Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum

How Alberta’s Betty Carveth Dunn Became Part of Baseball History

Alberta Sports Hall of Fame

Published

4 years ago

3 minute read

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.

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Alberta Sports Hall of Fame

www.ashfm.ca

The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame provides a family-friendly, interactive experience. You will be surprised by what you discover inside! Have fun, laugh, play and discover Alberta sports heroes together. The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame is an interactive, hands-on celebration of Alberta's sporting history. Our over 7,000 square feet of exhibit space includes a multisport area with virtual baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and soccer; an adaptive sports area, including a 200 meter wheelchair challenge; a Treadwall climbing wall; the Orest Korbutt Theatre; the Hall of Fame Gallery; an art gallery displaying works by provincial artists, and much more. Our venue boasts a collection of over 17,000 artefacts of Alberta sports history and showcases many of these items in a number of displays. The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame also offers an education program, group activities, and a unique environment to rent for your birthday party, special event, corporate reception or meetings.

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This newsletter is sponsored by the Innisfail Eagles.

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We are saddened to hear of the passing of legendary Swim Coach Deryk Snelling.

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Provincial Sport Organization: Alberta Equestrian Federation

Our mission: is to assist in creating a positive environment for the enjoyment of equines. Through leadership and a proactive approach we promote, facilitate, and coordinate equestrian-related activities in Alberta.

The Alberta Equestrian Federation strives to maximize a participant/athlete’s potential and involvement in our sport. We are athlete centered, coach driven and administrated, sport science and sponsor supported. By tailoring an athlete’s/participant’s sports development program to enables them to reach their full potential, increase lifelong participation in Equestrian and other physical activities while improving health and well-being.

Honoured Member in Focus: Margaret & Ron Southern

Margaret and Ron Southern had a dream to develop and operate a world-class equestrian facility. In 1976, their dream became a reality as Spruce Meadows hosted its first tournament. Over the years, Spruce Meadows has developed into one of the finest show jumping venues in the world. Spruce Meadows is the locale for four coveted world-class tournaments annually, including “The Masters” — that offers the largest purse of any show jumping event. Margaret and Ron have prided themselves in showcasing equestrian competitions, and their outstanding efforts have proven positive, as they have attracted competitors from all over the world.

Their daughter Nancy Southern is being Inducted this year along with Ian Allison for the Bell Memorial Award!

Artifact of the month!

Equestrian sports can be divided into 3 main categories: Eventing, Jumping and Dressage.
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All nomination packages for the 20201 intake year must be submitted prior to October 31st, 2021 to be considered for the 2021 selection year.

Nomination Information

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Red and white are not only the colours associated with our nations flag but are also represented in the Olympic apparel worn by Team Canada, often accented with black to make the maple leaf shapes as vibrant as possible.

These looks are also reinterpreted for spectator apparel sold through retailers like Hudsons Bay.

Do you have a favourite Team Canada outfit?

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Kyle Shewfelt began his gymnastic career in 1988, at the age of six.

At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, Kyle made history when he won Canada’s first Olympic gymnastics medal – a gold on the floor exercise. He also placed fourth on the vault.

Kyle’s international career began in 1996. That year, he placed first on floor and third on vault in Austria, and placed first on vault and second on floor in Hungary.

In 1999 and 2000, Kyle made his mark in the World Cup circuit. At the 2003 World Artistic Gymnastic Championships, Kyle captured two bronze medals – on floor and vault.

Kyle’s autobiography, Make it Happen: My Story of Gymnastics. the Olympics, and the Positive Power of Sport was released in April and is available through www.kyleshewfelt.com as well as through Chapters/Indigo.

Welcome back, Alberta Olympians!

Congratulations to Alberta Olympians Claudia Holzner, Halle Pratt, Marco Arop, Sage Watson, Josephine Wu, Haley Daniels, Allison Beveridge, Kelsey Mitchell, Caeli McKay, Kasia Gruchalla-Wesierski, Nicole Hare, Jessica Sevick, Keyara Wardley, Lynda Kiejko, Stephanie Labbé, Yuri Kisil, Finlay Knox, Cole Pratt, Rebecca Smith, Blair Bann, Jay Blankenau, Lucas Van Berkel, Graham Vigrass, Kyra Christmas, Kelly McKee, Kindred Paul, and Danielle Lappage for competing on the Olympic stage in Tokyo.

Congratulations also to Honoured Members Kyle Shewfelt, who was an analyst for CBC’s coverage of Olympic gymnastics, and Blythe Hartley, who was an analyst during the diving events.

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Tickets now available for Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet

Join us on Friday, October 22^nd,2021 when we induct the next group of provincial sports legends to the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.

The Banquet, which had been postponed from its original date in May 2020, will now take place that evening at the Red Deer College (RDC) Arts Centre.

The timetable for the event is as follows:

5:30 – 6:30 pm: Cocktail Reception
5:30 – 6:30 pm: Silent Auction and Raffles
6:45 – 8:30 pm: Awards and Presentations
8:30 – 8:45 pm: Closing Remarks
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Tickets are $50 for Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Honoured Members and their guests, or $75 for general admission.

For tickets, email [email protected], call (403) 341-8614, or visit https://www.albertasportshall.ca/2020-induction-banquet to download the ticket order form.

Join us (and the Innisfail Eagles) on the links!

The Annual Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Golf Tournament is set to tee off off on Tuesday, September 14 at the Innisfail Golf Course. This season, we will be partnering with the Innisfail Eagles Hockey Team.

We are still looking for golfers, sponsors, and volunteers.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to support the preservation of Alberta sports by playing at one of the province’s crown jewels.

Call (403) 341-8614 or email [email protected]ca for more information.

Join the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, September 18th, for a showcase of family fun, sport, and culture in celebration of Alberta Culture Days.

The event will include appearances by the Red Deer Aboriginal Dance Troupe, Association Canadienne Francaise de l’Alberta Régionale de Red Deer, Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Honoured Member and Olympic gold medalist Kyle Shewfelt, the Hungry Beast Food Truck and much more.

Events get underway at 10 am and wrap up at 4 pm.

Leave a legacy

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.

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