MILLINOCKET (AP) – An avid snowmobiler who pushed the Polaris company to make a snowmobile appropriate for Maine’s rugged terrain will become the state’s first entrant into the national Snowmobile Hall of Fame and Museum.

The late E.B. Campbell, a mechanic and bush pilot from Millinocket, kept calling the engineers at Polaris headquarters in Minnesota in 1957 to tell them their snowmobiles weren’t tough enough for Maine. He cajoled them to come take a look for themselves, and when they did so in 1958 they ended up putting him on their team.

Campbell helped Polaris design and test its snowmobiles and equipment, bought one of the state’s first snowmobile dealerships and formed one of Maine’s first snowmobile clubs. He is considered one of the fathers of the snowmobiling industry and he helped Polaris, one of the nation’s largest snowmobile sellers, conquer the New England market.

He “was a pioneer for the sport and led the way in many things,” said Loren Anderson, president of the Snowmobile Hall of Fame and Museum in St. Germain, Wis.

“He did a lot of the factory testing and worked on local club issues, trail development. He was one of the founders of Maine’s early snowmobile clubs,” Anderson said.

The hall will hold its 19th annual induction on Jan. 12, honoring Campbell and three others.

Campbell, who died of a malignant brain tumor at age 52 in 1971, will be represented by his wife, Elizabeth, and three sons at the ceremony. He was nominated to the hall eight years ago but didn’t make it in until this year, being the leading vote-getter, said Steve Campbell, one of his sons, who lives in Millinocket.

More than 200 people were on the ballot, and only two are selected from his category annually, making Campbell’s selection a rare honor, Campbell said.

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On the Net:

Snowmobile Hall of Fame: www.snowmobilehalloffame.com.