HALL OF FAME HAPPENINGS - Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of

Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame
Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
219 May Street South
Phone (807) 622-2852
Fax (807) 622-2736
Thunder Bay Ontario P7E 1B5
email: [email protected]
www.nwosportshalloffame.com
“Representing the Districts of Kenora, Rainy River and Thunder Bay”
FALL/WINTER 2014/2015 Newsletter
HALL OF FAME HAPPENINGS
Our staff and volunteers continue to be hard at work providing our region with a great
tourist attraction, educational centre, research facility, artifact repository and a place of
permanent citizen recognition. We also continue to work in partnership on a number of
projects including Thunder Bay’s commemoration of the centennial of the First World
War, having recently opened a new exhibit entitled The Impact of War on Sport during
Doors Open. We were pleased to help out the 55+ Centre with their Olympic themed
volunteer recognition night. Confederation College students and local producers continue to
Northwestern Ontario use the Hall of Fame for projects and it was great to see The Dozen, a film produced by
Sports Hall of Fame Kirsten and Chris Kosloski, which included a segment filmed at the Hall of Fame, be
screened at the Bay Street Film Festival. Another of our partnership projects, the
2014/2015
publication A Century of Sport in the Finnish Community of Thunder Bay, earned some
Board of Directors
great recognition by wining an ISHY Communication Award from the International Sports
Dave Siciliano
Heritage Association and was also voted Best in Show by the delegates attending the
President
group’s conference in Nashville. Thanks to the efforts of Scott Srigley you can now
Harry Curtis
Vice President
purchase this book online at the Hall of Fame website (www.nwosportshallofame.com), as
John Garland
well as buy your membership and make a donation under the ‘Store’ tab. Our many
Secretary
fundraising projects continue to help us keep the doors open. Special thanks to our
Marlene Wright
members, donors, sponsors, dedicated bingo volunteers and all those who support the Fred
Treasurer
Bragnalo Memorial Golf Tournament, Fame 500 Club Lottery, Go Canada Go Raffle and
Phil Jarvis
Two-Bit Auction. It is because of your ongoing support that the Sports Hall of Fame has
Past President
been able to continue to preserve and honour our region’s rich and proud sports heritage.
Doug Colbon
Jane Crossman
Domenic Filane
Shannon Harris
Councillor Larry Hebert
Rob Murphy
Lou Pero
Steve Poling
Lawrence Timko
Glen Wilson
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Staff
Diane Imrie
Executive Director
Kathryn (Kate) Dwyer
Curator
Part Time
Judy Gerry
1. Hall of Fame Honoured Member Jack ’Baldy’ James stopped by for a visit and had the chance to check out
the football display that features his former team the Fort William Redskins.
2. Executive Director Diane Imrie attended the International Sports Heritage Association conference to accept
an ISHY Communication Award for A Century of Sport in the Finnish Community of Thunder Bay which was
also judged Best In Show by the ISHA delegates.
3. Hall of Fame curlers Al Hackner and Heather Houston met up with Hall of Fame boxer Domenic Filane at the
Fort William Curling Club to check out the mural designed by Heather and manufactured by Domenic.
4. The Front 9 winners of the Fred Bragnalo Memorial Golf tournament included (l-r): John Schelling, Ron
Haworth, Ralph Stewart and Ron Ventrudo.
Proud Member of:
International Sports Heritage Association (ISHA), Canadian Association for Sport Heritage (CASH), Canadian Museum Association (CMA),
Ontario Museum Association (OMA), Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce, Arts & Heritage Alliance (AHA)
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Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame
In Memoriam
Names In The News
Lothar Bode (‘89)
Edgar Laprade (‘82/’83)
In the Board Room: At the AGM in June we welcomed Dave Siciliano as the new
President of the Hall of Fame. We extend a big thank you to Past President Phil
Jarvis for his dedication and on-going support. Thanks as well to retiring Board
member Lynne Peters who joined the Board in 1991 representing Confederation
College and remained as a member at large. A dedicated volunteer, Lynne contributed
her talents in a variety of ways and most recently initiated our Two-Bit Auction and
Go Canada Go Raffle. Welcome to Glen Wilson who has joined the Board.
David Allin (‘84)
Ray Antoniak (‘83)
Walter Christiansen (‘84)
Jim Johnston (‘85)
Bev McCool (‘82)
Our sincere condolences to
their family and friends.
