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| Media Releases For 2009-2010 |
| 07/08/2010 Board Announces 2010 Sports Hall of Fame Inductees |
| 05/17/2010 Sports Hall of Fame Selects Candidates for 2010 |
| 09/18/2009 Family Affair at Induction Ceremony |
| 09/15/2009 Former Panthers Basketball Star Carrie Carleton will be Inducted into Chatham Sports Hall of Fame |
| 09/15/2009 Roy 'Doc' Miller |
| 09/15/2009 Baseball Builder Gets his Due |
| 09/15/2009 Chatham Diamonds shone brightly in '97 |
| 08/26/2009 Did you Know "DOC" Miller? |
| 08/21/2009 Chatham-Basketball Player to be Inducted into Sports Hall of Fame |
| 07/10/2009 Board Announces 2009 Sports Hall of Fame Inductees |
| 05/25/2009 Sports Hall of Fame Selects Candidates |
| 03/26/2009 Sports Hall of Fame Seeks Nominees |
| Media Releases For 2008-2009 |
| 09/11/2008 Bourne to be a Champ |
| 09/10/2008 Hall of Fame Team Work |
| 09/10/2008 One of our Most Gifted - Dennis McCord |
| 09/03/2008 Dale Lahey to be honoured at induction event |
| 07/12/2008 Hall of Fame Names Class of 2008 |
| 06/09/2008 Lahey a candidate for Sports Hall of Fame |
| 06/09/2008 Hall of Fame Awards Bursaries |
| 09/12/2008 Class of '08 |
| 06/09/2008 Hall of Fame to Announce 2008 Inductee's |
| 05/16/2008 Strong Crop of Candidates for Hall of Fame |
| 03/25/2008 Hall of Fame Seeks Nominees |
| 02/20/2008 Keeping His Legacy Alive - Babcock Fund Established |
| 01/01/2008 Coach Gives 35 Years of Service - Mort Giles |
| 01/01/2008 Brian Wiseman Inducted to Hall of Fame |
| 01/01/2008 Larry Babcock Remembered |
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| 2010-07-09
The Board of Directors of the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame is
proud to announce the 2010 inductees
into the Hall.
As a result of voting by 78% of the 172 eligible members, the following will become Honoured Members of the Hall of Fame.
The Board congratulates all four of these new inductees as well as the other individuals and teams who were nominated, especially those whose names appeared on the ballot. All unsuccessful nominations will remain on file and will automatically be considered in succeeding years. New nominations must be submitted by April 15, 2011 to be eligible for next year's voting. Nomination forms are available at the W.I.S.H. Centre or from Bill Robinson (519-436-1095). The Annual Dinner and Induction Ceremony will take place on Thursday, September 16, 2010. Tickets for the dinner will go on sale on August 1st at the W.I.S.H. Centre or from any of the directors, specifically Jay Teetzel (519-354-2333). The cost is $40.00 for adults and $20.00 for children under 10 |
CHATHAM
SPORTS HALL OF FAME NEWS RELEASE RE: 2010 CANDIDATES FOR
INDUCTION
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| Family
affair at induction ceremony
The Chatham Diamonds celebrated more than their induction into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame last night. It was also a reunion for the close-knit baseball team that won silver medals at the 1997 Canadian senior championship. "It was like a second family for a lot of guys," said co captain and shortstop Steve Donald. "We were together for so long. "It was more than baseball back then. We'd always be at someone's house for pool parties and card parties." The players' families also became part of the team. Many of the 190 guests at the W. I. S. H. Centre were their relatives.
|
| Former
Panthers basketball star Carrie Carleton will be inducted
into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame
The five-foot-11 Carleton combined the size and strength of a power forward with the vision and ball handling of a point guard. "She could see the whole floor," Day said. "You can't teach it. You see someone out of the corner of your eye and ... zap!" Carleton and Williams led the Panthers to OFSAA 'AA' gold medals in 1985. Despite losing Williams to graduation, the Panthers moved up to the 'AAA' level in 1986 and reached the OFSAA semifinals. Carleton also played two years with Team Ontario, winning a silver medal at the Canada Winter Games and a bronze medal at the Canadian junior championships. Reunited with Williams at college, Carleton went to the NCAA Division II tournament as a freshman and a junior. The Lakers lost in the opening round each time. "It's neat to say we made it there because so few teams do," she said. The four-year starter averaged 11.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in her career, twice made the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference all-star team and was on the All-GLIAC defensive team. She was inducted into the Grand Valley State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000. Carleton turned down offers to play professionally in Europe like Williams, who was elected to the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. "I had that opportunity, but at that point I was in my fourth year of university and engaged to be married and ready to come home and was accepted into teachers' college," Carleton said. She has no regrets. "Going to play in Europe would have been an experience, but not what I wanted at the time," she said. Carleton also won two OFSAA gold medals with McGregor in 1991 and '92 as an assistant coach under Frank Henry. She's now the Panthers head coach and also coaches with the Chatham-Kent Wildcats club program. Her passion for basketball is as strong as ever. |
| ROY 'DOC' MILLER
Not much is known about former major-league outfielder Roy (Doc) Miller beside his statistics. Almost a century after he retired, those numbers from the dead-ball era are still impressive. Among Canadian big-leaguers, the Chatham native ranks in the top 30 in career hits (507), RBIs (235), at-bats (1,717), runs (184), stolen bases (64) and batting average (.295). Miller, who died in 1938 at age 55, was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in June. He'll be enshrined again tonight by the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame. The former Chatham Collegiate Institute student played for four National League teams from 1910 to 1914: Chicago Cubs, Boston Braves (also known as the Doves and Rustlers), Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds. His finest game was on May 16, 1911, when he went 3-for-4 with two home runs, four RBIs and two runs. Only 11 other major leaguers had a two homer game that season, according to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Miller hit 12 home runs in his career. He enjoyed his best season in 1911. He led the NL with 192 hits and his .333 batting average ranked second, only .001 behind Hall of Fame shortstop Honus Wagner of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Miller set a major-league record in 1913 with 21 pinch hits. The record stood for 19 years, and Miller still ranks seventh on the all-time single-season list. He earned his nickname by getting a medical degree from the University of Toronto during his playing days. After hanging up his spikes, he practised medicine in New York City. He was a specialist in skin diseases and cancer, according to a Chatham Daily News article after his death. |
| Baseball builder gets his
due
