1998 BELLEVILLE SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

  • Bob Cook

    BUILDER, MULTI-SPORT

  • Harold Townsend

    ATHLETE, WATER SKIING

BOB COOK

BUILDER, MULTI-SPORT

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.

HAROLD TOWNSEND

ATHLETE, WATER SKIING

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.