Their legend will live on in
the Sports Hall of Fame…
Memorial Donations
& Planned Giving
A wonderful way to help
honour family and friends by
helping to preserve the
memory of sport for future
generations to come.
Hall of Fame Store
Now on-line
Shop at our Virtual Store
at
nwosportshallofame.com
make donations
buy memberships
order books
2015 Membership Drive
‘Join Our Team’
Individual: $25
Family: $40
Business/Organization: $60
Staff News: The Hall of Fame was fortunate to have two students join our team this
summer with Matt Soramaki and Jon Brownlee conducting oral history interviews
and updating our honoured members profiles. Best wishes and thanks are extended to
Katie Sutton as she moves on from the Hall of Fame. Congratulations and thanks to
Judy Gerry who is celebrating her 25th year as a part-time member of our staff.
Congratulations to Hall of Fame Executive Director Diane Imrie and Curator Kate
Dwyer who serve on the Board of the Canadian Association for Sport Heritage
(CASH). Diane has also been asked to sit on the Ontario Museum Association Task
Force Looking Ahead: Realizing the Full Potential of Ontario’s Museums
Volunteers are Special People: In June, five of our wonderful volunteers received
Ontario Volunteer Service Awards which were presented at a special ceremony at the
Valhalla Inn. Congratulations and thank you to Betty Dwyer (25 years), John Zupan
(25 years), Phil Jarvis (20 years), Marlene Wright (20 years), Dom Filane (5 years)
Sports History Column: Be sure to check out Diane Imrie’s column Where Legends
Live On, in The Chronicle-Journal every second Thursday.
Thanks for the Support!
Community Museum Operating Grant: A big vote of thanks to the Ontario Ministry
of Tourism, Culture & Sport for their approval of our 2014 CMOG allocation.
Summer Employment Grants: Thanks to the Government of Ontario through the
Summer Experience Program (SEP), and the Government of Canada through the
Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) grant program, for making our summer jobs possible.
City of Thunder Bay Cultural Funding Grant: The Sports Hall of Fame is very
fortunate to receive the support of the City of Thunder Bay. Be sure to let your
Councillors know how much you appreciate their support of our sports heritage.
‘It’s For You’ Thank you to tbaytel for their continued donation of cellular service!
It All Adds Up Thank you to Grant Thornton LLP for once again donating a portion
of their accounting services to the Hall of Fame to carry out our yearly audit.
Thanks for the Memories: Our collection of artifacts and archives continues to grow
Tax-deductible Donation thanks to our Honoured Members, sports fans and the public.
Consider a
Every little bit helps!
Major Funding Partners:
HALL OF FAME NOMINATION DEADLINE January 31, 2015
Nominate an Athlete, Builder or Team
Forms may be picked up or downloaded from our website. Call (807) 622-2852
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Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame
33rd Annual Induction Ceremonies
Close to 300 people were on hand to welcome the Class of 2014 into the Hall of
Fame at the 33rd Annual Induction Ceremonies, held on Saturday, September 27th.
Congratulations to our
newest Inductees and
thank you to our staff and
volunteers who worked
so hard to make the
evening a truly first class
event. Special thanks to
Diane Imrie, John Zupan,
Sterling Finlayson and
Bryan Wyatt for their
work on our induction
videos and to Dallas
Allaire who once again
The Class of 2014 (l-r): Jason Myslicki, Amber Peterson,
did an outstanding job
John Adams, Stephanie Gasparini (representing her brother
serving as our induction
John ‘Gino’ Gasparini), Bill Salonen. (Photos by John Sims)
Master of Ceremonies .
John Sims captured the evening in
photographs and the incredible talents
of pianist Pat Towell and vocalist
Denise Krawczuk added to the success
of the evening. Plan now to attend the
34th Annual Induction Ceremonies set
for Saturday, September 26th, 2015.
The 1996-97 Thunder Bay AAA
Kings Midget Hockey Team entered
the Hall of Fame for their outstanding
accomplishment in winning the Air
Canada Cup as Canadian champions.
Remembering 1975 ...
