Betty Carveth Dunn (nee Carveth), enshrined in the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame just 2 years ago, has died.
Betty, a member of the Rockford Peaches back in 1945, was one of just 64 Canadian women to play in Phil Wrigley’s World War II era All American Girls Professional Baseball League. The league and in particular the Rockford Peaches were the inspiration for the Tom Hanks / Geena Davis movie A League of Their Own.
Dunn was 93.
The day of her induction into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame I was fortunate to sit down and interview Betty. Here’s a post we made for that interview followed by her Induction video for The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.
Born in 1925, Betty Carveth grew up in Grande Prairie, Alberta and became a part of baseball history.
Betty Carveth was one of only sixty-four Canadian women to play in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. A right-handed pitcher, she played during the 1945 season with the Rockford Peaches and was traded mid-season to the Fort Wayne Daisies. She returned home to Edmonton and became the city’s first female Little League Baseball coach and coached the boys for 10 years. At the age of 12, she pitched for the Twilight Ladies Softball team which won three Peace River Championships in a row. In the mid-1940s, she pitched for Edmonton’s top-rated Walk-Rite women’s baseball team.
Betty played for the Walk-Rite team from 1943-1945 at the age of eighteen to twenty. It was during this time that a scout saw her play and asked her to try out for the All American Girls Professional Baseball League in the United States; a league that was featured in the 1992 movie “A League of Their Own.” Betty played from April to October in 1945, earning $75 a week – which was four times more than she had made as a secretary back in Edmonton. There was a list of rules and a dress code the players had to abide to, both on and off the field. They attended a half day of beauty school and were told to look and act like ladies, however while on the field, they were to play ball like men. Sliding into a base or making a flying catch was not pleasant as the uniforms were short dresses, knee socks, and caps which provided very little protection.
When the 1945 season closed, Betty returned to Edmonton and demonstrated her love for baseball by promoting and signing autographs throughout the years that followed. She was named Ambassador of Baseball for the inaugural IBAF (International Baseball Federation) Women’s World Baseball Championship in 2004 and then named Special Ambassador in 2012. She threw the ceremonial first pitch at both tournaments and did again in 2015 at one of the Edmonton Prospects games.
As a member of the AAGPBL, Betty was inducted into the American Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, USA in 1988. She was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 with the Canadian AAGPBL players.
After 15 years as a TV reporter with Global and CBC and as news director of RDTV in Red Deer, Duane set out on his own 2008 as a visual storyteller. During this period, he became fascinated with a burgeoning online world and how it could better serve local communities. This fascination led to Todayville, launched in 2016.
THE HALFTIME REPORT
News from the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame
Time is Running Out to see the Play Hard, Fight Hard Exhibit
The Play Hard, Fight Hard: Sport and the Canadian Military exhibit has been on loan to us since November. It was created through a partnership between The Military Museums in Calgary and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, Play Hard, Fight Hard: Sport and the Canadian Military explores the relationship between sports and military service. This is a bilingual pop-up travelling exhibit, representing fourteen sports played by military teams and athletes from the 1880s to the present day. It features sections on the Soldier On program, origins of the Paralympic Games, Invictus Games, and 20 videos containing oral histories and Second World War newsreel footage.
This exhibit highlights Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Honoured Members Paul Rowe, Doc Seaman, Alex Decoteau, and Dr. Robert Steadward.
It is currently set up in our Hall of Fame Gallery. See it before it leaves this spring.
Exhibit Highlight: Dr. Willie Littlechild
We have on display this traditional ceremonial Chiefs outfit that was worn by Chief Dan Minde of the Ermineskin Tribe of the Maskwacis Cree Nation. It is on loan to us by his grandson, Honoured Member Dr. Willie Littlechild.
The medal was won by Willie at the World Indigenous Games in Brazil in 2015. It is made of wood from the Amazon Rainforest and contains a drop of water at the centre from the purest water source in the world.
Dr. Willie Littlechild was inducted in 2009 as a Multisport Builder. You can learn more about him by following the link to his profile.
This newsletter is sponsored by G-Force Signs & Graphics.
Honoured Member Highlight – Doug Hansen
Luge Athlete/Builder – Inducted in 1991
Doug Hansen began his luge career in Europe in 1970 as there were no luge tracks in North America. He was a member of the Canadian National Luge Team competing at the 1971 World Championships and the 1972 and 1976 Winter Olympics. The doubles start was revolutionized by his invention of the “doubles start strap.”
Provincial Sport Organization: Alberta Luge Association
The Alberta Luge Association (“ALA”) has operated as a non-profit provincial sports association promoting the development of Luge training and competition in the province of Alberta. Their mission is to ensure the successful growth of the sport in Alberta through developing athletes, coaches, and volunteers at the recreational and elite levels.
Artifact in Focus!
Luge Championship Plaque.
Grey slate plaque with a black engraved logo that reads “29th Luge World Championships.”
