Museum trustee Dori Bachman received the 2013 Štefan Banič gold medal for her lifetime contributions to the sport of skydiving as owner of ParaGear Equipment Company. On behalf of the Banič Foundation chairman of the Board Slavo Mulik, Dori was honored during the museum’s three-day Hall of Fame weekend celebration at Skydive Chicago,Ottawa, IL.
Lowell Bachman, Dori’s late husband, founded ParaGear in 1960 in the Chicago area and Dori joined him as his partner when they married in 1970. She and her two sons, Chris and Curt, maintain the business, having sold parachuting equipment to well over 125 countries to date.
The Štefan Banič Parachute Foundation was established in 1997 by Texas resident Slavo Mulik to recognize and honor those who have made significant contributions and/or achievements in skydiving. The foundation's goal is to enhance and promote the sport in honor of the inventor of the parachute in 1914, Štefan Banič of Slovakia, who became a US citizen.