The Thunder Bay Twins win their first Allan Cup
The Bill Tetley Rink wins northwestern Ontario’s first Brier title
Port Arthur Continentals win the area’s first Major Little League title
Northern Ontario Open Mixed 5-pin Bowling Team win World title
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Publications Available at the Sports Hall of Fame
and on our website store - www.nwosportshallofame.com
Sports Hall of Fame
Educational
Programs
The Sports Hall of Fame
provides programming
for a variety of groups.
We welcome
school classes,
service groups,
day camps,
PA days,
sports teams
and
organizations
to our facility.
CALL or EMAIL
to discuss
opportunities
(807) 622-2852
[email protected]
Visit the
Sports Hall of Fame
OPEN
Tuesday to Saturday
Noon to 5 pm
CHECK US OUT ON THE WEB
Website:
www.nwosportshalloffame.com
A Century of Sport in the Finnish Community
of Thunder Bay
Facebook
Group:
By the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame
and the Thunder Bay Finnish Canadian Historical Society ($25)
NWO Sports Hall of Fame
and Museum
ISHY*
Award
Winner
(*International Sports Heritage Association Award)
Gamble in Goal - By David Nicholson ($20)
Just Another Hat Trick By Ross Brewitt ($22)
Rugged Game By C. Nathan Hatton ($20)
Channel:
nwosport
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Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame
Fundraising For Sports Heritage !
3rd Annual TWO-BIT AUCTION
A big vote of thanks to Lynne Peters, Katie Sutton, our great volunteers and our presenting sponsor
Canadian Tire, and all of the companies and individuals that donated cash and prizes to help make
the 2014 Two-Bit Auction a huge success. The enthusiastic capacity crowd at the Columbus Centre
had the chance to bid on some great prizes and have some fun while at the same time helping to raise
over $8,000 for the Sports Hall of Fame. Start saving those quarters for next year!
Get ready for the 4th Annual Sports Hall of Fame TWO-BIT AUCTION
Thursday, February 26th, 2015, 7:00 PM at the Columbus Centre (301 May Street S)
Fred Bragnalo Memorial Golf Tournament
Our 26th Annual Golf Tournament took place on July 28th under the new name of the Fred Bragnalo
Memorial. A record 134 golfers gathered at the Fort William Country Club for a great afternoon of golf
and an evening of fun, fundraising, a successful silent auction and the announcement of our 2014 Hall of
Fame Inductees. A big vote of thanks to our presenting sponsor RBC and to the numerous volunteers who
made the event a success. Thanks to event Chair Dave Siciliano and his hard working committee members
and to our participants, generous sponsors and prize donors, who all helped to raise over $18,000 for sports heritage.
Congratulations to Front 9 champions Ron Haworth, John Schelling, Ralph Stewart and Ron Ventrudo and Back 9
champions Jim Peterson, Ken Peterson, Larry Peterson, and Myles Peterson.
Gina Frost
David J. Christie ~ Fort William First Nations Arena ~ JML Engineering ~ Lakehead University Alumni
LCPS Chartered Accountants ~ Nor-Shore Ready Mix Concrete ~ Robert’s Plumbing ~ ServiceMaster Restore
Thunder Bay International Airports Authority ~ Thunder Bay Kings AAA Hockey ~ Warehouse 500 ~ Windsor Plywood
Mark Your Calendars & Plan to Attend the
2015 Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame Fred Bragnalo Memorial Golf Tournament
Monday, July 27th, 2015, Fort William Country Club
Congratulations to Janet Verge who was the winner of our July 1st GO CANADA GO Raffle
with ticket #519. Thanks to Porter Airlines who donated the prize of 2 travel vouchers. Thanks
to our great volunteer ticket sellers and our ticket buyers who raised over $4,000. These funds
will greatly assist the Hall of Fame in helping to preserve and honour our regional sports heritage.
2015 FAME 500 CLUB LOTTERY TICKETS - 50 Draws for $50 -
ON SALE NOW!
$10,000 in total cash prizes 50 Chances to win Tickets $50 each Only 500 tickets available
2 - $1000 Draws
8 - $500 Draws
40 - $100 Draws
th
First Draw: July 27 , 2015 ~ Final Draw: September 9th, 2015
Get your tickets today by dropping by or calling the Sports Hall of Fame at 622-2852
Tickets printed
courtesy of
Northern Credit Union
Lottery License #M754523
Don’t miss out on your chance to win some cash and help support the
Sports Hall of Fame..only 500 tickets to be sold..get them before they are gone!

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