by Lucie Roy
Morinville has had numerous inductees in Hall of Fames, provincial and national.
The compiled list is incomplete due to the availability of info and file access at this time.
This article will feature the Purina Hall of Fame, the 4-H Alberta Hall of Fame, Alberta Baseball Umpire Hall of Fame and the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame.
Purina Hall of Fame
In 2007 one cat was inducted in the Purina Hall of Fame and that cat named Mel-O was from Morinville.
Mel-O is credited with saving the life of nine-year-old Alex Rose on March 27, 2006, a young boy with type 1 diabetes.
The persistent domestic short-haired cat climbed a five-foot ladder and continued to pounce on the boy’s chest.
Alex woke up his mother Danielle to explain the situation and sensing that Mel-O’s insistence must mean something she checked Alex’s blood sugar level.
Even though he had his levels checked before going to bed, they had dropped to a dangerously low level and thanks to Mel-O he avoided going into a diabetic shock.
Mel-O was awarded a medal for bravery from Purina. Mel-O is also featured on the Morinville Centennial quilt that was presented to Council in November 2011.
4-H Alberta Hall of Fame
In 1996 Gordon Fuhr of Morinville was inducted in the 4-H Alberta Hall of Fame for his 35 years as a Leader and commitment and contribution to the 4-H at the club, district, regional and provincial levels as well as his commitment to many community and agricultural organizations.
In 2005 the Riviere Qui Barre 4-H Beef and Bon Accord 4-H Clubs created the Gordon Fuhr Award to commemorate the exceptional contributions that Fuhr made to 4-H.
This award is presented annually to a 4-H member.
Canadian Curling Hall of Fame
Wally Ursuliak is a curler from Morinville who was inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in 2006.
In 1980 he is also credited for introducing the game to the Japanese island of Hokkaido and was given the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays from Kunihike Tanabe, Consul-General of Japan in June 2017.
Baseball Alberta
Every year Baseball Alberta and the Umpire Committee honours umpires within Baseball Alberta who have contributed in a positive way to the game in Alberta.
In 1998 Paul Riopel (above) was inducted in the Umpire Hall of Fame.
In 2017 the North Central Alberta Baseball League (NCABL) marked its 50th anniversary with the opening of its Hall of Fame display at the Musee Morinville Museum.
