway safety.
Sid Kro昀昀t
Chiu
by Jim Futrell
Daniel Dudley
Rolf Düpmann passed away in March at the age
of 71. For more than 30 years, Düpmann served
as CEO of FAB (Freizeit-Anlagen-Bau S.a.r.l.,
later FAB Luxembourg S.A.). Cofounded with
Helmut Schreiber, FAB is a Luxembourg-based
distribution partner of rides and attractions.
HIRSHHORN MUSEUM
Guggenheim Names New Director
In April, Meow Wolf named Matthew Henick
as chief executive officer following a year-long
search. Henick joins from The Trade Desk, where
he served as senior vice president of consumer
products. He previously led Deep Voodoo as
CEO and held roles at Epic Games, Meta, and
BuzzFeed. In his new role, he will lead the company’s next phase of growth.
MEOW WOLF
Meow Wolf Appoints Chief Executive
L AU N C H
24
by Coralie Juillet and Funworld Editors
