The Evolution of the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame

The North Bay Sports Hall of Fame was founded at a meeting at Memorial Gardens Thursday, October 20th, 1977, but the idea had been propounded by Nugget writer Britt Jessup for many years in his various columns. The other key triggers were a sports recognition dinner organized by a group that included Ron Luesby, Bill Beckett and Ron Duffy and the writing of a draft constitution by Pete Handley.

The constitution was approved and an executive elected on that October evening and the NBSHF has been active ever since.

C.M. (Mort) Fellman was named Chair at that first session with Handley being elected Secretary and John Chomick, Merv Stoughton, Bill Beckett, and John Toswell, Directors. Jessup, Buck Kyle Sr, Jim Kelly and Duffy agreed to act as Chairs of the various decade Nominating Committees while Dave Saad was named chair of Ways and Means.

In its better than twenty five year existence the NBSHF has had only three Chairs. Fellman resigned for health reasons and Jack Leckie assumed the post February 21st, 1979 and directed the fortunes of the Hall until September 10th, 1996 when Bill Jacko accepted the position. Leckie remained on the Board as Past President and eventually also assumed the duties of Nomination Editor as the Constitution evolved through the years.

Handley has been Secretary since that first meeting and has also been Treasurer since 1980. Saad has remained on the Board from the start as has Toswell, who has been the Automatic member Chair for many years.

The North Bay Sports Hall of Fame became a Registered Charity through the Federal Government (Canada Customs and Revenue Agency) April 25th, 1979 (11905 9293 RR0001) and will be an Incorporated body in 2005.

The first informal induction of members took place as part of a Sports Roast at Pinewood Park Motor Inn on February 2nd, 1980. Five living members were informally installed-Pete Palangio, Regis “Pep” Kelly, Jim Kelly, Ab Demarco Sr and Ken Wharram. Three deceased individuals were informally installed at a luncheon the same day, also at Pinewood- George Martyn, Gordon “Duke” Keats, and Lionel “Scoop” Lalande.

November 8th, 1980 the NBSHF began its series of formal induction dinners with the first taking place at the Golden Dragon on Lakeshore Drive. That evening a total of 14 men were recognized as Bob Gracie, Ab Hansman, Herb Parks, Howard Teskey, Don Scappatura and Major Leo Troy were inducted along with the eight men listed previously.

Figure skater Norah McCarthy Kirby became the first female voted in (as an Automatic) in September 1982 while Norma Higgs received the necessary votes a month later. The first team to be Recognized (the Hall does not induct teams), was the North Bay Rinkey Dinks, a ladies softball team which captured an All Ontario Championship in 1929, the first provincial sports crown to come to the city. The team was honoured on February 27th, 1982.

The Memorial Gardens Sports Arena has been the home of the NBSHF since day one with the support of then Arena’s Manager Terry Talentino and the City of North Bay.
A showcase was built in the 1980-81 school year by students in the building construction course at West Ferris Secondary School under the supervision of Stan Courtney. NBSHF inductee pictures and artifacts were displayed in the showcase in the front corridor of the Gardens until the Hall of Fame Room was constructed.
In June, 1981, Talentino continued to show his support for the project by recommending a major facelift to the Gardens which entailed the construction of a small auditorium and second floor media room to replace a stage area at the north end of the building. City Council agreed with the plan in 1985 and a Provincial Infrastructure (Wintario) grant allowed the planned construction and other renovations and the NBSHF was allowed the use of the room on the first floor which became known as the Hall of Fame Room. Two showcases were included in the plan and when the Room was opened in 1987, the sports group soon filled them with various local sporting artifacts and pictures. The walls bear the pictures of inducted Hall members and with the passage of time, and the cooperation of Gardens officials, the NBSHF has expanded into other showcases in the Gardens corridors. Also on display are various North Bay sports trophies and plaques, including the major individual individual sports awards presented each year at the Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Dinner.

Each year since 1980 the NBSHF has held this Banquet which started out simply as an Induction celebration for new Hall members (each inductee receives an impressive, hand inscribed scroll and a Hall of Fame pin). Various local sporting groups soon realized the importance and value of such a regular ceremony and began to ask to have their particular individual award included on the agenda. In 2005, at the 25th Induction and Awards Dinner, several more Hall inductees will be announced and ten major sports award winners will be honoured. Included on the awards roster are the Downtown Improvement Area (formerly the USAF) Sports Achievement award (the oldest local individual recognition trophy, dating back to 1966); the Judge H.J.Reynolds Memorial (Hockey); Al Brennan Memorial (Coach/Executive); Mitchell/Avery Memorial (Football); George Martyn Memorial (Basketball); Peter Palangio Sportsperson of the Year; Al Knapp Memorial (Softball/Baseball); Britt Jessup Memorial (Outstanding Achievement by a local female & male athlete to the Ontario level); Handley Friend of Sport Award; James Kelly Memorial (Team of the Year). The recipients of all but two of the above awards are chosen by the North Bay Sports Awards Committee, which, although having close ties to the NBSHF, operates as a separate entity unto itself.
The NBSHF not only inducts members from all areas of the North Bay sporting world, athletes, builders, coaches, officials, sponsors et al as well as recognizing teams, it also further reaches out to all local (and in some cases regional) sporting organizations by providing a vehicle to honour their individual achievements.

In the year 2000 the City of North Bay celebrated its’ 75th birthday and the NBSHF originated, coordinated and organized a series of Best of 75 series of panels where the top ten female athletes, the top ten male athletes and the top twenty builders of sport as well as the top ten teams in the first 75 years were selected. A Best of 75 Dinner was held late that year, as part of the city’s celebration of three quarters of a century, with proceeds going to equipment for the new North Bay Hospital.

The Hall of Fame has also supported a University/College Bursary which presents two awards to deserving students each year and has provided aid to Sport North Bay, a newly formed umbrella group which aims to provide a unified voice for sport among other things.

As well as maintaining the aforementioned small museum of artifacts in the Hall of Fame Room and several other showcases within the Gardens, the NBSHF maintains and each year adds to a video sporting historical collection of interviews through the cooperation of Cogeco Cable. Local sports research is also carried out on a regular basis and this web page is another example of how the NBSHF attempts to inform and reach out to the sporting community.

The North Bay Sports Hall of Fame is a completely non-profit organization operated entirely by volunteers for the people of North Bay. It was created to “honour and perpetuate the names and deeds of those whose athletic prowess brought fame to their community and to themselves;of those whose interest and work for sport resulted in a climate which benefited athletes and athletics.”

If you wish to nominate someone for consideration for induction into the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame, download the nomination form, complete, and return it to the committee for review.

The Hall’s Latin motto tells the story – Factis Eorum Reminiscere –
“By Their Deeds Shall Ye Remember Them”