Bonnie Hill never met Keith Whitley of Sandy Hook, but the Louisville resident is on a mission on behalf of Elliott County’s most famous native son: She wants the singer enshrined in the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.

Hill has collected nearly 2,000 signatures on a petition she has posted on the Internet calling for Whitley’s enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. Among those who have signed the petition are Bluegrass legends Ralph Stanley and J.D. Crowe and Alan Frizzell, brother of Honky Tonk legend Lefty Frizzell.

Whitley had recorded a string of hits including “Don’t Close Your Eyes” and “I Wonder Do You Think of Me” and sold more than 3 million albums at the time of his 1989 death from alcohol poisoning at the age of 33. His songs are still performed by stars including Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson and Alison Krauss and Whitley’s brother Dwight has gained a measure of success by performing Keith’s songs.

However, the Country Music Hall of Fame includes only a rather small percentage of those who have made it big in country music. Even the 83-year-old Ralph Stanley — member of the Grand Ole Opry and a recipient of the National Medal of the Arts and a number of Grammy Awards — is not in the Hall of Fame.

The biggest obstacle to Whitley’s enshrinement is that his career was so brief. Because he died at the height of his fame, we are left to wonder just how huge an impact he could have had on country and bluegrass music if he had not died so young.

Nevertheless, the fact that Whitley continues to have such avid fans as Bonnie Hill nearly 20 years after his death says much about his impact. He may not ever make the Country Music Hall of Fame, but his music will continue to be heard for generations to come.