The Chatham Sports Hall of Fame display at the W.I.S.H. Centre celebrates several players influenced by the late Ross Day. He'll finally join them tonight. The co-founder of the Chatham Minor Baseball Association will be inducted as a builder during the annual ceremony. Day spent roughly 30 years with the association as an executive, director and coach. He died in 1996 at age 68. "He was a mainstay of the bantams," said CMBA co-founder Doug Allin. "He ran it for years and years." Day never married and had no children, but he made an impact on hundreds of Chatham youngsters. "He had the younger people in mind," Allin said. "It's an old cliche, but it still stands. If you could do something to change a boy's attitude (and) make him a better citizen, that's what we all had in mind. "If you ended up with a Fergie Jenkins or a Bill Atkinson or a Doug Melvin, that was the icing on the cake." Day, Allin and Joe Zimmer held the first meeting for the Chatham Minor Baseball Association in 1946. There were no organized team sports for children in the city back then. "He just liked working with kids," said Day's brother, Doug. "He enjoyed that very much. That was the big motivator." Ross Day was a fixture at Stirling Park every summer. He coached in the bantam house league and was also in charge of the bantam all-star team. "Pretty busy time," Doug Day said. "Of course, he enjoyed it, so he'd never say he was too busy." He wa s coaching the bantam allstars in 1957 when Jenkins, a lanky first baseman, became a pitcher. Day guided the Chatham Bantams to five Ontario Baseball Association championships in the 1950s and '60s. Winning the title often meant playing five rounds of playoff series. "If you won an OBA title in those days, you had to really work for it," Allin said. Day drove players to and from the ball park if they needed a ride. He'd take them out for hamburgers and hotdogs and pop after the games. "I know Ross went into his pockets for kids who couldn't afford it," Allin said. "... Times were tough in those days after the war." Volunteers collected bottles to raise money when the Chatham Minor Baseball Association began. They also went door to door selling toothbrushes for a dollar. Day liked other sports, too. He was a co-owner of the Chatham Jr. Maroons in the early 1970s. He played basketball when he was young. After selling the Maroons, he began refereeing high school hoops. " It was another thing that got him back in with the young people," Doug Day said. Ross Day also became an avid golfer, playing three times a week with Doug after retiring from Union Gas in 1986. His nephew Ron Day - Doug's son - is being inducted tonight with the 1997 Chatham Diamonds senior baseball team. "It's going to be a good evening," Doug said. Miller among Canada's best ball players. |
| Chatham Diamonds
shone brightly in '97
The Chatham Sun-Out Diamonds won plenty of championships, just not the one they wanted. That changed in 1997 when the senior baseball team won the Ontario elimination tournament after years of falling just short. "Other teams had said, 'You guys have been knocking on the door for five or six years,'" pitcher and co-captain Terry Oulds said. " Then finally we won it." The storybook season eventually came to an end with silver medals at the Canadian championship in Mt. Pearl, N.L. The Diamonds will be back in the spotlight tonight when they're inducted into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame at the W.I.S.H. Centre. "It was just a close bunch," Oulds said. "We played hard, played to win every game. We had guys who were committed and the guys got along well." The 1997 season came during a stretch when the Diamonds won eight straight league championships: seven in the Western Counties league from 1993-99 and the Essex County league in 2000. Until '97, though, they didn't enjoy that same success at the Ontario elimination tournament. "We probably didn't do as well as we thought we were going to do," manager Bill Twigg said. "... I think the best we ever did previous to winning was third." They won all six games at the 1997 eliminations in Windsor, including a 5-1 victory over the hometown Stars in the final. " Jeff Stephenson pitched the game of his life against the Windsor Stars," Twigg said. Stephenson tossed a complete-game five-hitter in the final. Rookie catcher Jeremy McGowan was named the tournament MVP after batting 11-for-17. " Everything came together that week," Twigg said. "We got good pitching, we had great chemistry, we got along and we had a little bit of luck." The Diamonds lost only one game all season before going to the national championship - and that loss was a bit of a fluke. Twigg was away for the game, so players had fun by pulling names out of a hat to choose their positions. As Ontario champions, they were one of the favourites at the national tournament. They lost 5-4 to the Red Deer Riggers in the final. The Diamonds relied all year on a deep pitching staff. The lineup was talented, but small. "We made up for it with hustle and a lot of determination," Twigg said. "We didn't have a lot of power hitters, but we went small ball a lot. ... " They were small in stature but big in heart." Many Diamonds players came up through the Chatham Minor Baseball Association. The roster was filled out with a few out-of-towners, mostly pitchers. "We just kept adding guys here and there, and everything came together that year," Oulds said. "We kept adding arms until we had enough." The pitching staff included Bill Atkinson, who played four seasons with the Montreal Expos from 1976-79. He was inducted into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. Atkinson was 43 in 1997, but he still had a major-league curveball and loads of experience. "He didn't have a lot left in the tank, but when he pitched, he gave it everything he had," Oulds said. "He was a competitor." The Diamonds came close to winning the Ontario elimination title again, losing in the 2002 final and the 2004 semifinals. They disbanded just before the 2005 season |
| Did you know
"Doc" Miller? The Chatham Sports Hall of Fame want to hear from you The Chatham Sports Hall of Fame is seeking the family of Roy Oscar "Doc" Miller, an inductee to this year's ceremony. Miller, originally from Chatham, was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame earlier this summer. He was born, Feb. 4, 1883 and died July 31, 1938. Miller married but the couple never had children. Some of his family may still reside in this area. His parents are R.O. Miller, a prosperous merchant in the city. Miller attended Chatham Collegiate Institute and the University of Toronto where he received his medical degree in 1911. Between 1903 and 1914, Miller played professional baseball, the last five in the major leagues. He went on to practice medicine in New York City, becoming a specialist in skin diseases and cancer. Miller has two brothers, Reg Miller of Oakland, California and Dr. Thurlow Miller of San Francisco. He also as one sister Ethel Miler of Oakland and a third brother who died in Los Angeles a few years before his own death in 1938 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Miller is buried in Maple Leaf Cemetery in Chatham. If you are related to "Doc" Miller or have further information that could be helpful to Chatham Sports Hall of Fame contact chairman Jay Teetzel at 519-354-2333 or email djteetzel@cogeco.ca. |
| All-American Chatham basketball player
to be inducted into sports hall of fame
As a kid, Carrie Carleton just wanted to play basketball. Now as an adult, she wants to give her kids the same opportunity to find their passion. Carleton is one of the four new inductees into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame this September. She was selected for the modern category. "It really is an honour to be a part of that," she said. "It's a proud moment to be a woman athlete." The Chatham native first stepped out onto the hardwood at the age of five when her parents bought a basketball hoop for their driveway. Carleton said she isn't sure when the game became her passion, she just sort of fell into it. "You've got to love the game to put the work into it." In high school where she was named John McGregor Secondary School female athlete of the year three times over. In 1987 she accepted a full scholarship to play basketball for Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In her final two years at university she was named to Division II All American teams. While the memories of each level of play have stuck with her, Carleton said when she thinks back now it's her teammates that she recalls most fondly. "When you get that special group of girls together, that's when championships happen," she said. "Whether it's 30 minutes or two minutes, its all a part of the championship." Carleton's accolades while at JMSS mounted to include