Inductees: 1990's
1990
Belleville Nationals
1928 Belleville Nationals – Inducted 1990
The 1928 Belleville Nationals brought the Ontario Senior Baseball Association (OBA) championship to Belleville in late September, 1928 following a 2-1 series victory over the Walkerville Chicks. Walkerville won the first game 15-4 in Walkerville; the second game was back in Belleville with Belleville winning 3-0 as Percy “Hoot” Gibson tossed a three-hit shutout. That game was played before three thousand fans. The third and final game in the series was played at a neutral filed in Guelph, Saturday September 20 with the Nationals posting a 7-5 victory, and out-hitting Walkerville 10-9. Approximately three thousand fans were waiting for the team at the Belleville CN Rail station late Saturday September 29, and a civis reception followed.
In prior series, the Nationals defeated the Bell Telephones of Toronto in OBA semi-final play-off action, winning that best-of-three series in two straight games, the second game a 3-1 home field victory played in front of thirteen hundred fans at the Belleville fairgrounds. In their first series, Belleville beat Oshawa 2-1 in games with an 11-8 victory in the third game. The team was composed of twelve players, four executive members, and a bat boy.
W. Ernie Rowsome was president of the club. Walter Gerow was manager and coach. William “Peeney” Mills was the all-star catcher. Alec Scott was an outfielder. Harry Mills, “Peeney’s” younger brother, was an outstanding first baseman. Wilfred “Wickey” Ross was the team’s centre fielder. Pitcher Percey “Hoot” Gibson was a key player. Shortstop Harry Blakely was a Thomasburg native. Alec Weir, Vernon Weir’s younger brother, was a pitcher/outfielder. Earl “Sonny” green was a native of Point Anne who was a star right fielder. Bob Scott, who was just 19 years old in 1928 and the youngest player in tge team, was the club’s lead-off man. Stan Hagerman patrolled left field as well as acting as the back-up catcher. Stan made only one error during the entire 1928 season. Vincent “Vinny” Utronki was a pitcher. Vernon Weir was the club’s second baseball. Roy Clark was the club’s trainer. Newt Thompson acted as secretary-treasurer. Bat boy was Walt Gerow Jr.. -
athlete, baseball, team,
Dick Ellis
Richard “Dick” Charles Ellis – Inducted 1990
Richard “Dick” Ellis, who died in 1970, loved his ‘Ellis Junior’ and ‘Ellis Sweethearts’ softball Teams.
Dick was one of those people who saw team sponsorship as his way of supporting local sports in the City of Belleville. He acted as sponsor for girls softball, junior boys softball, boys baseball and minor hockey for 20 years and his sponsorship money always went to the youth of the community where financial aid was more necessary. His name will live forever now that the City of Belleville has named its Harder Drive arena “The Dick Ellis Rink”.
Dick spent his entire life in Belleville and was an alderman for several years. -
1990, builder, individual, multi-sport,
Don Gavey
Donald C. Gavey – Inducted 1990
Don Gavey’s “Volunteer of the Year” awards are almost too numerous to mention, and characterize Don as the man behind the scenes in several amateur sports in the City of Belleville. The Aylmer, Ontario native spent most of his adult life in Belleville and was heavily involved in softball, hockey, umpiring, and refereeing, as well as playing semi-professional football, and acting as a football official.
Gavey was president of the Eastern Ontario Fastball League and was also involved in the beginning of the Men’s Slow Pitch Softball League, the Belleville and District Softball League, and was a player, convener, and organizer for the Ontario Amateur Softball Association.
Don’s hockey involvement began as a Junior B player in Woodstock, and eventually he became President and Referee-in-Chief of the Belleville Minor Hockey Association. He ran representative team tournaments for BMHA for seven years, and was also involved in organizing the McFarlands Oldtimers Hockey Team during a time when Oldtimers hockey was booming in Canada. Don died August 25, 1988. -
1990, builder, individual, multi-sport,
John Hayman
John S. Hayman – Inducted 1990
An educator and a coach, John Hayman epitomized the excellence of effort which resulted in several championship teams during his coaching tenure at both Albert College and Quinte Secondary School. John led his basketball teams to seven different Bay of Quinte championships in both Junior and Senior while also winning two COSSA basketball championships and one OFSAA championship for the Province of Ontario.
His involvement in sports went from the role of coach and educator to the role of sports administrator. He was president of COSSA (Central Ontario Secondary School Association) for two years and was a member of the Board of Directors of OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) for eight years, two years as President. He also served on the national CFPSAA Board of Directors for four years and acted as President for one.
Locally, he was President of the Belleville Family YMCA for one year during a five year term as a Member of the Board of Directors. Born in London, Ontario in 1922, John was educated in London and Belleville and received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Western Ontario, where he played three years of Varsity basketball for the Western Mustangs. He was Vice-Principal of Quinte Secondary School from 1961 – 1967 and Principal from 1967 – 1982. -
1990, builder, individual,
Snipe Matthews
James “Snipe” Matthews – Inducted 1990
“Snipe” was a driving force behind Junior B hockey in Belleville, first as one of the original owners of the Belleville Bobcats in the early 1960s, to sole owner from 1971 until he sold the club in 1979. In that time, the Bobcats of the Metro Junior B Hockey League were league finalists on three occasions, winning the league championship in 1976. After selling the team in 1979, “Snipe” remained as club General Manager during a league championship series in 1981 – 1982 when the Bobcats won the Ontario Hockey Association’s Sutherland Cup, emblematic of Junior B hockey supremacy in Ontario.
