Sault Ste. Marie Walk of Fame

who have made outstanding contributions to the community or significant contributions in their chosen field of work. Inductees are added on an annual basis.

History and requirements

The genesis of the Walk of Fame was City By-Law 2002-193, passed by the Sault Ste. Marie City Council on September 9, 2002. The by-law established a “Walk of Fame Program,” to be operated by the city and the Downtown Association with the intent of honouring Sault Ste. Marie natives who have made significant contributions and outstanding achievements. By extension, the Walk was viewed as a means of enhancing tourism in the city and attracting patrons to the Downtown shopping and business district.

The by-law established a committee to determine inductees and a suitable location for the Walk. The 8 committee members are appointed by the City Council for a 3-year term, and include the mayor, two city councilors, two representatives of the Downtown Association, two citizens at large, and one Chamber of Commerce representative.

The by-law also established ground rules for Walk inductees:
*Any inductee (or if it is a group, at least one member of that group) must have lived in the City of Sault Ste. Marie or the Algoma District for a minimum of 12 months at any point in their lifetime.
*The inductee must have, over a period of years, made an outstanding contribution to the community, or have achieved provincial, national, or international accolades in their chosen field of work (academics, humanitarianism, medicine, science and technology, business and industry, arts and entertainment, athletics or other competitive endeavors).
*Nominations for inductees can be submitted by the general public, but must be received by the City Clerk's office no later than April 1 of the intended year of honour. The Committee would then consider those nominations for induction into the Walk.
*No more than 10 inductees would be honoured in the Walk’s inaugural year, and no more than 5 inductees in any subsequent year.
*No person or group can be honoured more than once on the Walk.
*The list of annual inductees, usually revealed in late May, must be announced to the general public; formal ceremonies to dedicate markers must be open to the public as well, and normally take place every September.

Markers and location

Each Walk of Fame inductee is immortalized on a 16-inch granite square, which includes a marble maple leaf displaying the inductee’s name and year of induction.

The first set of Walk of Fame markers are embedded in the sidewalk facing Queen Street, in front of the Essar Centre's north end. Future markers are expected to be located in the same general area (Queen Street and the Essar Centre), and there are no known plans to extend the Walk beyond that area.

List of inductees

Prospective inductee names were first submitted by the general public in 2003, from which the Walk of Fame Committee selected an inaugural list of 10 inductees. The selections were then tabled until determination of a suitable time and place to launch the Walk of Fame (which would be 2006 on the Essar Centre grounds).

2006

The inaugural list of 10 Walk of Fame inductees were honoured in ceremonies on September 30, 2006, during the Essar Centre’s grand opening weekend. [ [http://www.soonews.ca/viewarticle.php?id=8725 soonews.ca feature on the 2006 inductees] ] The inaugural inductees include:
*Roberta Bondar, neurologist, astronaut, and the first Canadian woman in space
*Francis H. Clergue, industrialist and visionary (posthumous honour)
*Ken Danby, artist
*Ron Francis, NHL player
*Joanie and Gary McGuffin, adventurers, conservationists, and authors (joint honour)
*Ted Nolan, NHL- and junior-level hockey coach
*Kevin Scott, world-record setting speedskater
*Morley Torgov, author and humourist
*Treble Charger, recording artists
*Jessica Tuomela, Paralympic swimmer

2007

The second annual list of Walk inductees was announced on June 6, 2007, and were formally inducted on September 22, 2007 [ [http://74.125.45.104/search?q=cache:4FisQLN9yUsJ:www.city.sault-ste-marie.on.ca/contentadmin/UserFiles/File/CityDepartments/Clerks/Media%2520Archive/2007/Sootoday.com%2520Articles/Walk%2520of%2520Fame%2520June%25206,%25202007.pdf+%22Sault+Ste.+Marie+Walk+of+Fame%22+2007&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us] ] . This induction class included:
*Phil and Tony Esposito, NHL players, executives, and Team Canada 1972 alumni (separate honours)
*Harry Graham, forester and academic (posthumous honour)
*John Rhodes, broadcaster and politician (posthumous honour)
*Darren Zack, softball pitcher

2008

The third annual list of Walk inductees was announced on May 29, 2008, [ [http://www.soonews.ca/printarticle.php?id=17413] ] with formal induction taking place September 20, 2008. [ [http://www.saultstar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1211194 "Four more inducted into Sault's Walk of Fame"] , from "Sault Star", September 22, 2008] This induction class included:
*John Barker, local union leader and driving force behind the city's Group Health Centre (posthumous honour)
*Angelo Bumbacco, junior hockey executive and co-founder of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
*Joni Henson, lyric spinto soprano
*Dr. David Walde, doctor, cancer treatment pioneer, and hospital fundraser

ee also

*Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
*Algoma District, Ontario
*Essar Centre

References

External links

* [http://www.saultdowntown.com Sault Ste Marie Downtown Association Website]
* [http://www.saultdowntown.com/newsletters/2007_Walk_of_Fame_bylaw.pdf By-Law 2002-193, establishing the Walk of Fame]