being named provincial MVP by the Ontario Ladies Basketball Association, a county all-star in junior and senior basketball throughout high school, leading her team to the Kent and SWOSSA championships and making Panthers history as the first time a county girls' team to compete at OFSAA. Despite a broken ankle during a basketball tournament in Grade 11, Carleton went on to play the last game of the season, as well as senior volleyball and compete at OFSSA and secure JMSS female athlete of the year again. In Grade 12, she was a county all-star, again making history for winning a provincial championship at the OFSSA "AA" level. She was also named MVP at Jacyee Pink and White tournament. For the third year in a row, Carleton picked up JMSS female athlete of the year title, winning the Kent and SWOSSA finals and placing fourth at OFSSA "AAA" division. In January of her senior year of high school, she was named to Ontario Women's Team winning a silver medal at Canada Winter Games in Sidney, Nova Scotia. Carleton entered Grand Valley State University in 1982 as a starter for all four years. As a freshman she and the team won the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship and first ever NCAA Division II championship. As a sophomore she was named defencive player of the year. In her junior year the team won the conference championship and was named All-American fourth team, All-GLIAC first team and All-GLIAC academic team. Finally in her senior year, she was named All-American third team, Academic All-American, All-GLIAC first team and All-GLIAC academic team. After university, the opportunity presented itself to Carleton to travel to Europe to play for a woman's league. She declined the offer and decided that she would give teacher's college a go at the University of Windsor. She was shortly thereafter married to her husband Rob, also of Chatham. The couple now has three daughters, Sarah, 13, Bridget, 12 and Rachel, 8. Carleton notes that her accomplishments were made with hard work and a love for the game, as well as the never wavering support of her parents. "I'm happy for my parents, too," she said of accepting the local award. "They gave me a lot of opportunity. I'm just as happy for them as I am for myself," she said. While Carleton hasn't stepped out onto the court for competition in a few years, she is never far from her love of basketball. As a high school teacher, she is also the senior girls' basketball coach for John McGregor Secondary School. "I want to be a good role model and show the girls that hard work pays off. "I want my kids - my own and the ones I coach - to have fun and a good work ethic which is important in life and on the court." In 2000, Carleton was inducted into the Grand Valley State University hall of fame. To have her name linked with the caliber of players that have come out of Chatham is still a humbling experience. "I'm just a kid that liked to play." |
| Board
Announces 2009 Sports Hall of Fame Inductees
The Board of Directors of the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame is proud to announce the 2009 inductees into the Hall. As a result of voting by almost 70% of the 144 eligible members, the following will become Honoured Members of the Hall of Fame. Athlete - Modern - Carrie (Dillon) Carleton - basketball Athlete - Legend - Roy "Doc" Miller - baseball Builder - Ross Day - minor baseball Team - 1997 Senior Diamonds - baseball The Board congratulates all four of these new inductees as well as the other individuals and teams who were nominated, especially those whose names appeared on the ballot. All unsuccessful nominations will remain on file and will automatically be considered in succeeding years. New nominations must be submitted by April 15, 2010 to be eligible for next year's voting. Nomination forms are available at the W.I.S.H. Centre or from Bill Robinson (519-436-1095). The Annual Dinner and Induction Ceremony will take place on Thursday, September 17, 2009. Tickets for the dinner are on sale now at the W.I.S.H. Centre or from any of the directors, specifically Jay Teetzel (519-354-2333). The cost is $35.00 for members and $40.00 for non-members. |
| Sports Hall of Fame selects
candidates
The Chatham Sports Hall of Fame has 16 candidates for the Class of 2009. All but three have been on the ballot before. Figure skater Joelle Batten Daigneau, basketball player Carrie Carleton, boxer Jamie Jefferson and multisport athlete Bob Smith are candidates in the athlete-modern category. Basketball player Ron Blommers, baseball player Roy (Doc) Miller, curler Shirley Pilson and football player Randy Rybansky are in the athlete-legend category. Ross Day, Jane Saville, Bill Stobbs and Bob Weedon are in the builder category. The team candidates are the 1979 Chatham midget baseball team, 1987 Chatham peewee baseball team, 1997 Chatham Diamonds senior baseball team, and 1983-84 and '84-85 Maple City Ice Crystals junior synchronized skating teams. Day, the Ice Crystals and the midget baseball team are finalists for the first time. The annual induction banquet and ceremony will be Sept. 17 at the W.I.S.H. Centre. Batten-Daigneau was a medallist at the Canadian junior figure skating championships, made the national junior team and competed internationally. Carleton, nee Dillon, was a conference all-star at Grand Valley State University and made two trips to the NCAA Division II basketball playoffs. Jefferson was an Ontario and Canadian junior boxing champion and an Ontario senior champion. Smith was a basketball and football all-star at McGregor, played one hockey season for the Chatham Jr. Maroons, and has won provincial and national slo-pitch championships. Blommers won two Canadian championships at Saint Mary's University in 1978 and '79 and played with the national basketball team. Rybansky was an Ontario university all-star running back at Wilfrid Laurier. He played in the CFL in 1985 and '86 with Toronto and Hamilton. Miller had a career batting average of .295 in five majorleague baseball seasons from 1910-14 and finished second in the 1911 National League batting race to Hall of Fame shortstop Honus Wagner. He'll be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame next month. Pilson was on nine curling teams that won provincial titles and then competed at Canadian championships, including six as a skip. Day co-founded the Chatham Minor Baseball Association, stayed active in the league for 30 years and coached five bantam teams to provincial titles. Stobbs has been a director, chairman and president for numerous junior and senior hockey teams, leagues and associations. Weedon has been president of the Maple City Slo-Pitch League for three decades and is an executive member of the provincial association. Saville volunteered with the Chatham Figure Skating Association for 55 years. The 1997 Sun-Out Diamonds won the Ontario elimination baseball tournament and were runners-up at the Canadian championship. The 1987 McDonald's peewee baseball team won the Ontario 'AA' championship, capping a threeyear run by the team's nucleus that included two provincial titles and a second-place finish. The 1979 Erie and Huron Beverages midget baseball team won the Ontario elimination tournament and placed fourth at the Canadian championship. The Ice Crystals won medals at the Western Ontario, Central Canadian, Canadian and MidAmerican championships. Hall of Fame voting begins June 1. The winners will be announced July 10. Anyone interested in being a voting member of the Hall of Fame must pay an initial fee of $20 and then an annual fee of $10. Once $ 50 has been paid, he or she becomes a lifetime voting member. Go to the W.I.S.H. Centre or call Harold Gillies at 519-3526427 for a membership form. Banquet tickets go on sale July 1. They'll be available from all Hall of Fame directors |
| SPORTS HALL SEEKS NAMES