“Snipe” was honoured by the Ontario Hockey Association in 1982 with Golden Hockey Stick of Merit for his work in Junior Hockey in the province. He was also co-founder and director of the Belleville McFarlands Booster Club in the club’s heyday and World Championship victory in 1959. A World War II veteran who was born in Belleville, “Snipe” is also heavily involved with the Belleville Shrine Club, its annual Shrine Peewee Hockey Tournament and ARC Industries sports as a volunteer official. -
1990, builder, hockey, individual,
1991
Gordie Bell
Gordie Bell – Inducted 1991
Gordie Bell backstopped the Belleville McFarlands to the 1958 Allan Cup senior hockey championship of Canada, the 1959 world hockey championship in Prague, Czechoslovakia and was one of the most respected and idolized athletes in the city of Belleville in the 1950s. A native of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, Bell won a Memorial Cup with Portage La Prairie and played professional hockey in the American Hockey League from 1943 to 1956, where he still holds a league record of nine shutouts set in 1943 while with the Buffalo Bisons. A serious eye injury curtailed Bell’s playing days while tending goal for the McFarlands, but he turned to coaching both at the senior and junior levels as well as with representative teams in the Belleville Minor Hockey Association. He is a member of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and was part of the Belleville Sports Hall of Fame McFarlands’ team inductions in 1989. Gordie Bell died of cancer in 1980. 1991, athlete, hockey, individual,-
Ken Colling
Kenneth J. Colling – Inducted 1991
A former sports editor and police reporter at The Belleville Intelligencer, Kenneth J. Colling was also heavily involved in umpiring during the 1930s and 1940s. Recalled through the annual running of the Ken Colling Memorial Run, the former scribe was once a professional umpiring prospect. He is a life member of the Ontario Baseball Association and was instrumental in getting Eastern Ontario section of the OBA off the ground. Kenneth J. Colling died in 1949. -
1991, builder, individual,
Carol Ireland
Carol Ireland – Inducted 1991
Carol Anne Ireland was among the elite of female archers in Canada in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a member of the Belleville Archery Club.
She won a silver medal at the world archery championships in 1969.
Carol was Canadian national ladies champion twice, Ontario indoor champion on four occasions, was a member of Canada’s world team for three years, Ontario outdoor champion three times, and a member of the Canadian Ambassador Cup team five times. She also was the first Canadian woman to shoot 1,100 FITA (Federation Internationale de Tir a l’Arc (International Archery Federation)), receiving a black FITA star. She also attended the Canadian Olympic Trials in 1972, finishing fourth. -
1991, archery, athlete, individual,
Peggy and Jane McCutcheon
Peggy and Jane McCutcheon – Inducted 1991
The McCutcheon sisters, Peggy (left) and Jane became teenage professional skaters with the Holiday on Ice troupe in 1966, spending four years touring North and South America and other international locations. The Belleville-born sisters began skating in 1954, both earning Canadian Figure Skating Association gold levels for freestyle, compulsory figures and dance but coming together as a pair for carnivals and special performances. An exhibition in Sun Valley, Idaho in 1965 led to the Holiday on Ice invitation and the girls made a decision to turn professional as a pair rather than continue singles amateur skating. -
1991, athlete, ice skating,
1992
Ken Carr-Braint
Ken Carr-Braint: Inducted 1992
Ken Carr-Braint brought his love of the sport of weightlifting to Belleville in 1947. He was the founder of the powerful Apollo Barbell Club, one of the most respected clubs in Canada during its heyday. Apollo lifters, under Ken’s guidance, competed at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, the 1970 Commonwealth Games, the 1972 Olympics in Munich, the 1973 World Championships, and four different Pan Am Games.
Founder of the Ontario Weight Lifting Association and the Ontario and Canadian Teenage Championships. Ken also became involved in the administrative side of the sport, acting as president of the Canadian Weightlifting Federation and serving on organizing committees for several World Championships. He was also a top referee at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, a highlight of his career.
Ken’s greatest joy was seeing his lifters achieve personal goals, be they weightlifting records or simply achieving a sense of confidence and well-being. Ken also helped train children with polio and other crippling injuries: “That’s another kind of victory.” -
builder, weightlifting,
Jack Carson
Jack Carson – Inducted 1992
A life member of the Ontario Baseball Association, Jack Carson’s involvement in the game dates back to his days as a player and an umpire in the 1930s in the South Hastings Baseball League. After playing junior, intermediate and senior baseball in Belleville and area, Jack turned his talents to the administrative side of the game. He was a founding father and the first president of the Eastern Ontario Baseball Association and served in several official capacities with the Ontario Baseball Association including president. His involvement in the OBA lasted from 1954 to 1985. Carson was instrumental in making batting helmets mandatory in baseball in Ontario in the 1960s, one of his proudest accomplishments. He also received a provincial achievement award in 1971 from Ontario premier Bill Davis. -
1992, baseball, individual,
Floyd Crawford
Floyd Crawford – Inducted 1992
“I liked Belleville and thought it was a good place to raise a family.” With those simple words, Floyd Crawford and wife Pauline settled in The Friendly City in the mid-1950s and the rest, as they say, is hockey history. Floyd captained the 1958 Allan Cup champion Belleville McFarlands and led the Macs to a World Hockey Championship in 1959 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. The Crawfords raised nine children in Belleville, several of whom made hockey their livelihood. Floyd and Pauline also are proud of the fact that sons Marc, Bobby and Louie all played in the National Hockey League.
