Sault Ste. Marie Walk of Fame
Encyclopedia
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in...
, Canada, adjacent to the Essar Centre sports arena. The Walk of Fame is a joint project between the city of Sault Ste Marie and its Downtown Association, and honours those from the city or the Algoma District
Algoma District, Ontario
Algoma District is a district and census division in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1858 comprising territory as far west as Minnesota...
who have made outstanding contributions to the community or have made significant achievements in their chosen field(s) of work. Inductees are added on an annual basis.
History and requirements
The genesis of the Walk of Fame was City By-Law 2002-193, passed by the Sault Ste. Marie City Council on September 9, 2002. The by-law established a "Walk of Fame Program," to be operated by the city and the Downtown Association with the intent of honouring Sault Ste. Marie natives who have made significant contributions and outstanding achievements. By extension, the Walk was viewed as a means of enhancing tourism in the city and attracting patrons to the Downtown shopping and business district.The by-law established a committee to select annual inductees and, at the outset, determine a suitable location for the Walk. The 8 committee members are appointed by the City Council for a 3-year term, and include the mayor, two city councilors, two representatives of the Downtown Association, two citizens at large, and one Chamber of Commerce representative.
The by-law also established ground rules for Walk inductees:
- Any inductee (or if it is a group, at least one member of that group) must have lived in the City of Sault Ste. Marie or the Algoma District for a minimum of 12 months at any point in their lifetime.
- The inductee must have, over a period of years, made an outstanding contribution to the community, or have achieved local, provincial, national, or international accolades in their chosen field of work (academics, humanitarianism, medicine, science and technology, government or military service, business and industry, arts and entertainment, athletics or other competitive endeavors).
- Nominations for inductees can be submitted by the general public, but must be received by the City Clerk's office no later than April 1 of the intended year of honour. The Walk of Fame Committee would then consider those nominations for induction into the Walk.
- No more than 10 inductees would be honoured in the Walk's inaugural year, and no more than 5 inductees in any subsequent year.
- No person or group can be honoured more than once on the Walk.
- The list of annual inductees must be announced to the general public; formal marker dedication ceremonies must be open to the public as well.
Markers and location
Each Walk of Fame inductee is immortalized on a 16-inch granite square, which includes a marble maple leaf displaying the inductee's name and year of induction.The Walk of Fame markers are embedded in the sidewalk facing Queen Street, in front of the north end of the Essar Centre and the adjacent Memorial Square.
Inductees
Prospective inductee names were first submitted by the general public in 2003, from which the Walk of Fame Committee selected an inaugural list of 10 inductees. The selections were then tabled until a suitable time and place to launch the Walk of Fame was determined.The first Walk of Fame induction ceremony took place on September 30, 2006, as part of the Essar Centre's grand opening weekend. In subsequent years, inductee selections have been announced in May or June, with formal induction ceremonies held the following September on the Essar Centre grounds (the 2011 ceremony was held on September 16).
Note: (P) indicates a posthumous induction
| Year of Induction | Honoree | Background |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Roberta Bondar Roberta Bondar Roberta Bondar,is OC, O.Ont, FRCP, FRSC is Canada's first female astronaut and the first neurologist in space. Following more than a decade as NASA's head of space medicine, Bondar became a consultant and speaker in the business, scientific and medical communities.-Education:Roberta Bondar had... |
neurologist, astronaut, and the first Canadian woman in space |
| 2006 | Francis H. Clergue Francis Clergue Francis Hector Clergue was an American businessman who became the leading industrialist of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario in Canada, at the turn of the 20th century.... (P) |
industrialist and visionary |
| 2006 | Ken Danby Ken Danby Ken Danby, was a Canadian painter in the realist style.-Life and work:Ken Danby enrolled at the Ontario College of Art in 1958. His first exhibition in 1964 sold out.... |
artist |
| 2006 | Ron Francis Ron Francis Ronald Michael Francis, Jr. is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 23 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Hartford Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs... |
NHL player |
| 2006 | Joanie and Gary McGuffin | adventurers, conservationists, and authors |
| 2006 | Ted Nolan Ted Nolan Theodore John Nolan is currently the Head Coach of Latvia men's national ice hockey team... |
NHL- and junior-level hockey coach |
| 2006 | Kevin Scott Kevin Scott (speed skater) John Kevin Scott is a world-record setting speed skater from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Scott became known on the Canadian and international speed skating circuits while competing in three junior world championships... |
world-record-setting speedskater |
| 2006 | Morley Torgov Morley Torgov Morley Torgov BA, LLB, DLitt is a Canadian novelist, humorist and lawyer. He remains a partner in the Toronto-based legal firm Olch, Torgov, Cohen LLP.... |
author and humourist |
| 2006 | Treble Charger Treble Charger Treble Charger was a Canadian rock group, consisting of vocalist Greig Nori, bassist Rosie Martin and drummer Trevor MacGregor. Guitarist Bill Priddle, a founding member of the band, left in 2003. They began with a melodic indie rock style, but evolved into more of a pop punk band after signing to... |
recording artists |
| 2006 | Jessica Tuomela Jessica Tuomela Jessica Tuomela is a Canadian paralympic competitive swimmer who was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.Although blinded by retinoblastoma at the age of three, she has succeeded in competitive swimming despite her disability... |
