Nancy Greene, Al Raine & Ron Jones to be Honoured at Kamloops 2024 Annual Summit

Vancouver (September 11, 2024) – Among the highlights of the upcoming Kamloops 2024 Annual Summit of the BC Sports Hall of Fame will be the presentation of lifetime leadership & achievement awards to Nancy Greene, Al Raine and Ron Jones.

“We are proud to present Lifetime Leadership & Achievement Awards to Nancy Greene, Al Raine and Ron Jones, three long-standing supporters of the BC Sports Hall of Fame in particular and BC sport in general,” said Michelle Kitchen, CEO of the BC Sports Hall of Fame. “We are honoured to have the chance at the Kamloops 2024 Annual Summit to recognize their contributions to the promotion of BC sport history and the power of sport overall.”

Nancy Greene and Al Raine have been instrumental in the development and promotion of ski tourism in British Columbia, first at Whistler and now at Sun Peaks Resort. The married couple have made skiing their life’s work. Greene was Canada’s top ski racer through the 1960’s, winning gold and silver medals at the 1968 Grenoble Olympics. In 1999 she was voted Canada’s Female Athlete of the Century.

Ron Jones has a lifetime of volunteer contributions at the highest levels of sport in British Columbia and Canada. He served as the President of the BC Lions, was a member of the Executive Committee of the CFL Board of Governors and, provided 38 years of service to the BC Sports Hall of Fame including being elected as Chair in 1995.

The trio will be paid tribute as part of The Reunion at The Summit: Council of Chairs Dinner presented by the BC Sports Hall of Fame Foundation on Friday, September 20th. Also on tap that evening will be the presentation of the Eric Whitehead Inspired Service Awards named after the former sports editor of The Province newspaper and founder and first curator of the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 1966.

This marks the seventh year of the Whitehead awards, designed as special awards to honour long-standing contributors to the sporting community in British Columbia, including those who have directly or indirectly helped create many of the inspirational stories that are synonymous with the BC athlete and sport development system. The Whitehead awards have also paid special homage to those who have achieved what they have in the face of adversity, or were otherwise notable in their innovation, leadership, and service to the BC sport system.

The 2024 Eric Whitehead Inspired Service Awards go to:

• Henry Pejril of Kamloops – Long-standing president of the Kamloops Sports Council
• Frank D’Amore of Kamloops – Creator of the Kamloops Sports Hall of Fame
• Ron McColl of Kamloops – Chair of PacificSport Interior BC
• Jan & Wayne Harper of Kamloops – Executive leadership of Kamloops International Baseball Tournament
• Judy Armstrong of Kamloops – President of the Kamloops Track and Field Club
• Earl Seitz of Kamloops – 48-years as a prominent media personality in the Kamloops sports scene, culminating in his induction into the Kamloops Sports Hall of Fame in 2019

“Each of this year’s winners of the Eric Whitehead Inspired Service Awards have done literally that; inspired growth, success and contributed long-standing leadership as part of the BC sport community,” said Tom Mayenknecht, Chair of the BC Sports Hall of Fame. “Their best efforts over the years have directly and indirectly helped create many of the success stories that are at the very heart of BC sport history, heritage, and culture here in British Columbia. They are clearly cut from the same cloth of Eric Whitehead, our founder and first curator back in the day in 1966.”

About the BC Sports Hall of Fame

Located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, the BC Sports Hall of Fame celebrates extraordinary achievement in B.C. sport history and inspires future generations to make their dreams come true.  As a non-profit charitable organization, the Hall curates an astounding collection of 28,000+ heritage artifacts and 100,000 archival documents representing 150-years of sport history in British Columbia. Through Hero in You Youth Education Programs, the BC Sports Hall of Fame reaches over 6,500 young learners each year across the province, advancing a mission of building outstanding community legacies by honouring the past and inspiring the future.

For more information, please visit bcsportshall.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram @bcsportshall.