Floyd has acted as coach, assistant coach, scout, director of player personnel and mentor to countless young hockey players since his playing career finished in the 1960s. He coached the Trenton Bobcats to an Ontario junior B title and also guided Team Ontario to a gold medal at the Canada Games in 1984. He is still involved in hockey, acting in a capacity as director of player personnel for the Newmarket Royals of the Ontario Hockey League. -
1992, athlete, hockey, individual,
Larry Maverty
Larry Mavety – Inducted 1992
Larry Mavety’s name became synonymous with junior hockey in the City of Belleville in the 1980s and 1990s, extending a hockey career in the game he loves. Mav’s playing days began in the 1950s, and took the rugged defenceman across North America. His professional career comprised the American and Western Hockey leagues and the World Hockey Association. Mavety’s athletic talents extended to the baseball field where, as a catcher, he was part of an all-Ontario championship, both as a junior and senior player. He helped bring major junior hockey to the city at the tier II and Ontario League levels.
Known as a player’s coach, Mavety brings his hard-nosed style and pursuit of excellence behind the bench, expecting the same dedication and determination from his players, game in and game out. Mav’s interest in developing junior talent and his business association with the Belleville Bulls has seen him decline several offers to enter the ranks of professional coaching. He is the longest serving GM-coach of the Belleville Bulls. -
1992, athlete, hockey,
Harold Townsend
Harold Townsend – Inducted 1998
Few athletes in Belleville’s history can match Harold Townsend’s record of achievements combined with longevity. Inducted into the Belleville Sports Hall of Fame at age 50 (the earliest he could be inducted under the organization’s rules) he’s still excelling at one of the sports that earned him induction, water skiing. Townsend first came to the attention of city sports fans while in high school, excelling both in track and field and on the football field. As a fullback with Quinte Secondary School’s powerhouse football teams between 1967 and 1969 he led the Saints to COSSA gold. Meanwhile, as a member of the school’s track and field team he was a member of the Senior 4 X 100 metre relay team that won a Central Ontario title and finished third in the provincial games. He also participated in the shot put and javelin. Townsend also won COSSA wrestling titles. In 1979 Townsend was declared Quinte Secondary’s Athlete of the Quarter Century. He began water skiing competitively in 1971 and dominates the sport to this day. Townsend was Canadian Senior Water Ski champion in 1985 and 1987. He was virtually unbeatable during a 10 year stretch between 1983 and 1992, winning the Ontario Senior Men’s championship each year. Townsend has represented Canada at numerous competitions and over the four years between 1995 and 1998 won the Men’s IV title. He also competed for the University of Guelph. Also a fine hockey player, he played four seasons of Junior “B” hockey and he’s moved on to coaching representatives teams in recent years. His children have followed in his footsteps. Sara, 18, won the national tricks title six out of seven years and Jim, 16, recently placed sixth at the World Junior Water Ski Championships in Dijon, France. Jim’s also an accomplished hockey player and excels at track for Moira Secondary School. -
1998, athlete, individual,
Art Walt
Arthur Rueben “Art” Walt – Inducted 1992
The first family of weightlifting in Belleville is undoubtedly the Walts, and Art Walt is a big reason for that. Born in Belleville in December 1951, he remains a city resident to this day. Art began his weightlifting career at the tender age of 12, weighing just under 100 pounds. In order to join the Apollo Barbell Club he was required to lift his own body weight overhead. Needless to say, Art Walt succeeded.
He was a member of the Canadian weightlifting team from 1973 to 1975, representing Canada in the 90 kg. (198 pound) class at the 1973 World Championships in Cuba and the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City. Art Walt established both Canadian and British Commonwealth Junior records in the 82.5 kg. (181 pound) class by lifting 275 pounds in the snatch in 1970 and 349 pounds in the clean and jerk in 1971. At the 1971 Canada Games in the 82.5 kg. class he established a games record in the (250 pounds) and total lift (825 pounds in three lifts). A silver medallist at the 1971 Canadian championships, he also won a bronze at the 1976 championships. In 1970 he was the Canadian Intermediate Champion in the 82.5 kg. class and the Ontario Games Champion and record holder in the same class.
Add to his list of accomplishments Ontario Senior and Junior championships and records in various classes. He won the “best lifter” award at the 1969, 1970 and 1971 Eastern Ontario Teenage Weightlifting championships. A portent of his future success came in 1968 when the 16-year-old Art Walt became the youngest Canadian weightlifter to lift 300 pounds overhead. Art lifted 303 pounds. -
1992, athlete, individual, weightlifting,
Gary Walt
Gary Walt – Inducted 1992
Weightlifting brought a sense of worth to Gary Walt, and he credits his younger days with the Apollo Barbell Club with building a strong foundation for his life after weightlifting. A former Canadian champion, Walt competed for Canada at the Commonwealth Games and Pan-Am Games; he also established a Canadian record in the overhead press in 1972, a record which still stands although the overhead press has since been eliminated from competition. A knee injury kept him off the Canadian Olympic team in 1972 and he further aggravated the injury in 1974 leading to his retirement in 1975. Walt credits the camaraderie of his fellow lifters at the Apollo Barbell Club, coach Ken Carr-Braint and his family for much of his success. “We had nothing elaborate but we were tough.” -
1992, athlete, individual, weightlifting,
1993
Dr. Robert L. Vaughan enters the Belleville Sports Hall of Fame as a stalwart in hockey, not only locally but throughout the Canadian Hockey league. Dr. Vaughan was instrumental in bringing to Belleville an Ontario Hockey League franchise in 1981. Since then, he has provided stability and strong leadership for the Belleville Bulls. As Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Ontario Hockey League for ten years, "Doc" worked his colleagues on changes that have made the game safer for the players and more attractive to the fans. On June 4, 1993 in London, Ontario, the "Bill Long" Award was presented to Dr. Vaughan by the Ontario Hockey League -
"In Recognition And Appreciation For Outstanding Contributions And Dedication To The Development Of Junior Hockey". On December 12, 1992 he was awarded the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation for having made a significant contribution to his community and his fellow Canadians.