Paralympic swimmer |
| 2007 | Phil Esposito Phil Esposito Philip Anthony Esposito, OC is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and is considered to be one of the best to have... |
NHL player, executive, and Team Canada 1972 Summit Series The Summit Series was the first competition between the Soviet and an NHL-inclusive Canadian national ice hockey teams, an eight-game series held in September 1972... alumnus |
| 2007 | Tony Esposito Tony Esposito For the Italian musician, please see Tony Esposito .Anthony James "Tony O" Esposito is a retired Canadian-American professional ice hockey goaltender, who played in the National Hockey League, most notably for the Chicago Black Hawks. He was one of the pioneers of the now popular butterfly style.... |
NHL player, executive, and Team Canada 1972 Summit Series The Summit Series was the first competition between the Soviet and an NHL-inclusive Canadian national ice hockey teams, an eight-game series held in September 1972... alumnus |
| 2007 | Harry Graham Harry Graham Harry Edward Graham is a retired politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1969 to 1986.... (P) |
forester and academic |
| 2007 | John Rhodes John Reginald Rhodes John Reginald Rhodes was a broadcaster and politician from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.He was born in Sault Ste. Marie, the son of John Francis Rhodes, and educated there. In 1955, he married Vivian Louise Shook. Rhodes was a popular radio and television personality on CJIC in the 1960s. Rhodes... (P) |
broadcaster and politician |
| 2007 | Darren Zack | softball pitcher |
| 2008 | John Barker(P) | local union leader and driving force behind The Sault's Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in... Group Health Centre |
| 2008 | Angelo Bumbacco | junior hockey executive and co-founder of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the Essar Centre. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. The Greyhounds name has been used by several ice hockey... |
| 2008 | Joni Henson Joni Henson Joni Henson is a Canadian operatic soprano who was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.Henson's voice has been described as "thrilling and lilting" by Paula Citron of Opera Canada who says Henson "is clearly heading for a glittering career"Henson has received very favourable reviews... |
lyric spinto soprano |
| 2008 | Dr. David Walde | oncologist, cancer treatment pioneer, and hospital fundraiser |
| 2009 | Doreen Hume Doreen Hume Doreen Hume is a Canadian soprano soloist who performed in North America and Europe from the 1940s through to the 1970s.-Biography:... |
Coloratura Soprano soloist |
| 2009 | Edie Kerr(P) | organizer of many curling Curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a... events, including the 1978 Macdonald Lassies Tournament Scotties Tournament of Hearts The Scotties Tournament of Hearts is an annual Canadian women's curling championship, sanctioned by the Canadian Curling Association. The winner goes on to represent Canada at the women's world curling championships. Since 1985, the winner also gets to return to the following year's tournament as... and 1990 Labatt Brier Tim Hortons Brier The Tim Hortons Brier, or simply the Brier, is the annual Canadian men's curling championship, sanctioned by the Canadian Curling Association . The current event name refers to its main sponsor, the Tim Hortons coffee and doughnut shop chain.The Brier has been held since 1927, traditionally during... |
| 2009 | Russ Ramsay Russ Ramsay Russell Harold Ramsay was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1978 to 1985, and was a cabinet minister in the government of William Davis. Ramsay was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.Ramsay was born in Sault Ste... (P) |
broadcasting executive and MLA for Sault Ste. Marie Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada... |
| 2009 | MCpl Master Corporal Master Corporal , in the Canadian Forces and the Royal Canadian Army Cadets is an appointment of the rank of Corporal in the Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Airforce... Scott Vernelli(P) |
served in Afghanistan Military operations of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) Since October 7, 2001 following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the United States has been engaged in a war in Afghanistan.-Background:From May 1996, Osama bin Laden had been living in Afghanistan along with other members of al-Qaeda, operating terrorist training camps in a loose alliance with the... with The Royal Canadian Regiment The Royal Canadian Regiment The Royal Canadian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. The regiment consists of four battalions, three in the Regular Force and one in the Primary Reserve... |
| 2010 | Eric Alessandrini | fundraiser and volunteer |
| 2010 | Dr. Peter Black | neurosurgeon |
| 2010 | Douglas Bradford | artist |
| 2010 | Jo Forman(P) | advocate of secondary school athletics |
| 2011 | Trixie Hardy | Dance instructor and theatrical producer |
| 2011 | Tanya Kim Tanya Kim Tanya Kim is a Canadian television personality. A classically trained pianist and dancer, Kim was raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. She attended Ryerson University from 1994 to 1998, graduating from the journalism program, specializing in broadcasting, and worked as a videographer at MuchMusic... |
Television personality (etalk ETalk etalk is a Canadian entertainment news show hosted by Ben Mulroney and Tanya Kim. It airs weekdays weeknights at 7 p.m. ET on CTV, at 1:30 p.m. ET on CTV Two and at 6 p.m. ET and 11:30 p.m. ET on E!... ) and philanthropist |
| 2011 | Walter Wallace(P) | Educator, member of the Canadian Forces Canadian Forces The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."... (49th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA 49th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA 49th Field Artillery Regiment, R.C.A. is a Canadian Forces Primary Reserve regiment based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The regiment is part of Land Force Central Area's 33 Canadian Brigade Group. The regiment was granted the Freedom of the City of Sault Ste... ) and humanitarian |