LETTER: AUTUMN IN AUSTRALIA
PAGE
8
A PHOTO TRIBUTE TO OUR FRONTLINERS
PAGE
11
Serving Tavistock and area since 1895 VOLUME 124 • NUMBER 31
TAVISTOCK, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2020
CO
‘‘
VID
BILL GLADDING / TAVISTOCK GAZETTE
MAIN STREET A Quick Look at Our Town THIS ‘N’ THAT
Addison Wilker is 13 on May 6th; a birthday for Gib Klein; and a wedding anniversary for Don and Carol Mordue … on May 7th Amy Loggan is 19 … Lucas Benbow is 8 May 8th; a birthday for Evelyn Hitzeroth; a 10th wedding anniversary for Joshua and Carolyn Zehr … on May 9th Callum Adamson is 6; a birthday for Rosalie Bender; an 11th wedding anniversary for Kris and Christine Ferguson … Peyton Christie is 10 years old May 10th; Alyssa Lupton, 18; Alexis Anonech, 18; Max Kalbfleisch, 20; anniversaries for Lyle and Susan Rozendal, 45th; Daryl and Angie Bender, 23rd … on May 11th Nash Munro is 9; Emry Hallman, 10; Sawyer Brennan, 16; a wedding anniversary for Bryan and Polly Kalbfleisch … birthdays May 12th for twins Liam Odette, 8; Tom Odette, 8; Ainsley Koch, 11; Amaya Snyder, 12; anniversaries for Chad and Kaitlin Gerber, 13th; Scott and Heather Alexander, 19th.
CLANG YOUR POTS! in support of our frontline workers Every night at 7:30 p.m.
’’
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO FASTBALL
WEEK 8
BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES
I learned here how the game needed to be played... - Keith Wagler
-19 This is Emergency Preparedness Week - May 3-9 … after some beautiful, warm spring weather it is back to cooler temperatures with a possibility of some snow by the end of the week . . . have you noticed the magnolia trees are in beautiful bloom? … Mother’s Day is this coming weekend! … Canada’s Covid-19 numbers are at 61,159 with Ontario’s number at 18,310 - remember to stay the course and keep up with physical distancing, hand washing and wearing a face mask when distancing difficult - Ontario is beginning to allow some other businesses to open with specific guidelines … thank you is extended to all our local businesses who are working hard to keep our community going with the essentials - thank you also to the frontline healthcare workers who are fighting against this virus - all are truly appreciated!
ONLINE EDITION
ast November, Keith Wagler was honoured for his outstanding contribution to the game of softball. He was awarded the F. R. Feaver Memorial Trophy at the Ontario Amateur Softball Association’s 97th Annual General Meeting held in Oakville on Saturday, November 23, 2019. “Unfortunately, Dad was very sick with a cold the day of the award, so he didn’t get the recognition he deserved,” his son Brian said. Brian attended the meeting and received the award on his behalf and then presented it to his dad at his home in Tavistock later that week. Keith was previously honoured in 1999 and named to the Waterloo County Hall of Fame. Then in 2012 he was honoured as one of the Legends of Fastball. “I played seven of my 17 years of fastball in Tavistock,” Keith reminisced. “I learned here how the game needed to be played with focus and diligence, allowing me to progress to the senior level of fastball in Ontario and Canada.” Keith was born on the family farm near Tavistock in 1947. At age 15, he took up pitching softball and in 1966, at the age of 18, he pitched the Tavistock Juveniles to the Ontario Amateur Softball Association (OASA) title. In the 1970s he joined the Kitchener Super V's (later called the Evergreens) and played until retiring in 1979. According to his Hall of Fame statistics, “In 1972, Keith suited up for 104 games for Kitchener and Tavistock; he pitched in 92 games with a win/ loss record of 79 to 13. Tavistock won the South Perth
L
title and Kitchener won the Inter-City crown. Keith also won the league Earned Run Average Award (1.07).” Keith's highlight year was 1975 when Kitchener won the OASA Elimination Title and finished third in the Canadian Championships in Oshawa. Keith’s son Brian, a former president of the Tavistock Minor Ball Association, said, “After retiring from the game, dad spent several years coaching the East Zorra team in the Tavistock Men’s Church fastball league. He coached while mom (his wife, Ruth Ann) was always there keeping score. Mom always kept the statistics and each week there was and updated list of batting averages for each player. The team had great success, and after winning the league championship in 1984, there were a lot more players interested in playing, so much that they decided to split the team and for the first time have two teams from East Zorra.” According to the award Mr. Wagler received in 2012 as one of the Legends of Fastball, the following was written: “Keith Wagler, the pride of Punkeydoodles Corners. In 1978 alone he sported a meager 0.750 ERA for the entire season. ‘Wags’ pitched in an era when there were 3 great leagues in Ontario; the Ontario Fastball League, Inter City Fastball League and the Memorial Fastball League, was a dominant performer against teams in all three. When he retired he continued to give back to the game, coaching, instructing and fund raising to build the softball programs in nearby Tavistock.” Playing in Tavistock in those early years Keith said that an important fact was the support their team had from local fans and the business community. “We were named the Merchants for a reason,” he said. “We had financial support as well as being there as fan support. It was gratifying to see local business persons attending our games, making this a great place to play the game I loved.” (continued on page 2)