Sports Hall of Fame

New inductees added to the PEC Sports Hall of Fame

Emcee Craig Foster noted that it was a diverse set of inductees being added to the Prince Edward County Sports Hall of Fame this year. Since its inception in 2011, there have been over two dozen inductees in a wide range of sporting disciplines, including arm wrestling, archery, dragon boat racing and volleyball. In fact, there is no more space for plaques on the upper level east wall of the Wellington arena, so the Hall of Fame is being expanded to include the north wall as well.

Mayor Steve Ferguson offered his congratulations to this year’s inductees, John and Jane Allison (aka Mr. and Mrs. Baseball) for their contribution to minor league baseball, Vicki Gallagher for excellence in sports and academics, Ken How for his work in developing track athletics, and the 1920 and 1921 Picton AAA Intermediate Baseball Team—which was nominated for inclusion by Janet and Roger Bryant. “Sport has always been an important part of life in the County. It teaches teamwork, perseverance, discipline, and community spirit. It creates life-long friendships and memories,” said Mayor Ferguson.

Andrew Allison described how his parents, John and Jane, brought minor league baseball to the County after the Toronto Blue Jays claimed back to back World Series championships in 1992 and 1993.They organized teams, did the coaching, and took part as umpires. As the interest in baseball grew and more families started participating, they led the effort to build the “Field of Dreams” in Wellington in 2007, and they have continued to maintain them in pristine condition. The program has since grown from a single team to multiple divisions from Under-5 to Under-19. “For most people, baseball is just a game. But for my family and so many more families in this community, it has become something much bigger. My parents taught us how to win with humility, how to lose with grace, but most importantly they taught us how to show up—for our team, our community and for each other,” said Andrew.

Jane thanked Andrew for the introduction and said it was a “proud Mom and Dad moment”. Speaking to the Field of Dreams, she said “We are incredibly proud there is a place for kids in Prince Edward County to play baseball today. It happened because the community came together, believed in something and made it happen.”

Mr. Foster said he remembered Vicki Gallagher from the time he was her soccer coach, and noted that she excelled in a variety of sports, including basketball, badminton, tennis, golf and volleyball. It was the latter sport that she played at York University from 1990 to 1995, winning five Ontario Championships and advancing to the Nationals each year, capturing a bronze medal in 1991.Coach Arif Nathoo said that Ms. Gallagher was “exceptional, talented, competitive, dependable, humble and hard-working”. She was team captain at York University for three years and was nominated as the Female Athlete of the Year. After university, she became a coach for the Durham Eclipse volleyball team, leading them to three provincial championships, a national championship and a national silver medal. She is currently a Detective Staff Sergeant with the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch. Ms. Gallagher congratulated the other Hall of Fame inductees, and she thanked her teachers and coaches as well as the community. She said her confidence was given a huge boost when all of the coaches in a boys rep soccer division fought to have her play as the only girl on the team. “I was surrounded by people who believed in me, who challenged me and encouraged me to strive for more. The lessons I learned through sports extend far beyond the playing field and have influenced every stage of my life,” she said.

Ken How is an accomplished track athlete and educator who helped to develop track athletics in the County and Quinte Region. He was introduced by Vic Alyea, who said the Mr. How began his career as a teacher at CML Snider School in Wellington in 1974 and soon became a coach and mentor to young athletes, introducing them to the world of competitive sports. He helped to plan the construction of a the 400-metre track at CML Snider in 1980, which was the first of its kind at an elementary school in North America. Mr. How also founded the Quinte Legion Track Club. “It became an opportunity for young athletes to develop their abilities and, for those who had the talent and commitment, to see athletics as a way to gain scholarships an opportunities at the college and university level,” said Mr. Alyea. “He helped young people believe they’re capable of more than they thought possible.” Mr. How said it was both heartwarming and humbling to be an inductee in the Sports Hall of Fame. He said that starting track athletics as a young teen helped him to focus more on his school work. He earned a full scholarship at the University of Michigan—he made a point of showing his U of M shirt—and competed in the 1500-metre trials for the 1968 Olympics. He said he appreciated the trust that parents had shown in him when he was coaching. “It’s a gift to be a mentor to children,” he said.

The final inductee was an unusual one, and it was made possible through the research work of Roger Bryant. He was looking through old newspaper write-ups for a project he was working on and noted that it was fairly gloomy times in the aftermath of World War I. In 1920, the Ontario Baseball Amateur Association was formed by communities seeking opportunities for young men to participate in social and physical endeavours. Mr. Bryant discovered that the Picton AAA Intermediate Baseball Team won the championship in the inaugural year. As a result of their success, new bleachers and a new ball diamond were built in the town. By 1921, there were 115 intermediate teams in the province, and Picton defended its championship title, winning a best-of-three series against Caledonia. These baseball exploits lifted the mood of the entire community, and Roger and Janet Bryant felt that the team should be included in the Sports Hall of Fame. Janet noted that some of the descendants of the original players are still County residents, and several of them were present at the induction ceremony.