Late last year, when the concept of a proposed Walk of Fame in Newfoundland started to gain momentum, I was completely supportive. I still am. Newfoundland’s rich history includes an endless supply of notable individuals who have significantly contributed to the province's well-being, and they all deserve recognition.
The question remains: What should a Newfoundland Hall of Fame look like? Will it only include artists, or will it also include business leaders and political figures in a wide range of categories?
Some of the other halls throughout Canada and the United States all have unique ways of honouring those who have made substantial contributions to their communities. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is made up of people who contributed to motion pictures, television, radio, recording, live theatre/performance, and sports entertainment in the entertainment industry.
In Canada, the Hockey Hall of Fame, a not-for-profit organization, annually selects new honorees inducted as players, builders, or on-ice officials. It also has a separate category for female players.
The Canadian Hall of Fame is a little more comprehensive and is probably the model organizers of Nfld’s HOF should adopt locally. It honours Canadians in the Arts and entertainment, Business and entrepreneurship, Philanthropy and Humanities, Science and Technology, and Sports and Athletics. The induction criteria include those who significantly contribute to their chosen field and impact Canadian cultural heritage.
I know what you are going to say: establishing a Hall of Fame is a daunting task. It is, and it will take a lot of brainstorming to determine its focus, from
committee operations, setting induction criteria, securing funding, finding a suitable location, and designing a hall if there is a physical location. Then comes the marketing and public relations part—promoting it to attract visitors and potential donors.
When Hockey Night in Canada and legendary play-by-play broadcaster Bob Cole passed away a few months ago, I immediately thought of NL’s proposed Walk of Fame idea. Then, right after him, we lost Newfoundland’s finest wordsmith, Rex Murphy. Murphy spent a short time adding his colour commentaries about the local political scene for CBC’s supper time program Here & Now before the National with Peter Mansbridge scooped him up. He later became the host of CBC Radio’s Cross Country Checkup. Before he passed, he was a successful columnist who never shied away from controversy with the National Post.
In 2010, I was a sports journalist for a small newspaper in Airdrie, Alberta, a small city north of Calgary. When I think of Bob Cole, I think of covering hockey. I remember the late nights, driving for miles covering AAA Bantam, Junior B, Junior A, high school sports, university football, basketball, NHL games and the National Women’s Hockey Team. There is way more sports than that but that's only a tiny sample. It's not always easy to covering sports. The easiest part is covering the game. The annoying part was driving to the venue,
but you must love it to enjoy it.
Bob Cole's fifty-year career is untouchable; no one has done it better. He called his first game between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadians in the 1960s, a different era when families and friends would gather around the radio, and later the television, to listen to the many NHL and international games he called.
When news of Cole's passing circulated, it wasn't just news in Newfoundland or the rest of Canada. It was also newsworthy to Sports Illustrated, the American sports networks, and even the Hollywood Reporter. It speaks volumes about his impact on the game and those who admired him.
Murphy was a journalist I knew I could never be, but that's not to say that I didn't respect him. My admiration for him was huge. At the National Post, we had the same editor, Kevin Libin. Libin was the editor of Western Standard Magazine when I started my journalism career. Indirectly, I felt connected to Murphy even if I didn't know him personally.
If the NL Walk of Fame is built, and I shouldn't cast doubt, I'm pretty confident it will be. We can honour them and many other world-renowned Newfoundlanders and talented individuals who became household names on our beautiful island. We should never forget the greatness of those who took risks to make their dreams come true. We should feel fortunate to have witnessed their greatness, even if it was only for a short time.
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