The Chatham Sports Hall of Fame is accepting nominations for the Class of 2009. The four categories are: athlete modern, athlete-legend, builder and team. Athletes must be retired for at least five years to be eligible for nomination. Nomination packages are available at the W.I.S.H. Centre, online at www. chathamsportshalloffame.com and from Bill Robinson (519-436-1095) or Jay Teetzel (519-354-2333). Nominations from previous years are kept on file, so people should call Robinson to learn if a candidate has already been nominated. The deadline is April 15. |
| Class
of '08 sports hall welcomes its newest inductees
|
| Bourne to be a champ busy shae-lynn home for hof induction
The coaching and choreography keep Bourne so busy, she doesn't tour full-time anymore. She still squeezes in some shows, though. "I'm truly enjoying my life," she said. She has no plans to put away her skates. Entertaining fans is too much fun to quit. "You can only do it for so long," she said, "and I'm still young enough I still have it in me to perform." She went to the 2006 Turin Olympics as an assistant coach to then-husband Nikolai Morozov. (They divorced last year.) They coached Arakawa to a gold medal in ladies singles and Ukrainian dancers Elena Grushina and Ruslan Goncharov to bronze. "It was amazing," Bourne said. "It was different from being out there and skating, but it was a real thrill." She and Kraatz, a Vancouver native, were 10th at their first Olympics in 1994 at Lillehammer, Norway. They went again in 1998 to Nagano, Japan, and in 2002 to Salt Lake City, Utah, finishing fourth each time. They won four bronze medals and a silver at the worlds before making history in 2003. They were the first North American ice dancers to be world champions. That gold medal was the highlight of her career. "I just felt so much energy, like a big weight fell off my shoulders," she said. They turned from competitive skating to ice shows after their triumph. That lasted only a few months, however, before Kraatz ended their 13-year partnership. They were inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame in 2007. It's been quite a career for someone who left Chatham at age 11 and met Kraatz at 15. "It wasn't my goal to be an ice dancer," Bourne said. "I wanted to be a pairs skater as a young girl. "I didn't have anyone I looked up to in ice dance. When I started with Victor, we had our own look and our own style." They didn't make a conscious effort to be different than the traditional, staid dancers. Their athleticism and energy just made them stand out. Bourne also credits choreographer Uschi Keszler for their trademark hydro-blading, a technique that had them skate very low to the ice. "She had these sort of wild, crazy ideas and we were her guinea pigs," Bourne said with a laugh. "We tried it, and it worked." |
| Hall of Fame teamwork The '86-'87 all-ontario bantam 'aa' champions earned their place in hall
They were still celebrating when Dinning was told about the all-Ontario tournament that brought together champions from all the province's minor hockey groups. It meant a long, expensive trip north after a long, expensive season. Dinning was reluctant to tell the parents. "Their only reply (was), 'OK, Johnny, let's get going. Let's do it,'" he said. Chatham fell behind 3-0 in the all-Ontario final to Goulding Park, the Metro Toronto champions, before storming back for a 4-3 lead. The game was tied at four until Kevin Sabourin deflected Dave Maine's shot for the winning goal with 35 seconds left in the third period. "There are times you sit there and think, wow, somebody must be smiling on us," Dinning said. The Major Bantams had a lot of reasons to smile that season. One of the biggest was their trip to Sweden. They successfully bid to represent the OMHA, based partly on their previous success. (They'd been to the prestigious Quebec peewee tournament and won a Silver Stick as minor bantams.) Fundraising for Sweden began on New Year's Day 1986. They went door to door collecting empty pop and beer bottles. They also hosted shows by the World Wrestling Federation and Second City comedy troupe, washed cars, sold hotdogs and hamburgers, ran bingos - anything to make money. Sporting new red-and-white jerseys with Chatham written in a maple leaf, they played in a tournament and some exhibition games on the two-week journey. "It's 20 years ago, but we still talk about things that happened there," Sabourin said. "That was really the trip of a lifetime." He doesn't remember the scores. He does remember billeting with Swedish families and playing for his country. "That's what sticks out for me," Sabourin said. "You're representing Canada and you're in another part of the world." The players were already close when the season began. The year-round fundraising and the trip overseas just brought them closer. They overcame the loss of Wiseman, a 2007 Hall of Fame inductee, with great teamwork and chemistry. No one cared who scored, just that they won. "They were smart," Tim Bossence said. "Those kids were all really smart. Easy to teach, easy to coach because they listened and learned." He added: "One word to describe that season was discipline. They stayed with the game plan and they stayed out of the penalty box and worked the specialty teams methodically." Dinning praises Bossence and his other assistant coach, Mike McKellar, for all their work. And just as important, he said, were the supportive parents. "It just seemed even the parents were on the same page because they knew what we were heading for," he said. |
| One of our 'most gifted Sports Hall of Fame will induct the first Chatham player to reach the nhl, Dennis Mccord
McCord excelled at every sport he played - and he played a lot of sports. He was a champion swimmer with Olympic potential, said his wife. He set track and field records at McGregor. He transferred to Chatham- Kent Secondary School and was a kicker on the football team. He starred for five Chatham baseball teams that won provincial championships and was invited to try out for the Philadelphia Phillies. He also played lacrosse. "Dennis was probably one of the most gifted athletes that this city has ever had," Aitken said. McCord didn't start playing hockey until he was eight or nine, but he quickly made up for lost time. He'd beat the rink attendant to Memorial Arena in the morning and wait by the back door. He wanted to skate before going to high school. "He was always about doing 100 per cent," Brenda McCord said. "If you're not going to give 100 per cent, don't bother doing it. He was like that for everything." He signed with the Jr. Maroons as a 14-year-old in 1966 and played two seasons with his hometown club from 1967-69. After one season with the Toronto Marlies and Kitchener Rangers, he rejoined the Maroons for the 1970-71 season and was chosen the top defenceman and a first-team all-star in the Southern Ontario junior 'A' league. "His greatest attribute or gift was he was a team player," Aitken said. The five-foot-nine, 198- pound McCord went out of his way to stand up for his teammates. "He could throw 'em," Aitken said. "He was tough. He had all kinds of guts, but the biggest thing about Dennis was his heart. He had a lot of heart." McCord played for the London Knights in 1971-72 and was chosen by the Vancouver Canucks in the eighth round of the 1972 NHL draft. Two minor-league campaigns followed with the Western Hockey League's Seattle Totems. Finally, late in the 1973-74 season, the Canucks called him up. He was skating by the net during his third game when his knee slammed into a goalpost, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament. The knee had been hurt before, but never so badly. "That was basically his pro career-ending injury," said his youngest son, Kent. "He never came back (to the NHL)." He played part of the 1974- 75 season with Seattle in the Central Hockey League, then split one more minor-league season in Fort Wayne, Ind., and Tulsa, Okla., before retiring in 1976. He was never the same after the knee injury. He didn't want to keep playing if he wasn't at his best, so he hung up his skates and came home to Chatham to be a truck driver. He loved the job because he didn't have to uproot his family anymore. His short-lived hockey career wasn't discussed. "There were people who worked with him for years and didn't know he played in the NHL," Kent McCord said. "He wouldn't bring it up." Even his kids - sons Kevin and Kent and daughter Kerry - had to ask about his playing days. He wouldn't volunteer the information. Both sons would follow in his footsteps and play for the Maroons. |
