Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2019: Achievement Award – George Stothart, Multi-sport Athlete & Builder
George is a multi-sport athlete, coach, and for 64 years, a basketball official. He was born deaf and became a leader in the growth of the deaf sporting community in Alberta. He played football with the Lacombe High School, the University of Alberta, the Edmonton Huskies, and basketball for the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). George competed at three World Deaf Games, twice on the Canadian Basketball Team in 1965 & 1973, and as a 400m athletics participant in 1969. He attended once again in 1981 as a Team Canada official and chaperone. George was one of the key players on the Edmonton deaf fastball team, ‘The Flying Fingers’ in 1969, and was one of the founders of the Edmonton Tasmanian Devils deaf slo-pitch team in 1980. He was also a leader in the formation of the Edmonton Deaf Basketball team. George was one of the first officers to serve on the board of the Federation of Silent Sports of Alberta (FSSA), the forerunner of the Alberta Deaf Sports Association. He held numerous positions from 1976 to 1982. George refereed basketball at various levels since the age of 15 and in the peak of his career, was officiating 287 games per year.
New feature exhibit examines “When Sports Stopped.”
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic Albertans have been adapting to one change after another with little idea when things will return to “normal”. We are living through a historic time. It began with the closing of museums, schools and daycares – forcing families to stay home and employers to accommodate employees working from home. Soon after we saw the closure of businesses and non-essential stores – once more pushing us to stay home and stay safe. Then came the cancellation of sports – from minor leagues where our children competed, to the profeissional leagues suspending play. This was a shock to our systems as we were gearing up for NHL and NBA playoffs and MLB pre-season games.
“I was just about to return to work from my maternity leave when COVID struck and sports stopped. It made me stop and think about what other global events have caused sports to stop? If I was asking these questions then so were many other people.” Comments Breanna Suk, Collections and Exhibit Coordinator. “I came back to work in May with this exhibit already forming in my mind. It got pushed back as we had bigger priorities when I first returned, so seeing it all come together seven months later is a great feeling.”
This new exhibition examines the effects of global events from the Spanish Flu through both World Wars and right up to COVID had on sports. It may seem likely that the postponement of the Utah Jazz – Oklahoma City Thunder NBA game just minutes before tip-off due to Rudy Gobert’s positive COVID test and the subsequent suspension of many professional leagues was a new occurrence. This exhibit highlights multiple past occurrences where international events have brought a stop to sports.
This exhibition is expected to be on display in the museum’s main gallery starting November 20, 2020. Be sure to stop in and see it for yourself.
In honour of Veterans Week 2020 and the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the end of World War II, the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame would like to highlight some of our Honoured Members who served in the armed forces, and those who stepped up to fill the roles left behind by our men in uniform.
We have set up several of our panels from a past exhibit “Victory on the Field” in our lobby, which more closely looks at sports’ response to the wars, as well as the rise of women’s sports due to men being called overseas to fight.
This mini-exhibition is available to view free of charge for all visitors and reflects on the impact of the two world wars.
The November “Artifact of the Month” has ties to wartime sports as well. This wool sweater belonged to Helen (Northup) Alexander c. 1939 of the famous Edmonton Commercial Graduates Basketball team, who were World Champions from 1937 -1940. They were forced to disband in 1940 when the Edmonton Arena was taken over by the Royal Canadian Air Force, leaving the Grads with nowhere to play.
Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram as from November 5-12 we will showcase six different Honoured Members who were connected to the Second World War.
From soldiers fighting on the front lines, women who embraced sports for entertainment left vacant by the war efforts, to citizens displaced due to their heritage, each of them gave something of themselves as a result of the war.
The board and staff of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum are proud of all our brave men and women who fight and have fought for our freedom and safety both at home and abroad.
Lest we Forget.
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