I have been feeling a bit nostalgic lately given that this past June marked two special anniversaries, one for the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, and one for me personally and my time working in the wonderful world of sports heritage.
The NWOSHF milestone was the hosting of the organizations 50th Annual General Meeting, with their first AGM having been held in 1977. That meeting was the culmination of many years of planning on the part of a number of people dating back to the 1950s and 60s. Plans began to become more formalized in September of 1975 with the formation of a steering committee spearheaded by Royal Canadian Legion Central Committee member, and long-time Sports Celebrity Dinner Chair Fred Bragnalo, and then Confederation College Board of Governor, and former NHLer, Edgar Laprade.
A great deal of work was done by the committee with a number of citizens, groups and agencies getting involved.
Joe Greaves was hired as an early Curator for the organization, and an arrangement was made with the Lakehead Board of Education to rent two rooms on the second floor of the former Twinhaven School, located at 435 Balmoral Street, with an official opening held on October 28, 1978, eventually expanding to take over the entire floor.
A few years later an induction process was put in place and a call for nominations was made to the public. The first slate of inductees entered the NWOSHF in 1982 at ceremonies held at the former Ortona Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion on Dease Street.
On September 26th of this year, the Class of 2026, which includes athletes Justin BeauParlant, Carter Hutton and Ron Stansfield along with builders of sport Norman Bevilacqua and Bill McDonald and the members of the
2005 Thunder Bay Bombers Allan Cup winning hockey team, will make their way into the hall at the 43rd Induction Dinner and Ceremonies being held at the Valhalla Hotel. With this induction a total of 197 athletes, 104 builders and 53 teams will have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to our region’s sports heritage.
Tickets for the event are available by calling (807) 622-2852.
In 1996, a lease agreement was made with the City of Thunder Bay which saw the organization raise the funds needed to renovate and move into the former Fort William Land Registry Office, and one-time home of the Thunder Bay Museum, at 219 May Street South, beside City Hall, where they remain today, welcoming visitors Tuesday to Saturday from Noon to 5pm.
The facility features a hall of fame and an exhibit gallery designed to resemble the various venues of sport including a ski chalet, an arena and an old style stadium, all containing memorabilia and photographs from years past. Educational programs and tours are offered for schools and groups and a sports library and archives are available for researchers.
My special milestone happened forty years ago this past June. After graduating from McMaster University, I travelled from my hometown of Toronto to Thunder Bay to spend what was just to be one summer. While I was here I noticed that the NWOSHF had posted a position that combined two of the things I love, sports and history, so I applied and got the job. As the summer was coming to an end, and I was making plans to return to Toronto, the board offered me a full-time position. I said that I would try it for a year and the rest, as they say, is history.
Over the past four decades I have had the honour of getting to meet so many wonderful people from all walks of life and experience some pretty special moments. When we hosted a convention of sports halls of fame from across Canada we treated the delegates to helicopter rides over Big Thunder.
At the next meeting, our hosts in Calgary reciprocated with bobsled rides down the Olympic track. Other special moments have seen me in the Notre Dame locker room, golfing at Glen Abbey, drinking champagne from the Stanley Cup, rubbing shoulders with sports stars from around the world and being given special behind the scenes tours of such sports shrines as Lambeau Field and the halls of fame of hockey, football, tennis and baseball, to name just a few.
Apart from the perks of the job, I have also been given the opportunity to conduct radio and television interviews, write sports history articles and videos, design and install exhibits, discover amazing artifacts, organize yearly induction ceremonies and volunteer for national sporting events and organizations. Whenever I have the chance to speak to youth who are thinking about what path to go down,
I give them the following advice. If someone offers you a job in a field that was not necessarily on your life’s master plan, don’t be afraid to take a chance because you never know where the road will take you.
The best part of my 40-year career has been the opportunity to work alongside the multitude of volunteers, donors, sponsors, funders and staff who have all played a part in preserving and honouring our rich and proud sports heritage. To everyone who I have met, and who has helped me along the way, thanks for the memories and here’s to more to come.