A job at Reliance Aircraft Co. brought Ken to Belleville from Toronto in 1940 and into the sports scene of the city that would span 25 years, first with the Reliance senior B hockey team in the Eastern Ontario Senior B league and then with minor, junior and senior baseball. The vaunted Kenmors (named for Ken and the late Vic Morris) were born in 1957; Ken managed the team to Ontario Provincial finals each season, winning an All-Ontario Junior Crown in 1960 and the senior equivalent in 1962. Ken took his love for sports and his competitive nature into the political arena in the 1960's, serving as a city councillor for three terms. He worked for the development of a sports complex for the City of Belleville during his terms as Chairman of the Board of Parks management and the Recreation & Arena Committee.
Gerry Goyer played for the Allan Cup champion Belleville McFarlands in 1957-58 and then joined Kelowna Packers, when they became the first ever Canadian hockey team to play Russia in 1958. A graduate of St. Michael's Academy and Belleville Collegiate, Gerry played hockey, baseball and softball in the city before embarking on a professional hockey career in the Western Hockey League. He was a member of three WHL championship teams in Seattle in 1959, Portland in 1965 and Vancouver in 1970. His one stint in the NHL came in the 1968-69 season with the Chicago Blackhawks. Gerry earned four Most Valuable Player awards in both senior and professional hockey in his career. Following his playing days, Gerry turned briefly to coaching, guiding the Kimberley junior B's to a British Columbia junior B hockey championship in the 1979-80 season. Another highlight for Gerry is the fact he is joining Uncle Fred (inducted 1987) and brother Vern (inducted 1987) in the Hall of Fame.
1994
If one man is symbolic of martial arts in the Quinte area and its growing popularity, it is Kenzo Dozono. Born in Sendai, Japan on July 23, 1944, Dozono came to Belleville in 1969 and has been a prominent local sportsman this day. A champion as both a competitor and instructor, Dozono has made his mark locally, provincially, nationally and internationally. He was the winner of the Canadian National Exhibition Open Karate Championships four straight years, from 1975 to 1978. Dozono was a member of the Canadian national team at e International Amateur Karate Federation Karate-Do championships in Tokyo in 1977. He was also winner of the Karate Ontario Provincial Championships for three years running from 1975 to 1978. In 1985 he was both ach and a member of the Canadian team that won a gold medal at the S.KI.F. World Karate Championships Dusseldorf, West Germany. Dozono has been recognized with outstanding achievement awards from the City of Belleville, Province of Ontario and the Federal government. Currently he's Vice-Chairman for S.K.I.F. Black Belt Holders Association, which has a membership in 81 countries. On top of all those achievements, and perhaps more important, is Dozono's work with thousands of Quinte area youngsters and adults. Those efforts have produced both champions and a better understanding of his chosen sport.
Nathaniel Allworth “Pete” Beach
High school sports in Ontario never had a better friend than Nathaniel Allworth (Pete) Beach. Born in Chelmsford, Essex in England in 1910, he passed away in Toronto in March of 1984. He lived in Belleville from September 1934 to March 1941 and again from September of 1946 to 1957. As a participant he held the Canadian mile indoor track record running for the West End YMCA, won the Intercollegiate wrestling title for his weight at the University of Western Ontario and was a member of the school's varsity football team. He also coached football at Belleville's Albert College from 1934 to 1940 and again from 1946 to 1956, winning several Bay of Quinte and COSSA championships. He had similar success with the school's basketball team. However, it was in the administration area that "Pete" Beach made his greatest contribution to sports, both locally and provincially. He was secretary-treasurer of several provincial organizations and in the 1940s joined with other Physical Education teachers in Ontario in forming a provincial high school sports association (known today as the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations). In 1957 he left Albert College to become executive director of OFSAA, a position he held until his retirement. "Pete" was also one of the founding members of the Canadian Federation of Provincial Schools Athletic Associations. In addition to that role, he also spent time as chairman of Track and Field Canada. His work saw him earn respect from colleagues he worked with from the United States, Great Britain and Europe. His efforts have already been recognized in a number of ways, including Albert College naming its new gym "The Pete Beach Gymnasium"; the awards given in his name by OFSAA for outstanding contribution to high school sports and awards and citations from the Canadian Track and Field Association, Ministry of Education and Ontario government.
