Wednesday, August 23, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER B1 Interactive M t o f,LI t pUBUC UBRMW MAVV STREET F O U R T H L IN E A U T O ____ ____ _____ J0O oLk»dLe, * For All Your Car's N eeds D rive C lean E m issio n Testing G o v e rn m e n t S afe ty Inspection Tune-Ups ·Brakes ·Exhaust ·Cooling Systems CAA Approved Shop 2,0,s5 9 99 905»257*1& 55 H our: M ton-Fri 10-9 · Sat 10-4 · Sun 11-6 12 ^) E , O N T W t O U>i 214 | I h £ | I 559 Speers Road 842-3001 In Business In Oakville Since 1979 OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR OF THE OAKVILLE WATERFRONT FESTIVAL Oakville Beaver Focus Editor: WILMA BLOKHUIS 845-3824 Ext: 250; Fax: 337-5567; Email: blokhuis@haltonsearch.com Terry Fox's visit left a lasting impression By W ilm a B lokhuis Focus Editor T wenty years ago this summer, Terry Fox stopped in Oakville as part of his Marathon of Hope trek across Canada. While Fox was forced to cut short his Canadian journey in Thunder Bay, due to the spread of cancer which later claimed his short life, the Marathon of Hope continues as an annual fundrais ing event in Canada and has spread to 53 other countries. And while those well-organized events have raised a total $240 million in Canada, when Fox first stopped in Oakville 20 years ago his journey was just catching the attention of the coun try. Confusion seemed to follow the onelegged runner on his 25-mile-a-day trek across Canada. "They were making up the schedule as Terry ran," remembers Oakville resi dent Joan Gibb, a 33-year volunteer with the Canadian Cancer Society. "Nothing had been organized for Fox's arrival in Oakville. The fundraising had been done, the Cancer Society's office was closed, and the volunteers were tak ing the summer off. Terry had run through four provinces and still didn't have $1 million." Fox arrived in Oakville on Sunday, July 13,1980, a day later than scheduled during a hastily put together -- but suc cessful -- reception at Sheridan College. His arrival was a delayed one day when Fox became overwhelmed after meeting Darryl Sittler of the Toronto Maple Leafs at a rally of 100,000 peo ple, the largest reception ever held for him, at Nathan Philips Square in Toronto. The one-day delay cased a major dilemma for Gibb, an Ontario Division volunteer, in charge of organizing Fox's Oakville reception. "That left me with having to make a decision at 7 o'clock on a Sunday morning, and you can imagine downtown Oakville on a Sunday morn ing in 1980 - not busy like it is today." Her first instinct was to start calling, and she contacted Bill McVean at CFRB to announce the change of plans on the radio (which he did), and to get in touch with Hub Foley, publisher of the Oakville Journal Record, knowing the newspaper was hosting a car rally at Sheridan College, hence a good likeli hood of finding a crowd. "I was telling them to pass on the message on that I'll have Terry at Sheridan College." mer of 1981, we had raised $113,000 for the Marathon of Hope," said Gibb. That night she joined Fox and his entourage for supper. "I was with Terry for two hours over dinner at the Oakville Holiday Inn (where he stayed overnight), and he asked me if it was okay to remove his leg," she recalls. "He had just run 25 miles in 35 Celsius degree heat, and you should have seen the sores, it was a mess." The next day at 5 a.m., Fox was back on the road, leaving from where he left off, running westward to Burlington and then northbound to con tinue his run. He would only make it to Thunder Bay where his journey ended on Sept. 1, 1980. Fox died on June 28, the next year, at age 22 (one month before his 23rd birthday). The cancer which had first taken his right leg in 1977 had spread into his lungs. Gibb organized a memorial service at St. Jude's Church, and read the eulo gyWhen Fox started his Marathon of Hope, his goal was to raise $24 million -- $1 for each Canadian. On Feb. 1. 