Your Donation Helps
The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame needs your support to continue the ongoing preservation of Alberta’s sports history and the development of museum exhibits. We are grateful and appreciative of the generosity of our supporters and friends. We would be happy to assist you in choosing how your personal legacy will be fulfilled and the many options available. Here is some information on donating shares to ASHFM and the benefits to you as a donor.
Honoured Member Darryl Sutter Wins Jack Adams Award
Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter has won the 2021/22 Jack Adams Award, presented annually to the NHL’s coach of the year.
Sutter was Inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2000, with his brothers Brian, Duane, Brent, Rich, and Ron. All six brothers grew up and played minor hockey in Viking before moving to Red Deer to play with the Red Deer Rustlers of the AJHL.
The NHL announced the award winner on Sportsnet prior to Game 2 of the Western Conference Final on Thursday, with a video of Brian Sutter, a winner of the award in 1991, presenting the award to his younger brother Darryl.
The Flames missed the playoffs in the 2020/21 season when Sutter took over halfway through the year. In the following 2021/22 season, Sutter captured the 6th best record in the NHL for the largest season to season improvement, as well as winning the Pacific Division.
To learn more about Sutter’s amazing coaching story, click the link below.
Honoured Member Dr. Willie Littlechild has been Awarded by the Governor General of Canada
On May 26th Honoured Member Dr. Willie Littlechild received the Meritorious Service Cross (Civil Division), a prestigious award by the Governor General of Canada. The award is given to a nominated individual in recognition of their contributions that bring honor to the country in various fields including advocacy, health care, research, humanitarian, and more.
For more information, please click on the article link below.
The amazing record of the Edmonton Grads spans an era of 25 years. Under the expert coaching of the late Percy Page, the Grads played 522 official games in Canada, the United States, and in Europe, winning 502 and losing 20 for an average of 96.2%. The Grads won seven of the nine games they played against men’s teams. In establishing their outstanding record, they had two consecutive winning streaks of 147 and 78 games respectively. They won the Provincial Championship during their first year of existence in 1915, and continued to win 23 of the 24 times they competed for it. In the Western Canadian Championship, the Grads won all 21 games they played from 1926 to 1940. In the Canadian Championships they never lost a series, from commencement of title play in 1922 to the team’s disbandment in 1940. They were crowned World Champions from 1937 to 1940.
The Edmonton Grads received many honours over the years. They were inducted into the Edmonton Sports Hall of Fame in 1973 and the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980. The Grads still have the record for best winning percentage of all time for North American teams. In 1976, the Edmonton Grads’ achievements were declared a National Historic Event and Parks Canada dedicated a plaque in their honour, two years later, in 1978. The Edmonton Grads Youth Basketball Association was founded in 2002, in Edmonton, to honour the legacy of the famous women’s basketball team.
Alberta Basketball is the governing body for the sport of basketball in Alberta. We believe that our amazing sport is more than just a game; it is – A Game for Life. The game of basketball assists all who participate by developing life skills and habits that will benefit and enrich their lives. ABA’s mission is to champion the sport of basketball by inspiring unity, facilitating development, and delivering superior value.
Visit their website by clicking on the link below.
This large Silver Vase-like trophy that is engraved to read “Offert Par La Municipalite De Monaco 1936” was given to the Edmonton Commercial Graduates Basketball Team while they were in Europe playing exhibition games prior to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
June is Pride Month
Every person should have the ability to pursue their dreams without fear of discrimination or prejudice based on age, race, religion, gender, or sexual identity. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Many athletes have faced, and many still do, discrimination from sports organizations, team management, coaches, and even fellow athletes for things they have no control over.
Four of our Honoured Members have come forward to share their journey through sports and coming out to help inspire the next generation of athletes to be true to who they are in all aspects of their lives. By sharing these heartfelt stories with you, we hope that we can start to see the changes needed to allow all athletes regardless of age, race, religion, gender, or sexual identity to feel safe to be their authentic selves in and out of the locker room. Our featured honoured members in this exhibit are Mark Tewksbury, Danielle Peers, Keely Brown and Kessie Stefanyk.
Soon we will be saying goodbye to our ‘True to You in Sport’ Exhibit which highlights these Honoured Members. Mark Tewksbury, for example, became Canada’s first sports hero to openly declare his homosexuality in 1998. He helped start a national conversation on the taboo subject of gays in sport. Since that time, Mark has been an outspoken advocate for inclusive and safe sport spaces for all.
Come see it before it’s gone!
Hall of Fame in the Community
Our Hall of Fame summer students were out in the community attending events geared towards our youth. We were at the Central Alberta Family Expo on May 28 in Red Deer as well as the Central Alberta Children’s Festival which showcases opportunities for the children of Central Alberta to learn, play and be active.
If you would like your Hall of Fame to visit your event please contact us at 403-341-8614 or [email protected]
Donate Now
The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame needs your support to continue the ongoing preservation of Alberta’s sports history and the development of museum exhibits. We are grateful and appreciative of the generosity of our supporters and friends. We would be happy to assist you in choosing how your personal legacy will be fulfilled and the many options available. Here is some information on donating shares to ASHFM and the benefits to you as a donor.