Pete Weston
Peter Stanley "Pete" Weston is considered by many to be the greatest athlete to ever come out of the old Belleville Collegiate Institute and Vocational School. Under legendary coach Homer "Red" Townsend, Weston was the unquestioned leader of many football and basketball teams at BCIVS. Later, he played hockey for Queen's University in Kingston and junior and senior softball in Belleville. Unfortunately for local fans, Weston's most memorable athletic accomplishments - in hockey and fastball - occurred away from his hometown. He played Sr. hockey for the Kingston Aces when they won an OHA championship and appeared in the Eastern Canadian finals n 1967. Two years later, with the Calgary Stampeders of the old Western Canada Sr. A loop, Weston helped the Stamps reach the Allan Cup finals. Weston played for several top notch fastball teams in Alberta including the Calgary Hectors (1968 provincial finalists) and Calgary Power Chiefs (national champions). When the Power Chiefs qualified for the Summer Games in Halifax, Weston helped lead the team to first place overall. He was selected to the All-Canadian team and was voted MVP. Back on the ice, Weston led the Banff Bisons to an Alberta Intermediate hockey title in 1973. Weston's travels, due to his job as an executive with Canada Cement, next took him to Manitoba where he played Sr. A hockey for the St. James Flyers and fastball for the Western Canadian champion Winnipeg Colonels. Moving east, Weston played for the Nova Scotia champion and Canadian championship runner-up Brookfield Elks fastball club. Weston was born in Campbellford on July 31, 1943. B CI is now gone, torn down n 2004 to make way for an athletic playing field, but men like Pete Weston help keep the school's memories alive. Weston's case, as perhaps the finest all-round athlete in the history of the school.
1995
A fitting addition to the Hall's Builders category, Wally Dever was the architect for many sports in Belleville over more than three decades. However, his contributions to life in Belleville weren't restricted to athletics. Dever was also noted for his work in education, municipal politics and with the mentally challenged. However, few would argue that his contributions to sports here earn him a position in the Hall. And it was sports that also gave Dever his greatest enjoyment. He was an avid bowler who was also heavily involved as a coach in the South Hastings Baseball League in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Hundreds of young men owe a debt to him for his later work with both the Belleville Minor Hockey Association and Belleville Minor Softball. Dever was involved with minor hockey in Belleville for 25 years and was the association's president on two separate occasions. For many years he sat on the association’s Board of Directors and at various times was a convener, coach and manager. In one year alone the remarkable Dever was convener of one division, a coach in another and managed a Select Team. He also coached teams in both minor softball and ball hockey. For many years Dever was mutuels manager at Quinte Exhibition Raceway, overseeing the handling and distribution of tens of thousands of dollars. He was also president of the Quinte Softball League for three years, helping that league return to its position as the dominant men's softball league in the Quinte area. During his twenty years on Belleville City Council Dever was often council's liaison to the Parks and Recreation Department, again contributing to sports in Belleville. Through his work with mentally challenged youngsters he was heavily involved with Special Olympics. The city and his family lost Wally too soon when he passed away at age 57 in 1994.
Many will think of photography when William "Bill" Riley's name is mentioned, but the area's curling community will tell you that's just one aspect of his remarkable life. A founding member of the Quinte Curling Club, he was the club's president in 1967-68. Three times Riley represented the local club in provincial playoffs and in 1974 was the provincial champion. Earlier, in 1961, he vice-skipped the runner-up rink at the provincial MacDonald Tankard Purple Heart in Ottawa and in both 1967 and 1970 reached the provincial finals in the intermediate division. It was in 1974, in Bracebridge, Ontario that Riley's Quinte rink captured the Seagram Stone Men's Championship. He skipped his rink to 14 straight wins on the way to the championship. Riley's rink would be the only one in the local club's history to accomplish the event. Over the years Riley has skipped many winning rinks at area bonspiels. In 1982 Riley and fellow Rotarians toured curling clubs in Scotland, playing at 19 different clubs. He has an impressive collection of memorabilia connected with the sport. He hasn't just been a competitor (at the competitive, regular league, mixed and senior levels) but also a teacher. Riley has imparted his wisdom to public and secondary school students and recently included deaf students from Sir James Whitney School and the mentally challenged from William R. Kirk school. Riley was on the original committee that launched the Bay of Quinte Men's Bonspiel, which began in the 1960s and continues to this day. Like many others in the Hall, Riley's contributions to society have extended beyond sports. He has been awarded the Gevaert Silver Medal for photography and operated a photography business in Belleville from 1946 until his retirement in 1990. A veteran of the Second World War, Riley is a past-president of the Belleville Sales and Ad Club, a former member of the Rotary Club and works closely with the Concert Brass. In 1991 he received the prestigious Paul Harris Rotary Fellowship.
If you've ever picked up a bowling ball in Belleville there's a good chance Madeline James is the person who taught you how to throw it. An incredible coaching career in the five-pin bowling field stretched from 1963 into the 1990s. And, she was an active five-pin bowler herself, beginning in 1928 and continuing into the 1990s. In 1975, in fact, she bowled a 400 score - nine straight strikes and a corner pin left up on the tenth ball - which she says "took a lot of luck." It was her best game ever. James was also an active ten-pin bowler and member of league executives for many years. For more than 28 years, Madeline James devoted every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. into the afternoon to coaching and teaching five-pin bowling at the Belleville Pro Bowl. Not only was she the coach to bantams, pee-wees and juniors but she was also Secretary and Treasurer of their leagues and organized many of their tournaments. As well, she took many bowlers to new heights in their sport at provincial competitions. James' efforts haven't been ignored. In 1987, then-Belleville Mayor George Zegouras presented "Maddie" with a special plaque in her honour recognizing more than 25 years of coaching youngsters. To coincide with her 75th birthday, she was presented with a special certificate of merit from Quinte MPP Hugh O'Neil and Prince Edward-Hastings MP Jack Ellis. In 1989 Madeline James was inducted into the Zone Youth Bowling Council's Five-Pin Bowling Hall of Fame. Madeline bowled right up to 1992 when a knee problem forced her to give up the sport. She misses bowling to this day and said, "It's always in my heart."