| Hall-mark of excellence
Ursuline Lancers coach Jeff Denomy, a CKSS graduate, is one of the many players in whom Lahey instilled a love for the game. "The thing I remember most is his knowledge," Denomy said. "Dale, he knew every little piece of information. He was very up to date. He does his research." He still calls Lahey with questions and invited him to join the Lancers at the OFSAA tournament two years ago as a scout. "Dale's a great guy to pick his brain," Denomy said. "He knows the game inside and out." It's been rewarding for Lahey to see many of his former players give back to the sport. "A lot of them volunteer," he said. "There's quite a few of the guys that have gotten into coaching, so I'm happy with that." He and Ingrid were among the first inductees to the Ontario Volleyball Association's Quarter Century Club in 2004 for their years of service. Their sons also had great success on the volleyball court. Scott played at the University of Calgary and went to three Canadian university championships, while Cory went to two Canadian college championships with Durham and Niagara. |
| Hall of Fame names
Class of '08 NHLer deNNIS MCCord aMoNg THIS year'S INduCTeeS
Dennis McCord didn't seek attention for his hockey career that included a brief stint in the NHL. However, he would have been pleased by his selection to the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame, said his son Kent. McCord, who died in 2005, was one of four inductees announced Friday. He'll enter the Hall in the athlete-legend category. "It's nice," Kent McCord said. "It's just too bad he wasn't still alive when it happened. "I know my mom and brother and sister will be happy. It'll be a nice tribute to him." Figure skater Shae-Lynn Bourne (athlete-modern), high school volleyball coach Dale Lahey (builder) and the 1986-87 Chatham Branch 28 major bantam hockey team will also be inducted Sept. 11 at the W.I.S.H. Centre. Bourne and Lahey were on the ballot for the first time, while McCord was a finalist for the sixth straight year. The '86-87 major bantams had also been in the running before. McCord was a scrappy, physical defenceman who moved from the Jr. Maroons to play Major Junior 'A' hockey in Toronto, Kitchener and London. He was an eighth-round draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks in 1972. He played three games with the Canucks in the 1973-74 campaign. He spent four seasons in the pros until knee injuries forced him to retire in 1976. "If he was here, he'd be honoured (to be inducted)," Kent McCord said. "But he never cared too much about it. He was more into having fun and getting stuff done around the house and spending time with his family."
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| Lahey a
candidate for sports hall of fame
Dale Lahey hopes to join some familiar faces as a builder
in the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame. Lahey, 58, spent 30 years
as a volleyball coach at Chatham-Kent Secondary School and has
been involved in a myriad of sports in Chatham. "I'm
excited to follow in a category with Mort Giles," says
Lahey, referring to the man who was Lahey's coach in
volleyball at the former Merlin high school. "My brother
(Larry) was inducted in 2002." Lahey and other nominees
in the four categories will know by Friday whether they have
been inducted into the hall. Winners will be inducted during
the annual Hall of Fame dinner, set for Sept. 15. Lahey is up
against the late Jane Saville, who was involved with the
Chatham Figure Skating Club for 55 years; Bill Stobbs, who has
been involved in minor hockey and baseball for more than 40
years; and Bob Weedon, who has been involved with slo-pitch in
Chatham for 30 years. Stobbs and Weedon were nominated last
year. Lahey worked for several years as an umpire in the Maple
City Slo-Pitch League, of which Weedon is president. Lahey
retired in 2004 after 30 years as a volleyball coach and
mathematics teacher at Chatham-Kent Secondary School. In a
span from 1977 to 1998, Lahey led the Hawks to 18 appearances
at OFSAA, with gold medals in 1989 and 1993 and four bronze
medals as head coach. Lahey and his wife Ingrid founded the
Chatham Ballhawks Volleyball Club, and in 1976 founded the
Southwestern Ontario men's and women's volleyball league. The
couple also co-coached the Boys Ontario Summer Games team to a
gold medal in 1991. In 1976 he became an Ontario Volleyball
Association referee and continues to referee games. In 2001,
he became founder and president of the Chatham-Kent Volleyball
Officials Association. His son Scott is among the top beach
volleyball players in Canada and Dale and Ingrid are coaching
two girls involved in beach volleyball. While Lahey believes
"most people would vote for me because of
volleyball," he has been involved with a number of other
sports at school and within the community. Lahey coached the
CKSS junior boys soccer team to six Kent championships from
1991 to 1996, and in five of those six years, his teams were
SWOSSA champions. He coached wrestling teams to two OFSAA
appearances and earned one senior and one junior Kent
championship in badminton. In 1987, 88 and 90 he was a travel
manager with Chatham Minor Baseball and from 1973 to 2007 was
an umpire in baseball and slo-pitch. Lahey has been awarded
the Retired Teachers of Ontario Volunteer Award for a quarter
century of service at CKSS' a board of education Award of
Appreciation in 2005 won the Outstanding Contribution to
Athletics award at the school and the Ontario Volleyball
Association award of achievement in 1988. |
| Hall of Fame awards
Bursaries
Chatham Sports Hall of Fame has awarded $300 bursaries to four high school students who have helped at school sporting events. This is the fifth consecutive year that the Hall has awarded bursaries. The bursaries are for students who have helped coach, manage, keep score, fundraise or do other tasks, outside of playing. The students received their awards at their schools. The winners are Phil Mynwening, Chatham Christian High
School; Ryan Hamm, Chatham-Kent Secondary School, Daren Ebere,
John McGregor Secondary School and Meghan Freeburn, Ursuline College. |
| Hall of Fame to
announce '08 inductees
The Chatham Sports Hall of Fame board of directors is expected to name the 2008 inductees within the next week. Jay Teetzel, chair of the hall, says that ballots were to be tabulated on Friday, and the winners' names are to be announced within a few days. The winning candidates will be inducted into the hall at its annual dinner scheduled for Sept. 11, at the WISH Centre. The nominees this year are : Athlete modern (retired for at least five years): Joelle Batten Daigneau, Shae-Lynn Bourne, Carrie (Dillon) Carleton and Jamie Jefferson. Carleton was also a candidate in 2007. Athlete legend (someone who played the sport 21 or more years ago): Ron Blommers, Dennis McCord, (deceased) Shirley Pilson (deceased) and Randy Rybansky. All of them were candidates in 2007. Builder: Dale Lahey, Jane Saville (deceased), Bill Stobbs and Bob Weedon. Stobbs and Weedon were candidates in 2007. Team: 1938 CYO juvenile baseball, 1986-87 Br. 28 Legion hockey, 1987 peewee baseball, and 1997 Sun Out Diamonds senior baseball team. The 1987 peewee baseball team is the only new team nominated. Batten-Daigneau was born in Chatham in 1970 and won a number of women's skating events from 1986 to 1992, including a gold medal at the 1991 senior ladies Western Ontario Championship. Bourne, 31, teamed with partner Victor Kratz to win eight senior skating championships between 1993 and 2003. She took home fourth spot in the Winter