Familiar friend kicks off our annual tradition
Shirley Cheek again makes first donation of the season as Star’s Santa Claus Fund sets goal of $1.7 million
Every great race needs a pacesetter, and for the Proudfoot Corner, that’s often Shirley Cheek.
Donors to the Corner — our department’s effort to help give to the Star’s Santa Claus Fund— are recognized in our pages, with thanks. And many years, Shirley’s name was the first to ring out.
One season, as former Toronto Star sports columnist Dave Perkins told it, she “started it off” with a $200 donation. Another year, Perkins wrote, Shirley again “got the ball rolling.” And in 2009, she fittingly “threw out the first pitch for the Corner” in memory of her husband, the great Blue Jays broadcaster Tom Cheek, who died in 2005.
Again, Shirley is this year’s first donor of the season. Her $350 adds to the more than $1million our readers and members of the sporting community have generously given since Jim Proudfoot spearheaded our department’s efforts under the name Sportsman’s Corner.
The fund was renamed for Proudfoot, who wrote for the Star for nearly 50 years, after he died in 2001. Perkins took over Proudfoot’s efforts, and we are proud to carry on this important tradition. Each donation to the Corner will help fund 45,000 gift boxes, each containing a cozy hat, mittens, socks and warm shirt, as well as a book, toy and that most welcome of holiday-time treats — candy.
After Tom’s death, many Star readers donated in his memory, honouring “the voice of summer.” That year alone, more than 30 donations were made in his name, totalling more than $4,500.
And while this Oct. 9 may have marked the 10th anniversary of his death — on a day when the Blue Jays faced the Texas Rangers in Game 2 of the American League Divisional Series — Tom was still very much on people’s minds, even earning a shoutout from U.S. broadcaster Bob Costas.
“Tom, he’s really never been forgotten,” Shirley said from her home in Florida. “I understand that soon he’ll just be a name up on the wall of excellence and younger people are going to say, ‘Well, yeah, we know he’s up on the wall,’ but it’s nice that so many people thought about Tom (during the playoffs).”
And he would have loved the Blue Jays’ playoff run this year.
“He would have been just so excited for the Blue Jays,” she said. “I just know he would have been because he kind of wore them on his sleeve. He always called the game in fairness, he called it like it was, but you knew he was really a Blue Jay through and through.” On the Corner: Welcome back — we’ve missed you.
This week is for getting caught up: The following donations arrived a bit too late last year for their deserved recognition in these pages, but we’re fixing that now.
Many family and friends remembered Angeline Bezic, who sadly left us last year during the holiday season. There was $50 from Mary and Mima Mateljan, $200 from Neda, Vesna and Franceska Bezic, and $100 from Margaret Rich, all Oakville dwellers. From Toronto, there was $100 from Douglas Haw and $20 from Stjepan Grgic. Tim and Sandy Milakovic from Mississauga also pitched in $50, and an additional $250 came in memory of Angeline from real estate developers Bratty’s LLP. All told, that’s a generous $770 from the lives she touched.
George Ruggiero from Etobicoke, who grew up reading Jim Proudfoot and Milt Dunnell, enjoyed Kevin McGran’s Proudfoot Corner article last year, wherein Kevin curated a list of scintillating quotes from “Chester,” as we affectionately called Proudfoot. George remembered some Star sports bon mots for his part in a note accompanying his $100 donation.
Here’s one from Jim on the ’70s Leafs: “The Maple Leaf executive box of Harold Ballard, King Clancy and Jim Gregory looked force-fed with pickles when Red Kelly decided to put the forward line of Bob Nelly, George Ferguson and Eddie Shack out for a critical power play in the third period . . . ”
Titan of Canadian equestrianism Tom Gayford sent in a customary $100 from placid Stouffville. Tom was a gold medallist in 1959 at the Pan American Games in ’59, and was three-time high-jumping champion at the New York International Horse Show, to select just two of his many accolades. “The Morning Boys” from Toronto’s Cambridge Club are back with another $100. Also of Toronto, John P. Newediuk topped us up again with $250, saying “Jim would be proud to know that many children will awake on Christmas morning with smiles on their faces.” Still from Toronto, an anonymous donor helped us out with $50. And we have a big thank you and hello for Laurie Starkman of Toronto, who wonderfully remembers his brother, loved and much-missed Star amateur sports scribe Randy Starkman, with $500.
Another Star relation, Jim’s cousin Stu Proudfoot, sent us $50 all the way from North Vancouver. Also remembering Jim Proudfoot in addition to Jim Hunt is Ken Kozicki of Etobicoke with a cool $100. Still media-wise, the kitty also benefited from veteran Canadian sports reporter Larry Millson’s $200.
Contributing much-appreciated $100s were Michael Shook of Brampton in honour of his grandchildren, Glenn Duncan of Scarborough, and Susan Dunn of Oakville in memory of Cody, “our Golden Boy.”
Last but not least, perennial giver Neil Finlayson sent us $200 from Scarborough in memory of his father Kenneth Finlayson.
Now that we’re up to speed, let’s keep it up!