The first lady of minor baseball in Belleville was also the first woman to preside over a provincial baseball association in Canada. Vi Christopher was president of the Ontario Baseball Association for two years and later, as the association's past president she was the Ontario representative to the Canadian Federation of Amateur Baseball. The Belleville native spent 21 years on the executive of the Eastern Ontario Baseball Association and 17 on the executive of the OBA. Meanwhile for more than 32 years she donated her time and efforts to the Belleville Minor Baseball Association, many times sitting on the executive. Christopher was one of the founders of Belleville's annual Golden Bat Bantam Baseball Tournament. While best known for her work in baseball, Christopher also served for many years on the executive of the Belleville Minor Hockey Association, including several terms as secretary, tournament chair and Ontario Minor Hockey Association convenor. Christopher's efforts have been recognized in several ways. She received a Bicentennial Medal from the Province of Ontario in 1984 for her contributions to amateur sport. In 1988 the citizens of Belleville recognized her with a citation and that same year she was honoured for helping to bring baseball to Northern Ontario. In 1992 Christopher was named Ontario baseball's Volunteer of the Year and in 1989 she received a special achievement award from the province for work in the field of fitness and amateur sport. Christopher continues to contribute to minor sports in the Belleville area even as she joins the Hall.
1996
If the Quinte area has a Mr. Boxing, it's Malcolm Eugene (Mal) Trenholm. Thanks largely to his efforts there is a Belleville Boxing Club today and a legacy of champions in the sport from this area. Born in Upper Cape, N.B., he got an early start in boxing at Bob Edgett's Boxing Club in his native province. He joined the club in 1955 and a year later was a coach and amateur boxer. From there would come a lifetime involvement in the sport that has directly benefited Belleville and area and numerous youngsters. Working in the federal Solicitor General's ministry, Trenholm was transferred to Ontario in 1969 and that would be a happy development for this area. Working with youth in amateur boxing, he opened the Belleville Boxing Club on Front Street in Belleville in 1981. Despite continuous problems finding a permanent home for the club and the money to keep it running, Trenholm has kept the club running for more than 15 years. He now lives in the Plainfield area. The result has been 35 provincial gold medals, 26 silver medals, one national gold medal, three silvers at the national level and four bronze. Trenholm has been recognized with several medals for his contribution to amateur boxing in Ontario. He was one of six coaches selected from this area to participate at the Winter Olympics. In 1988 Premier David Peterson recognized his achievements with an award. More important than the recognition, though, has been Trenholm's work with hundreds of Quinte youngsters through amateur boxing. It is certain the area has better citizens today because of his work in the past.
Like many he joins in the Belleville Sports Hall of Fame, the contributions of Allen Joseph (Al) Kelleher are almost too numerous to mention. Although elected to the Hall for his contributions to baseball and softball as a volunteer and official and his work with the mentally challenged, no tale about Al can fail to mention his contributions as Belleville's Town Crier, a trustee with the separate school board, on various volunteer committees and as an overall goodwill ambassador for Belleville. For decades Al's voice rang out on baseball and softball diamonds in the Quinte area and he was a founding member of the original Belleville and District Umpires Association, a group that still exists today. Before turning to umpiring, and later officiating football as well, Al was a fine baseball player who was talented enough to earn tryouts with several big league ball teams, including the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was a valued member of several amateur teams in Belleville and when he hung up his glove he turned to organizing, helping to bring minor baseball here and later acting as president of the Belleville Amateur Baseball Association. Al coached the Belleville Haggis Juniors in 1955 and was president of the Quinte Hockey League in the 1970's as well as a convener for the Belleville Minor Hockey Association. Later, he would form a committee through Special Olympics that led to the development of softball for the mentally challenged and eventually the highly successful Bombers II team that has won numerous championships. Al was also involved in bowling for the mentally challenged. Among the numerous awards presented to him were Belleville's Citizen of the Year designation in 1985, a gold medal for contributions to the province during Ontario's bicentennial in 1984 and other acknowledgements. It is fitting that since Al's sudden death in August 1995, the old Centennial III ball diamond has been renamed "Al Kelleher Park". Today, his wife Shirley and large family have continued Al's work, especially with the mentally challenged. And, even today his memory is evoked with his favourite saying, "Have a care
Sherry Akey-Bowler has represented Belleville provincially, nationally and internationally with distinction. Her accomplishments in the pool as a left leg amputee have been an inspiration to countless youngsters, not just here but across the country. Akey-Bowler's accomplishments came in the backstroke, breastroke and freestyle. In 1981 she won a silver medal in the relay at the International Games for the Physically Disabled in London, England. Later that year, at the Orange Bowl Ability Games in Miami she won one gold and three silvers. In 1982 she captured three gold medals at the Hawkesbury Regional Handicapped Games and in 1984 won three gold medals at the Provincial Games for the Physically Disabled. Akey-Bowler's success continued in 1988 with a gold award at the Provincial Amputee Games in the 100 metre backstroke, 100 metre breastroke and a silver in the 100 metre freestyle. At the Canadian Amputee National Championships that year she won two gold medals. She was also a member of the Dolphins Swim Club in Trenton. Akey-Bowler's accomplishments led to her acting as a representative for handicapped kids for the Belleville Rotary Club. Away from the pool, Akey-Bowler has taught blind people to type, worked with physically and developmentally challenged youngsters and extensively with her mother Barbara as a volunteer for the Kidney Foundation.
