Gray in the news

Congratulations Todd Lewis

Saskatchewan farmer Todd Lewis is headed to the Senate of Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a trio of appointees to the Upper Chamber on Friday, including Lewis, who currently serves as the first vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA).
Lewis farms south of Regina near Gray, and is the former president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS). In addition to his work with APAS and CFA, he has served as a municipal councillor.
Trudeau visited Lewis’ farm during a visit to Saskatchewan in 2017 (pictured above).
Lewis will joins his former CFA leadership colleague Mary Robinson in the Senate. Robinson served as CFA president prior to her appointment in 2024.
The other two appointees to the Senate announced on Friday were Baltej Dhillon, a former police officer in British Columbia, and Martine Hébert, an economist in Quebec. The CBC reported last month that Trudeau intended to fill 10 Senate vacancies before he is replaced as Liberal leader on March 9.

Congratulations Dr. Michael Kelly, who has been appointed to a five-year term as Provincial Department Head of Surgery effective February 1, 2023.
Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Dr. Kelly has been part of the neurosurgery faculty at the College of Medicine and a practicing neurosurgeon in our province since 2008. Prior to that, he completed cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery fellowships at the Cleveland Clinic and Stanford University Medical Center. He holds a PhD in Anatomy and Cell Biology, as well as an MD and BSc, all from the University of Saskatchewan, where he also completed his neurosurgery residency.
He has achieved extraordinary success as a clinician, researcher and teacher. Dr. Kelly recently marked 10 years as the Heart and Stroke Foundation/Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation Saskatchewan Clinical Chair. His leadership skills have been demonstrated as the division head of neurosurgery and leading the provincial stroke program for Saskatchewan for the past five years. He was neurosurgery residency program director for five years. In 2021, he completed the Harvard Medical School Certificate course in Surgery Leadership.
Dr. Kelly manages a busy clinical practice, while also running a productive research lab and team. Patients remark on his excellent bedside manner. He is also actively involved in many clinical trials. His research includes the use of Synchrotron Imaging of animal stroke models, assessing neurobiology of motor recovery after stroke using MRI and work on retrieval of cerebral blood clots.
On behalf of the College of Medicine University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), we congratulate and welcome Dr. Kelly as our province’s new head of surgery.

Crystal Frisk inducted into the Regina Sports Hall of Fame

Regina Sports Hall of Fame announces Class of 2021 There was an emphasis on builders when the Regina Sports Hall of Fame announced its 2021 inductees on Tuesday afternoon.
Author of the article:
Regina Leader-Post
Publishing date:
Aug 17, 2021

Crystal Frisk is among Regina’s most-accomplished curlers.
PHOTO BY TROY FLEECE /Regina Leader-Post

ATHLETE
Crystal (Brunas) Frisk: The Saskatchewan women’s curling champion in 1977, Frisk later won five provincial senior titles. Between 1977 and 2017, she competed in 37 provincial championships at different levels

Ice-making pioneer Don Lewis passes away at 85

by Murray McCormick - Regina Leader Post
published Aug 15/21

The curling community is mourning the passing of Don Lewis, a member of the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame and CurlSask’s Legends of Curling Honour Roll.

Provided by Leader Post Ice-making pioneer Don Lewis has died at age 85. Lewis died Wednesday after suffering a heart attack in his Regina home. He was 85.
“I don’t think you can say curling was his life, but it filled most of his adult life for sure,” said Todd Lewis, Don’s son. “He went from making ice at the Gray rink to the Winter Olympics and everywhere in between.”
Don Lewis made the ice at 18 world championships, 14 Canadian men’s championships and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, where curling was a demonstration sport.

He was one of the originators of Curl Canada’s Ice Technicians’ Course, laying the foundation for the ice conditions that curlers currently enjoy. In 1988, he won the inaugural ice-technician-of-the-year award.
As a builder, he was inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame as a builder (1989) and the CurlSask Legends of Curling Honour Roll (2016).

The Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame announced their induction class for 2020 Friday. (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)
By Martin Martinson

Home Run Class Sask. Baseball Hall of Fame announces 2020 inductees May 01, 2020 Baseball fans across the province craving some positive sporting headlines received a home run announcement Friday, as the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame announced its 2020 induction class.
The announcement featured 12 individuals, one team and one community who will all be enshrined.
Inducted in the Individuals category will be Fred Curts (Holdfast), Allan Fitzsimmons (Saskatoon), Al Greschuk (Yorkton), George Guillaume (Moose Jaw), Elemer Jerkovits (Regina), Rick Johnston (Maidstone), Kevin Kusch (Lloydminster), Rocky Nickel (Caronport), Neil Urlacher (Okotoks, AB/Macklin).
Posthumously inducted will be the late Father Leonard Albers (Bengough), the late “Goldie” Wiggins (Fillmore), and the late Roy Taylor (Visalia, California/Saskatoon).
In the team category, the Aquadell Flyers of 1947-1972 will be enshrined. The Village Of Gray, Sask. will round out the 2020 class in the community category.
Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum CEO and President Jane Shury, said the induction process was a bit of a unique situation this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than gathering as usual, members of the selection committee instead came together via Zoom conference, to vote in the selection process.
Shury said she is still hopeful restrictions on gathering will be lifted at some point later this summer so the organization can host its banquet celebration and induction ceremony.
“We’re very pleased that we had a good selection of candidates again and we have continued to plan for our 36th annual induction Aug. 15,” she said. “Of course, if we can’t hold it at that time, we will have it later in the fall.

UPDATE: Event moved to May 22, 2021 due to Covid-19