Port Sports Wall of Fame adds four names
Dori Schooley had no idea she was being inducted into Port Colborne’s new Sports Wall of Fame Sunday afternoon at Vale Health and Wellness Centre.
Sports Wall of Fame committee member Tom Lannan kept it a secret from the woman who was a Port Colborne citizen of the year and who was involved with Ontario Special Olympics for 37 years as a volunteer and coach.
“It was a real shock. I thought I was coming here to help Tom out,” said Schooley, who toured with Special Olympic athletes participating in various events and competitions all over North America.
Ward 1 Coun. Dave Elliott read off Schooley’s achievements during the packed ceremony inside the main arena.
“Her loyal dedication to these athletes and years of devoted volunteer efforts have fostered the Special Olympics vision that sport will open hearts and minds towards people with intellectual disabilities, and create inclusive communities all across Canada.”
Schooley said she was honoured to have her plaque on the Sports Wall of Fame.
“I worked with a lot of really good volunteer coaches over time … it was fun. I really love the athletes, too,” she said.
Audrey Garrett said she was stunned when she learned she was being inducted Sunday.
“It’s crazy, I never expected this,” said Garrett, who began her coaching career began in 1972 with Port Colborne Minor Baseball before switching over to coach Port Colborne Minor Girls Softball in the ’80s.
Over the years she volunteered in every position for the association, spending 15 years as presi-
dent with only two volunteers assisting her. Lannan said she performed all responsibilities required to keep the league operating by providing registration, scheduling, coaching, advertising, field maintenance and planning the season-ending tournament and festivities that allowed countless girls in the city to make new friends on the ball diamond.
“I have to thank my kids for this, they gave up everything so that I could do this,” Garrett said of her four daughters who all played ball as well.
“I’m proud of every girl that played softball and those that went to get scholarships … and I’m hopeful for a new generation coming, for someone to take over the league and keep it going,” she said.
Inductee Derek Amell could not attend the ceremony as he was getting ready to referee an NHL game in North Carolina.
Amell started officiating when he was 21 and after being certified he moved up the ranks pretty quickly due to his size and calm demeanour on the ice. He worked four years as a linesman in the Ontario Hockey League before moving on to work in the American Hockey League.
In the summer of 1997, Amell was offered a minor league contract as a linesman by the National Hockey League, splitting his duties between the AHL and the NHL. His first NHL game was in Pittsburgh on Oct. 11, 1997, when the Carolina Hurricanes played the Penguins.
Since then, he’s gone on to referee an NHL Winter Classic game and the Stanley Cup finals over multiple years. He was part of the officiating staff that went to Russia to work the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
The late Umbo Concessi was inducted as a member of the Port Colborne 1934-35 junior hockey team. The team itself is already on the Sports Wall of Fame as Ontario and Canadian Junior B Champions.
Concessi was a one-time linemate of the great Teeder Kennedy during his junior career. Concessi, who also played baseball and was an avid golfer, was invited to attend the Boston Bruins training camp in Hershey, Pa., and went on to play senior hockey. He also coached hockey for 10 years with his team making it to five Ontario championships.
After the ceremony, Lannan said the inductees were more than deserving.
Lannan said the Sports Wall of Fame is important because it represents the community as a whole. It went from being a Hock- ey Wall of Fame to include all sports in Port Colborne.
“I think to include all sports was a step in the right direction,” he said.
Having the wall, in the northwest corner of the arena, right near Kennedy’s Maple Leafs banner is very appropriate, too, Lannan said. The wall, with 23 plaques already hanging, wouldn’t have been possible without the sponsorship of Golden Puck Hockey.
Athletes and teams already on the wall include Ray (Bricky) Leavere, Scott Gruhl. John M. Horvath, the 1934/35 PC Juniors, 1948/49 PC Merchants Intermediate “A”, Isadore Sponder, Fraser (Killer) Kilpatrick, Alexander McNay, J. Emedio Sergnese,
Muir (Goonie) McGowan, Mike Green, Edward James Rafferty, E.G.March and Robert (Nipper) Wilson.