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.
He is one of the strongest, determined, most inspirational people I have ever met. Some of the best conversations I have ever had were with this man.
Wilton Littlechild, Ph.D., is a Cree chief, residential school survivor, and lawyer who has worked both nationally and internationally including with the United Nations to advance Indigenous rights and Treaties. He has also – through leadership with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission – raised awareness of former Canadian policies that decimated the livelihood and culture of Indigenous Canadians.
THE HALFTIME REPORT
News from the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame
Your Hall is back!
We’re excited to announce that we have reopened our doors as part of Step 2 of the Government of Alberta’s Open for Summer Plan.
We are open to the public Monday to Friday from 9 am – 5 pm, and on weekends and holiday Mondays from 10 am – 5 pm.
Since closing our doors in mid-December, we have worked behind the scenes to enhance the overall museum experience for our visitors.
Among these enhancements are four new interactives, among them the Lyndon Rush Bobsleigh Experience, which briefly opened to the public last fall; an Obie interactive projector, which projects a series of games onto the floor; a Hoops FX arcade basketball game; and a Super Chexx bubble hockey game.
Many of our displays have also been updated since the last time the hall was open, including our new featured exhibit, “When Sports Stopped.” This new exhibit, which was installed in mid-November, examines multiple times where global events brought sports to a halt, from the Spanish Flu to the World Wars, up to the effects Covid-19 continues to have presently. The exhibit will be on display until the end of the year.
Other new displays examine the history of Alberta athletics and the former freestyle skiing discipline known as ski ballet.
Come check out everything we have on display.
This newsletter is sponsored by City of Red Deer.
Honoured Member in Focus: Kevin Sirois
Kevin Sirois was on his way to becoming one of the few Canadians to compete in both the Winter and Summer Olympics in the same year.
He competed at the 1971 Pan American Cycling Competition and toured Italy with the Canadian Cycling Team.
At the 1972 Winter Olympics, he placed 14th in the 10,000 m speed skating event and set a Canadian record that would not be broken until 1982.
He set over 20 Canadian speed skating records at both junior and senior levels, in races from 500m to five miles. He was the first recipient of the Canadian Amateur Speed Skating Association’s Skater of the Year Award in 1968.
Provincial Sport Organization: Alberta Bicycle Association
The Alberta Bicycle Association (ABA) is the affiliated Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) of Cycling Canada. It operates under the authority of the world governing body of all cycling’s many sports, the Union Cycliste International (International Cycling Union) in Geneva.
The mission of the ABA is to advocate, develop, and facilitate bicycling for Albertans.
The vision of the ABA is to be the recognized authority and leader for bicycling in Alberta.
The Board of Directors and committees of the ABA are elected by the general membership at the Annual General Meeting every November. All members and clubs have the opportunity to run and vote for members of the Board. The Board reflects the input of the three Committees (BMX, Racing, and Rec. & Trans.) which meet throughout the year to plan and coordinate the programs and services offered by the Association to our membership.
The ABA relies on volunteers whose passion and contribution are essential, including:
coaches
commissaires
race organizers
board
and committee members.
The ABA also employs several full-time staff to administer the day-to-day operations of the ABA and to provide services to thousands of members across Alberta.
You spin me right round
The sport of cycling steadily gained popularity into the 1890s with improved roads and the introduction of races that are still held to this day.
The famous Tour de France was first contested in 1903 and has continued every year since, except during World Wars I and II.
Apart from road racing, like what is contested during the Tour de France, there are a number of other cycling sports that have been developed alongside the evolution of the bicycle such as Track Cycling, Mountain Biking, and BMX.
Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Annual General Meeting is scheduled for June 29
The Annual General Meeting of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors will be held on Tuesday, June 29.
Special Olympics recognizes Heather Roberts for her contributions as a volunteer
One of our long-time volunteers and supporters, Heather Roberts, recently received the Lifetime Sports Achievement Award 2021 for her contributions to Special Olympics locally.
We’re looking for sponsors and golfers for the Annual Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Golf Tournament, which tees off on Tuesday, September 14 at the Innisfail Golf Course. We are excited to announce that we will be partnering with the Innisfail Eagles Hockey Team for this year’s tournament.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to support the preservation of Alberta sports by playing at one of the province’s crown jewels.
Are you a student itching to work in a fun, rewarding environment?
Of course, you are. Consider this your lucky day. The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame is looking for a Collections and Research Assistant, and a Marketing and Communications Assistant to work behind the scenes.
The positions are 35 hours a week and work from Thursday to Monday.
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.
This FREE Family Challenge is open to all families and all ages.
During the challenge you will learn ways to connect
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Event Details
This FREE Family Challenge is open to all families and all ages.
During the challenge you will learn ways to connect as a family by; practicing mindfulness, moving your bodies, fuelling your bodies, expanding your mind and building healthy relationships.
Register at sparcreddeer.ca between May 1 - May 26, 2021
Complete family challenges for a chance to win prizes!