Olympics in 1998 and 2002. She was inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame in 2007. Bourne is chair of the Every Life Counts Chatham-Kent Physician Recruitment Campaign. Carleton, 40, was named Female Athlete of the Year in each of her last three years at John McGregor Secondary School. In April 1987, she accepted a scholarship to play basketball at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich. In the spring of 2002, she was inducted into the GVSU Hall of Fame. She teaches and coaches basketball at McGregor. Jefferson, 35, a former nominee, started boxing at age 11, and became Ontario Junior Champion at age 13. He was named Boxing Ontario Athlete of the Year in 1988. In the legend category (competed 21 or more years ago), Blommers was twice a member of the championship St. Mary's University National Basketball Team. McCord, who died in 2005 at age 53, was a defenseman with Chatham Maroons and played professional hockey in the minor leagues. He played minor hockey and baseball in Chatham. Pilson, who died in 1991 at age 70, skipped six women's curling teams that won provincial championships. Rybanski, 47, was an all-around athlete at John McGregor Secondary School, helping his school win a basketball title in 1976-77 and playing on Kent and SWOSSA football championships. He went on to play college football at Wilfrid Laurier University and played in the CFL with Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He coaches football at Ursuline College. In the builder's category, Lahey, 58, who attended Merlin
District High School, was involved in volleyball as a player
and coach at CKSS for several years. He and his wife Ingrid
co-founded Chatham Ballhawks Volleyball Club. Stobbs, 73, has
been a volunteer with hockey and baseball teams in Chatham for
more than 40 years. He has served with a number of
organizations including the Chatham branch of the Canadian
Mental Health Association. Jane Saville, who died in 2004 at
age 82, helped form the Chatham Figure Skating Club and was
involved with the organization for 55 years. Weedon, 63, has
served as president of Maple City slo-pitch League for the
past 22 years in which it has grown from four to 86 teams. He
has been a player, coach and umpire and has helped oversee a
number of upgrades at local ball parks. In the team category,
the 1987 peewee baseball team was managed by Murray Peterson
and coached by Carl Snelgrove and Bill Twigg. It finished with
a 50-9 winning en route to winning the OBA AA title. The
1986-87 Legion bantam hockey team represented Canada at a
tournament in Sweden and won six of nine games. They also won
three major bantam tournaments that year. The 1997 Chatham Sun
Out Diamonds senior baseball team placed second in the
Canadian championship in Newfoundland and finished the Western
Counties championship with a record of 29-1. The 1938 CYO
juvenile baseball team became the first juvenile squad to win
an Ontario Baseball Association title. |
| Strong crop
of candidates for Hall of Fame Shae-Lynn Bourne Among those eligible for Induction into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame The latest batch of candidates for the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame is a mix of old and new names. It's an impressive group that includes a world champion, an NHL player, a CFL player, an all- American and Canadian medallists. Five are candidates for the first time. The other 11 were on the ballot before, including 10 returnees from last year. The newcomers are figure skaters Shae-Lynn Bourne and Joelle Batten-Daigneau, volleyball coach Dale Lahey, figure skating volunteer Jane Saville and the 1987 Chatham McDonald's peewee baseball team. One candidate from each of the four categories will be chosen for induction by Hall of Fame voters. The Class of 2008 will be announced July 11. The annual induction ceremony will be September. 11 at the W.I.S.H. Centre. The candidates are:
Athlete-Modern Bourne won 10 Canadian senior ice dance championships with partner Victor Kraatz. They captured four bronze medals at the worlds, one silver and in 2003 became the first North American dancers to win a world championship. The three-time Olympians were inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame in 2007. Batten-Daigneau, who is Saville's granddaughter, won gold (novice ladies) and bronze (junior ladies) medals at the Canadian championships. She twice skated at the senior national championships, placing seventh in 1992 and 14th in 1993. Carleton was a multi-sport star at McGregor before going to Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich., on a basketball scholarship. She was a two-time all-American and was inducted into the Grand Valley Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000. Jefferson won Ontario boxing championships at the junior, intermediate and senior levels. He also won medals at the Canadian championships and the Canada Winter Games, as well as Detroit Golden Gloves titles. Athlete-Legend Blommers led Chatham-Kent Secondary School to its first OFSAA basketball title in 1977. He also won two Canadian university hoops championships with St. Mary's and played with the men's national team. McCord starred in several sports but excelled at hockey, making the Chatham Jr. Maroons as a 14-year-old. He played major junior with Toronto, Kitchener and London before enjoying a pro career that included three games with the Vancouver Canucks in 1973-74. Pilson won numerous New Brunswick curling championships and competed at the nationals before moving in the mid-1970s to Chatham. She twice skipped Chatham Granite Club teams to the Ontario senior ladies championships. Rybansky starred as a running back at McGregor and at Wilfrid Laurier University. He played three seasons in the Canadian Football League and went to the 1985 Grey Cup with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Builder Lahey won two gold medals and four bronze as the CKSS head coach at the OFSAA volleyball championships, plus two more gold as an assistant coach. He also co-founded the Chatham Ballhawks volleyball club and coached teams to medals at the provincial and national levels. Stobbs has been involved in hockey for more than 30 years as a general manager, team executive and league official. He is also a longtime director with the Ontario Hockey Association. Saville volunteered with the Chatham Figure Skating Club for 55 years. She chaired many committees and did countless jobs at the administrative level. Weedon has been president of the Maple City Slo-Pitch League since 1978. He is also an executive member of Softball Ontario and the Slo-Pitch Ontario Association. Team The 1938 CYO Juveniles were the first Chatham juvenile team to win an Ontario Baseball Association championship. The 1986-87 Bantams won the Ontario Minor Hockey Association and All-Ontario Challenge banners. They were also chosen by the OMHA to represent Canada at a tournament in Sweden during the Christmas holidays. The 1987 Peewees won the OBA 'AA' championship to cap a great three-year run. They were the OBA 'AA' tyke champs in 1985 and the 'A' peewee runners- up in '86. The 1997 Diamonds won the Ontario senior elimination tournament and were silver medalists at the Canadian championship. They also won their fifth consecutive Western Counties league title. |
| Hall of Fame seeks nominees
The deadline to nominate candidates for the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame is Tuesday, April 15. Candidates can fall into four categories: athlete-modern, athlete-legend, builder and team. Athlete-modern nominees competed within the past 20 years and have been retired for at least five years. Athlete-legend nominees competed 21 or more years ago. Builders can be individuals or groups, such as coaches, administrators, officials or supporters. Candidates must have some connection to Chatham. To receive more information or a nomination package, call Bill Robinson at 519-436-1095 or Jay Teetzel at 519-354-2333. Packages are also available at www.chathamsportshalloffame.com and at the W.I.S.H. Centre. |