1981, the Marathon of Hope reached the $24-million mark. On June 26, 1982, a larger than life nine-foot, 1,500-pound bronze statue of Fox, created by Oakville sculpture Manfred, was dedicated at the site, Terry Fox Lookout, where his run was stopped 12 kilometres west of Thunder Bay. That section of highway was renamed the Terry Fox Courage Highway in 1981. The memorial was initiated for for mer Ontario Minister of Transportation Terry Fox chats with Joan Gibb at SheridLan College during his stop in Oakville 20 years ago. A Bell Canada employee at the time, After completing his 25 miles that He arrived at the college at 6 p.m., Jim Snow. That same year the federal govern Gibb was able to use Bell's mobile day. Fox was picked up by a limousine well after the car rally was over, to be ment announced the $5 million Terry operator to help spread the word. provided by Ford, at the comer of welcomed and cheered by about 200 Fox Humanitarian Award to be provide `Trying to fine tune a one-legged Lakeshore Road and Winston Churchill, people who had waited for two hours. runner was the most difficult human and taken to Sheridan College which That day, more than $11,000 was annual scholarships to deserving stu effect I've ever done, a real challenge in was hosting the Oakville Journal raised in Oakville. But that was only dents. He had run for 5,565 kilometres the days before cell phones." Record's annual Antique Car Rally. the beginning. "By the end of the sum (3,339 miles) across Canada, starting in St. John's, Nfld., for 143 days before being forced to stop as a result of lung cancer. He was two-thirds of the way across the country. An exhibit of Terry Fox memorabilia on Saturday at visit in Oakville and the early years of the Terry Fox Gibb was not about to let the Oakville Place, will kick-off the 20th annual Terry Fox Run.Fox passed through Oakville on July 13 and 14, Marathon of Hope die, and organized Run on Sept. 17th at the Glen Abbey Recreation Centre. 1980. the very first Terry Fox Run at Bronte "It will include a montage story board where people "It will be a celebration and a pictorial memorial of Creek Provincial Park in 1981, and has can write messages, and their memories, of Terry Fox. his time when he passed through Oakville and the 20th never missed an event over the next 19 This montage will also be available at the run." anniversary of his run, the Marathon of Hope." years. The 20th annual Terry Fox Run The memorabilia will include scrapbooks, T-shirts, The exhibit, located on the lower level in front of will be held nationally on Sept. 17th. buttons, certificates, and photographs of Fox, much of it Sears, will be open mall hours. "It's been 19 years since the first being supplied by Gibb, who will be there along with a Those with memorabilia are invited to loan it for this national Terry Fox Run, and I'm proud number of other volunteers involved with the runner's display. For information, call Joan Gibb at 827-6295. to say I was the beginner of this run." Terry Fox exhibit at Oakville Place ^ o in u5 f o r a ^ e U e e lv O P P O R T U N IT Y T O M E E T A R A R E Start w eek of October 2 2 /0 0 ADULT LEAGUES Open W o m e n 's M onday evenings 13 weeks $1 170 + GST Open M e n 's Tues./W ed. evenings 14 w eeks $1 1 2 0 + GST Open 35 M e n 's Thursday evenings 14 w eeks $1 1 2 0 + GST Open M e n 's Sunday evenings 11 w eeks $935 + GST Individuals $1 20/person (includes shirt) ^effufj artiit Siolltan Cir e e n a n Monday August 28/ 2000 · 12 noon - 4 pm You a re in v ite d to m e e t S io b h a n G r e e n a n a n d h a v e h e r sig n y o u r B elleek p u r c h a se . In a d d itio n to a n e x te n s iv e collectio n o f B elleek, th e e v e n t w ill fea tu re the follo w in g : National Indoor Soccer 20 & 21,2001 Tournament Qualifier C h a m p io n s h ip Age Divisions January Under10-over35 Now accepting Registrations Teams & Individuals. Space is Limited. IR athletic Durrow Vase aSugg. Retail $49.95 S p e tia l^ P *95 Reserve your Belleek in advance, or join us for this event. I i 1333 North Service Road West, Oakville (between 3rd Line & 4th Line) Fm t Dunn Street Call (905) 465-0900, Fax (905) 465-1143 or come in. [R lS to lfL a S S fC S 3 3 8 -7 1 6 0