1997
Where do you begin to describe the accomplishments of Belleville's Dr. Tom Woodley? On the tennis courts? The soccer fields? Or on the ice? What other man can honestly be called one of the founding fathers of not one, but two sports in this city - soccer and tennis. Born in Belleville in 1926, Woodley was educated at Queen Mary and Belleville Collegiate before studying medicine at Queen's University in Kingston. He returned to his hometown after graduation and set up a practice he continues to this day. Almost immediately he became involved in the Quinte Tennis Club and played a leading role in transforming the club's playing surface from crushed rock to clay. In the 1970's he would turn to soccer and specifically the Belleville Youth Soccer Club. When Woodley began about 300 children in Belleville were involved in the game. In 1997 that number had climbed to 1,400. Not just an organizer, Woodley was also a top notch soccer official. Woodley has also worked at just about every level for the Belleville Minor Hockey Association, including acting as a coach, referee and sponsor. He was also an Ontario Minor Hockey Association trainer instructor. From 1975 to 1988 he was president of the Quinte Tennis Club and from 1977 to 1987 he assumed the same role with Belleville Minor Soccer. Woodley was president of the Bay of Quinte Soccer League for two years and a referee. Like many other "builders" in the Hall, Woodley gave of his time freely and asked for nothing in return except his enjoyment of the game, or in his case, games. His family includes wife Frances and sons Brian, Robert, Glen, Scott, Alan, Larry and Mark and daughter Lynne.
First Rick Meagher was too small. Then, he was too old. That's what the critics said, first about his chances of playing in the National Hockey League and then about his chances of sticking later. Of course, Rick Meagher made a practice of proving his critics wrong. Indeed, the Belleville native enjoyed a fine NHL career, capped by capturing the Frank Selke Award as the league's top defensive forward in 1990 and several seasons as captain of the St. Louis Blues. Meagher got his start in the Belleville Minor Hockey Association and then made a name for himself locally with the Junior "B" Belleville Bobcats, being named rookie of the year his first season. Meanwhile, he was starring in football at Quinte Secondary School and on local baseball diamonds. His ability with and without the puck caught the eye of U.S. university scouts and Meagher went on to Boston University, where he would be an All American three times and become a school hockey legend, along with brothers Terry and Tony. He's now in the school's Hall of Fame and was named Athlete of Decade at Boston University for the 1970's. Signed as a free agent by the power house Montreal Canadiens he eventually made the Habs in 1979 after several fine seasons in the American Hockey League. In 1978-79 he scored 35 goals for the Habs farm team in Halifax. From there he went to the Hartford Whalers, New Jersey Devils and finally St. Louis. In all he would play 12 seasons in the NHL and would be fan favourite in every city he played in for his tireless efforts. In 1981-82 Meagher had his best offensive season in the NHL, scoring 24 times for Hartford. On the baseball diamond he starred with the senior Cornerstone Blues and in the South Hastings Baseball League. As if that weren't enough, Meagher is also a champion off the ice. For the past 10 years he has given his name and time to the Rick Meagher-3M Benefit Golf Tournament, which has raised more than $400,000 for handicapped kids in the Quinte area. Since retiring from the game he's been a coach, radio analyst and scout in the Blues organization. He is the son of Al Meagher and the late Doreen.
Whenever old timers get together to talk about fastball, once Quinte's king of summer sports, the name Patty Maracle is sure to come up. He may well have been fastball's answer to Gordie Howe, and then some. Like the hockey great, Maracle combined excellence in his game with incredible longevity. While Maracle is best remembered as perhaps the finest pitcher ever produced in this area, he was also a fine hockey player who was still lacing on the blades well into his 70's. Born in Belleville on May 4, 1917 he would live his life in the Deseronto area and father eight children, many of whom carried on his athletic endeavours. Maracle pitched at least one perfect game and tales of his match-ups with Peterborough legend Ray Judd tell of two men who were at the pinnacle of the game. The righthander toiled for a number of local teams, but most notably for the powerhouse Point Anne Cementmen who dominated not just locally but across the province. He also hurled for teams in Belleville, Trenton and other area centres. A Mohawk, Maracle also led teams from the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory to competitions far afield, always excelling. The City of Trenton, recognizing his contributions both in fastball and hockey, gave him a day and he was feted by local businessmen. Maracle also enjoyed horseshoes, bowling and pool. At the age of 68 he was still pitching, and pitching well, for a team in Kaladar. And, at 73 he was still playing hockey with one of his sons. When Maracle wasn't confounding hitters or defencemen he was a welder for 35 years at the Point Anne Cement Plant. Patty Maracle passed away in April, 1991 at the age of 73.