| Keeping
his legacy alive BaBcOck fUNd EsTaBlisHEd
Babcock was inducted into the Chatham-Kent Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. He is also a member of the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame and the Chatham Collegiate Institute Sports Hall of Fame. Babcock began his career as a lawyer with Alan Eagleson in Toronto and later returned to Chatham in 1969 to open a practice with childhood friend Al Hinnegan. He launched his own practice on Victoria Avenue in 1987. Babcock served as a trustee on the former Kent County Board of Education, was president of the Chatham YMCA Pool Sharks and coached minor softball and hockey. He was an avid golfer and played in the local old timer hockey league. "The family is very appreciative of the financial support we've received from father's many friends in the community since his untimely passing," said daughter, Alexandra Babcock. "It's great knowing the memorial fund will help keep dad's legacy alive in his hometown." |
| BRIAN WISEMAN JOINS CHATHAM SPORT'S
HALL OF FAME
Brian Wiseman played his first NHL game at Maple Leaf Gardens on Hockey Night in Canada. His second game was the following night at Joe Louis Arena. For a kid who grew up in Bothwell and Chatham, the stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs couldn't have started much better. Wiseman played only one more game in the National Hockey League, but he has no regrets. His time in the NHL, like his six-year pro career, was short but sweet. "Too many good things happened on my career path to look back on woulda, coulda, shoulda," said Wiseman, 36.
Wiseman learned at a young age how to handle the media spotlight. Interview requests for the scoring whiz came from all over. "I was extremely fortunate - I do believe, some people may not - I had a lot of attention when I was nine and 10 years old," he said. "I scored 413 goals in novice and broke Wayne Gretzky's record apparently." Wiseman continued to pile up points in one junior 'C' season with the Dresden Kings and three junior 'B' seasons in Chatham. He gained 313 points in three seasons with the Micmacs. In 1989-90, he set an Ontario Hockey Association record with 147 points in 40 games. "Brian probably handled it better than anyone else on the team," Jacklin said. "Guys would try to bring up his points and (say to the officials), 'Oh, Brian got an assist.' And Brian didn't want it if he didn't earn it, which was commendable for someone his age." Wiseman was more than just a points machine. He was a team-first player and a great leader, Jacklin said. If a teammate was forced to run stairs at Memorial Arena as punishment, Wiseman ran as well. He worked hard and expected the same from his teammates. "Once a month, they could run their own practice and guys hated it when Brian got the whistle," Jacklin said. "He was tougher than I was." The historic season helped Wiseman earn a scholarship to
Michigan. "I wanted to be a contributor on the team right
from the start, and I was confident that I could," he
said. He was right. After a 58-point freshman season in
199091, he was named the Central Collegiate Hockey Association
rookie of the year. The New York Rangers chose him in the 12th
round, 257th overall, of the 1991 draft. What made Wiseman so
great? "His puck skills, his smarts, his vision, his
patience," Berenson said. "A lot of people thought
he was a playmaker, but he could also score. He could score as
well as anyone in the league." He went to the Frozen Four
with the Wolverines in 1992 and '93. As a senior, he captained
them in 1994 to their first CCHA tournament championship. He
finished with 248 points, including a school-record 164
assists, in four years at Ann Arbor. Wiseman next conquered
the pros: five years in the IHL with the Chicago Wolves and
the Houston Aeros, plus one with the St. John's Maple Leafs of
the American Hockey League. He played with the Baby Leafs in
1996-97, the same season he was called up to Toronto.
"The thing that hurt me the most is he didn't get a real
crack at the Leafs," Jacklin said. "... He would
have excelled the same way in the NHL, no doubt in my mind at
all. He just had that ability to take his game up to the next
level." Wiseman always heard critics say he was too
small. Then he proved them wrong. "I always said he's
six-foot four when he gets the puck," Berenson said. In
1999, he led the IHL in scoring with 109 points, won the MVP
award and captured the Turner Cup with Houston. "If you
look at how players play the game and how good the players
are, you couldn't take your eyes off Wiseman," Berenson
said. Injuries slowed him in 1999- 2000, which proved to be
his final season. He returned to Michigan for two seasons as
an administrative assistant from 2000-02. Then he spent one
with the Dallas Stars as a video coach and another with
Princeton University as an assistant. |
| Coach
gave 35 years of 'service' Volleyball tutor MORT Giles
Enters sports hall Of fame
If not for one special coach, Mort Giles might have become a construction worker. Instead, he went to university, became a teacher and then laid the foundation for decades of volleyball success in Chatham- Kent. Giles, who coached for 35 years, will be inducted into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame in the builder category Thursday at the W.I.S.H. Centre. "I'm really looking forward to it," he said. "It'll be a highlight of my life." Giles won three OFSAA 'A' boys championships at Merlin in 1967, '72 and '74. He later won an OFSAA bronze medal with the Blenheim boys team and a bronze with the McGregor girls. However, his impact goes far beyond three provincial titles and dozens of Kent championships. Giles, 63, instilled a passion for volleyball in hundreds of players. Several became successful coaches. Three of his former players - Dale Lahey, Randy Bartlett and Jim Smyth - have combined to win 11 OFSAA gold medals as head coaches. "At the time, he was the best around," said Bartlett, who won two OFSAA golds in Merlin playing for Giles. "... For around this area, Kent County, he would probably have been the main guy who got things going." Now retired, he lives in London with Liz, his wife of 40 years. Giles attended West Elgin high school, a volleyball power in West Lorne that produced many future coaches. Graduates include current West Kent Coun. Bryon Fluker, who guided the Tilbury boys team to OFSAA 'A' gold medals in 1988. Giles credits his career path to West Elgin coach Lloyd Smith. "I was really close to him and he encouraged me," Giles said. "I probably wouldn't have gone to university without his encouragement and support. When you come from a family of 11 kids, it's a lot of money for university." Giles didn't have much growing up. He learned to appreciate what he had and make the best of a situation. Smith taught him to strive for more. Although his 10 younger siblings have been successful, Giles is the only one who went to university. He made a vow to Smith upon entering the University of Western Ontario. "I promised him when I got out I would help other kids the same way he helped me," Giles said. Consider the promise kept. Lahey remembers hanging out with Giles after practices in Merlin, chatting like friends. "He was quite a father figure to me," said the retired Chatham- Kent Secondary School teacher. Giles has jokingly referred to Lahey, Bartlett and Smyth as "my three sons." He also coached basketball, badminton, and track and field at Merlin. His dedication and effort motivated the players. "What made us good would be the fact Mort kind of led by example," said Bartlett, a CKSS teacher. "He worked so hard, it was a good example for the rest of us." The next stop for Giles was Blenheim. "Before he came
to Blenheim, volleyball was just something to do until we got
to basketball season," Smyth said. "I think when he
came, he got the program there going and got us to enjoy the
game of volleyball." He also turned them into winners.
