Woodstock Sports Wall Of Fame announces 2025 inductees

Lee Griffi, Editor

The city’s Sports Wall of Fame was introduced during the opening ceremonies of the twin-pad arenas, now known as Reeves Community Complex, in Woodstock in 1996.

Over the years, athletes, teams, and sport builders have been recognized, including historic inductees from before 1900. In recent years, Lifetime Achievement and Special Recognition categories were added to honor exceptional accomplishments today and over a lifetime. With the addition of the Lifetime Achievement category, some inductees have been recognized twice, bringing the total to seven categories. Depending on the quality of submissions and the timing of the biennial induction ceremony, there can be eight or more honourees.

The public submission deadline for 2025 was March 31. The volunteer Woodstock Recreation Advisory Committee (WRAC) reviewed new nominations and a few previous submissions during its April 8 meeting. The WRAC recommended a list of inductees for the ceremony scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 28, at 1:30 p.m. in the Goff Gym at the community complex.

Here are this year’s inductees:

Female Athlete - Janet Thompson

Thompson is a retired high school teacher, coach, and meet convener, as well as an exceptional athlete who continues to compete in her 70s. Her athletes have participated in OFSAA competitions in Nordic skiing, cross-country running, and track. Janet’s own athletic accomplishments include international triathlons: she placed 2nd in June 2022 in the 70–74 age group at the World Age Group Championships in Montreal, and 1st in 2023 in Spain. These events consisted of a 1,500-metre swim, 40 km bike ride, and 10 km run.

Male Athlete - Kevin Bruder

Bruder is a standout Woodstock slo-pitch player with numerous national championships as a member of various teams, most recently Reggie’s Rams Oldtimers elite team. He has earned three national gold medals, five national silver medals, and multiple provincial titles. Bruder has competed in the prestigious Border Battle series, and as a member of Team Ontario in 2011, he went 25 for 39 at the national tournament, posting a .641 batting average with four home runs and 11 RBIs.

Team - Silver Tankard Ontario Champions

In 1963, a Woodstock Curling Club team consisting of skips Bill Astle and Dave Mitchell, thirds Peter Julian and Osmond “Ozzy” Evans, seconds Mark Gasparatto and Jim Schwandt, and leads Jim Keith and Dr. Gord Brown won the provincial Silver Tankard in curling eights. Woodstock defeated Unionville 22 20 in the Ontario final, advancing with earlier victories over teams from Hamilton and Sarnia. Dr. Gord Brown is the only surviving member of the team.

Builder of Sport - Bill Arthurs

A long-time coach, executive member, and volunteer groundskeeper with the Woodstock Soccer Club, Arthurs began coaching lacrosse in 1974. After the lacrosse program folded, he coached his three children in minor soccer and continued for 30 years, leading both house league and travel teams. By 1995, he had won his 200th game, and by the time he retired, he had accumulated over 300 victories along with numerous tournament and league trophies. As a member of the Navy Club, he also organized curling bonspiels for more than 20 years.

Historic - Bob McMillan

McMillan was an outstanding baseball player, earning an invitation to a Brooklyn Dodgers tryout in the 1950s. A right-handed pitcher and hitter, he honed his skills with the Elmer Cuthbert Juvenile and Junior Flat Tires in the early 1950s, including throwing a no-hitter against the Galt Terriers in InterCounty baseball. McMillan, who also served as a Woodstock firefighter, passed away on May 4, 2007.

Historic - Bun Brewster

Bernard Edward “Bun” Brewster was a standout of the Woodstock Badminton Club for nearly four decades. His first top results came in 1938, when he won singles, men’s doubles, and mixed doubles at the Oxford finals. In the 1950s, Brewster and George Thorpe were four-time provincial finalists in men’s doubles and won the Western Ontario titles nine consecutive times. In 1961, they posted the best record in the Thomas Cup Trials but were not selected to represent Canada. Bernard passed away on May 21, 2005.

Lifetime Achievement - Jim Stevens

Stevens has been a dedicated figure in figure skating as a judge, volunteer, coach, executive, event convener, and in any role that supported the Woodstock Skating Club (WSC) and regional competitions. His contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Western Ontario Sectionals Outstanding Service Award (1994), the WOS Officials Award of Excellence (2017), Skate Canada Volunteer Excellence (2005), and the HOME Region Outstanding Dedication Award. A past chair of the Woodstock Skating Club, Stevens also served on the Skate Canada officials’ team. He began his skating career as a competitor with WSC in 1950.RBIs.

Special Recognition - Kyla Rodrigue

Rodrigue won OFSAA gold for WCI in 2019 in the 100-metre sprint for Intellectually Impaired. The Ontario high school championships were at the Univ of Guelph, and Rodrigue won the finals in 13.64 seconds, winning by more than one second. Rodrigue also won TVRA, WOSSA (where she owns the meet record at 13.44) and the OFSAA West Regionals gold medals. In 2018, she won silver at OFSAA at York University. In her earlier Junior years, Rodrigue won gold and silver.

The WRAC has been pleased to recognize local sports accomplishments for almost 30 years now.

“Athletic accomplishments of the past inspire today’s up-and-coming athletes, and at the same time promote healthy participation in sports. If you know any of the recipients, we invite you to attend the event to congratulate them and celebrate local sports,” read a statement from the committee.