The name Goyer is prominent in Belleville sporting history and in the Belleville Sports Hall of Fame. But, “Gilly” Goyer's last name could have been Smith or Jones and his accomplishments would still have earned him a place in the city's sporting memory. His accomplishments on the ice are even more amazing considering the fact he achieved many of them after losing three fingers on his right hand below the knuckle after a duck hunting accident. He would play 11 years in the American Hockey League, at the time just a step down from the National Hockey League. Several of those seasons he would be named an All Star. Goyer began his hockey career in his home town, playing with the Belleville Juniors in 1920 and then junior in Woodstock and Guelph. From there he moved on to New Haven of the Eastern United States League in 1927. Known as Larry, he spent three seasons (1928-30) with the American Hockey League's St. Louis Flyers, amazingly leading the league in scoring each year. Goyer spent the 1931 season with Tulsa and in 1932 returned home to Belleville to coach the city's Ontario Hockey Association junior team to the league playoff finals. He returned to playing in 1933-34 and with the St. Paul-Minnesota team in the Central League again led a league in scoring. It was back to coaching in 1935 with the Belleville juniors, then a year playing minor pro in Pontiac, Mich. Goyer returned to his amateur roots in 1938, playing with the Wellington Quintes of the Prince Edward Hockey League, where, what else, he led the league in scoring. Goyer was a consummate stick handler and playmaker who it can safely be said would have played in the NHL in later years. He was also, like many other fine hockey players, also a top flight baseball player. He played centerfield and pitched with the Wellington team in the Prince Edward County Baseball League when they won a championship in 1929. The outstanding hockey and ball player was also known to be generous to a fault and he also counselled younger players both as a junior coach and after his retirement from the game. Goyer never married. He passed away in 1962
1998
Bob Cook
As a kid Bob Cook's heroes were future Belleville Sports Hall of Famers Vern Goyer and Al Kelleher. Now, like them, he's being honoured as one of the city's paragons of sport. For most of his life Cook has known nothing of off-seasons, being involved in both boys and girls minor hockey and girls minor softball. With the Belleville Minor Hockey Association alone he's been an executive (including president), convenor, manager and coach. In the mid 1960's he was instrumental in rejuvenating girls softball here. Out of that came girls hockey in the winter when his summer charges asked him to continue coaching them during the winter. With the BMHA Cook coached in every division from Novice through Bantam. He once conducted a goalie school for both boys and girls free of charge. In 1966 he, with help from Bob Dafoe and Ralph Boomhower, organized the Belleville Ladies Hockey Association and then coached teams that went on to win two Provincial "C" titles and two Nations "C" championships. For six years Cook sat on the executive of the Eastern Ontario Womens' Hockey Association. Meanwhile, with the Belleville Minor Baseball Association he coached and umpired, serving as umpire-in-chief for three years. The city, recognized Cook's contributions, named him Citizen of the Year in 1990 and in 1992 he received a Canada 125 Medal from the Government of Canada. Believe it or not he actually had time to work for the city's public works department before retiring. He's married to Doreen and his five sons and two daughters. In the Hall's builders category few can claim to have been more constructive in more areas than Bob Cook.
1999
The Canadian Football League's loss was Belleville's gain in the early 1970's. After Paul Paddon won the Hec Crighton Award as the country's top university football player it was predicted he would go on to a career in the pro league. That assessment came from none other than his coach at the University of Ottawa, Bob O'Billovich, who would go on to the CFL as a highly successful coach himself. All the 23-year-old Gee Gees quarterback did in 1970 was complete 60 per cent of his passes, throw for 20 touchdowns and rack up 1,800 passing yards in nine games. However, the St. Thomas native didn't move on to the CFL. Instead, he came to Belleville in 1971 and took a teaching position at Quinte Secondary School, a post he's held ever since. During that time he's coached track and field, soccer, basketball and many other sports, but his first love remains football. "Everybody gets knocked down, but players get up and play," Paddon's been heard to say. In 1993, he took his passion for the game to area elementary schools and helped create the Belleville Minor Football League. In 1971, Paddon's first year at QSS, he coached the school's football team to a Bay of Quinte championship. He repeated the feat in 1995 and 1996. However, what may have marked the man as a hall-of-famer was his sportsmanship and dedication to the game and his team during the years in between. During the intervening years he's also starred in the Belleville Touch Football League, quarterbacking several championship teams. He continues to make his home in Belleville with wife Valerie and children Jamie and Kelly. Kelly was a regular defenceman with the 1998-99 OHL Champion Belleville Bulls.
Tom Bonneau
If you tell Rollie Bonneau to go fly a kite he's more than likely to comply, happily. For more than 20 years he excelled at the sport of waterski kite flying. He's dominated the sport as a competitor, trainer, manufacturer and sponsor. Born in Montreal, he came to Belleville in 1969. Between 1959 and 1980 he dominated his chosen sport. In 1960 he finished in third place at the North American Kite Flying Championships, then followed up with first place finishes at the 1961 and 1962 championships plus first place at the Canadian Championship in 1962 and in 1963 at the United States Championships. In 1963 he participated in the World Championships where he finished third. Bonneau, in 1969, captained the Canadian team to an overall championship in competition at Bridgeport, Texas. A year earlier he was captain and coach of the Canadian team at the American Water Ski Association championships in New Orleans, La., and was second in the single men's slalom. In 1972, with Dr. Doug Smith, Bonneau organized the Belleville Water Ski Club and helped sponsor it.
Belleville's Greg Parkhurst was a participant at the very first Canadian Special Olympics, held in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1974. He excelled there and that was just the beginning of an impressive career in the pool for the William R. Kirk School grad. At those first games he earned a silver medal for his swimming prowess and for many years after was a regular competitor at provincial and regional Special Olympics events. One of his career highlights was a presentation by the city's Honours and Award committee in 1981 after he was double gold medalist at that year's Special Olympics in Ottawa. At those games the gold medals came in the 50 metre freestyle and 50 metre backstroke. Parkhurst won silver in the 25 metre freestyle, bronze in the 25 metre backstroke and bronze in the 25 metre breaststroke. In Ontario Special Olympics competition in 1984 he won gold in the 25 metre freestyle and 50 metre freestyle, silver in the 50 metre backstroke and bronze in the 25 metre backstroke. Parkhurst is a life member of the Belleville Lions Club, the organization that sponsored his swimming career. He's the son of Al and Audrey Parkhurst. Greg Parkhurst is the Hall's first inductee from the Special Olympics program.