"He's ... very competitive," Smyth said. "Does
not like to lose and prepares his teams so they're going to
have that success. I think he was driven as a coach to have
success, and the players saw that and wanted to succeed for
him." He later took his Midas touch to McGregor. Winning
at three schools makes him worthy of Hall induction, Lahey
said. "It's one thing to build something at one
school," he said. "It's another thing to keep
jumping around and do a great job wherever you go." Giles
still officiates. He also helps at the annual Volleyball Kent
Camp, where he soaks up the energy of the young players.
"I think that's the secret: being around them," he
said. "I feel young. I don't look in the mirror anymore.
I feel like a young person." Giles. |
| LARRY BABCOCK REPRESENTED TRADITIONAL
VALUES THAT ENHANCED OUR COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE
"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee" ( John Donne) It would be a difficult task to imagine too many other local citizens whose death conjures up the essence of the above quote as well as the life and recent unfortunate death of Larry Babcock.
Larry Babcock was from "the old school" of responsibility, involvement and genuine concern for his community. After graduating from the University of Michigan he could have, very easily, never come home to Chatham again. No one would have thought ill of him if he had forsaken his boyhood home for the likes of a big American city or if he had taken his law degree and fled to Toronto in pursuit of a exciting and promising law career in a big firm specializing in high profile clients. His old home town would have understood. In fact many would have cheered him on and some would have even taken great delight in following his career somewhere else and, like many others did with his hockey accomplishments, taken great delight in enhancing their own lives by living vicariously through him. But.....that was not his style. After university he came home and with his good friend Al Hinnegan set up a law practice in a modest, far-from-glamorous office on Victoria Avenue. One might have forgiven him for being preoccupied with his legal responsibilities and sports and ignoring other aspects of life in the community but he did not. I was always amazed at the places I would see him and the many arts, culture and heritage interests that he and his equally accomplished wife "Dot" possessed. Together they made a wonderful team that knew what was going on in ALL aspects of their community and supported as many things as they could. Our paths crossed a number of times over the years. He was a neighbor who lived down the street and his interests often intersected with mine. He was a strong supporter of the Chatham Public Library and when they sponsored an activity like a reading and discussion regarding CBC's Canada Reads Contest, I was surprised to see him there showing his support and expressing his interest in and concern for the literary side of life in Chatham. His interests spanned arts, culture, music, drama, education (he served on the Kent Board of Education), world events and even local history. On more than one occasion he would comment on something that I had written in this column and would provide a relevant insightful review on what I had written. His always perceptive comments demonstrated to me not only a keen interest in local arts, culture and history but an unspoken but obvious support for anyone else in the community trying to make Chatham a better place to live. When I had a new book published, he would not only know about it but be one of the first in line to buy a half dozen or so books to give to his friends at Christmas time. Once upon a time there were many men like Larry Babcock in Chatham. They knew their community inside out and made special efforts to be part of the community. They knew that it was their responsibility to support all those things in a community that made it a better place to live. In the early 1900s, Chatham was alive with businessmen, politicians, lawyers, doctors, teachers and other educated as well as like-minded citizens from all walks of life who worked together to create a cultured, multi-faceted, richly textured society. It was a form of "noblesse oblige" in the best sense of that word. They knew that, which Larry Babcock also clearly understood. They knew that they had been given gifts of power, prestige, wealth, intellect, artistic talents, athletic ability and a honoured position in the community in which they lived. They also clearly understood that with these gifts came great responsibility. They knew, as Larry Babcock did, that it was their duty to be involved in as many aspects of their community as possible. They, like Larry Babcock, felt an over developed sense of responsibility to not only their families but to their community as a whole. They knew that if they did not get involved, show interest, invest their time, money and expertise that their community would never grow, and that it would never truly be cultured and progressive. Larry knew these things. He lived a life that few, unfortunately, choose to live in this modern age. He was involved. He cared for things beyond himself and his immediate concerns. He saw the big picture. He saw his role in the development of that big picture and never allowed himself to be pigeon holed into smaller pursuits. We desperately need more people like Larry Babcock in this day and age. We need people who will unselfishly give of themselves, to work each day to make this place a better place to live. Too many of us give up, narrow our pursuits or get discouraged and give up before we even give it a good try. Larry Babcock was a man full of vision, passion, care , concern, and love. A love that embraced, nurtured and gave tremendous support to his immediate family but also to the community as a whole which he obviously saw as a meaningful extension of his own extremely talented family. Some will remember him as a great athlete, others as a top notch lawyer, others still we remember him as the perfect husband and father but I , in my brief acquaintance with him , will forever see him as the archetypal citizen who was always ready to offer a sympathetic smile, a helping hand, a kind word and a man who had a passion for his community and all that it was, and all that it could be. Some men see things as they are and simply say "Why"? Men like Larry Babcock see things that never were and choose to say "Why not?" We should all strive to be, in our own way and using our own unique talents and gifts to be more like Larry Babcock. He was a shining example for us all. He represented the best that exists within us all and demonstrated, on a daily basis, what we could all be if we strove hard enough, had enough passion, developed enough eclectic interests and chose to truly care about the place in which we live. Larry Babcock was, as Shakespeare so eloquently put it "a man, take him for all in all, we shall not look upon his like again". |
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Copyright © 2007 Susan L. Grant |Last Updated: 29/07/2010 |
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