By Michael Bennett
Local Journalism Initiative
The Ridgetown Independent News
Dr. Margery Holman achieved several significant firsts during her highly decorated athletic and educational careers.
It is only fitting that Holman accomplishes another first as she will be the first inductee in the revised Ridgetown Hall of Excellence.
Holman will be the first person enshrined into the Ridgetown Hall of Excellence at its new location in the The Centre, 40 Erie St. S., on Sept. 11.
The Ridgetown District High School Hall of Excellence has inducted 45 former RDHS students who went on to achieve success in a variety of fields since its opening in 1999.
However, the display has been moved to the Adult Activity Centre, and the RDHS has been dropped in favour of the rebranded Ridgetown Hall of Excellence name.
Doug Johnston, the former RDHS principal who initiated the idea for the Hall of Excellence 26 years ago, said the display was moved at the request of school administration as space was required for a new art exhibit.
Access for the public to view the Hall of Excellence display was limited to times when the school was open, and even when classes were in session, doors were locked due to security regulations.
“About the only time people from the community could view the display was when the school was open for a basketball or volleyball game or other after-hours events,” Johnston said.
He said the move to The Centre gives the public access to the Hall of Excellence anytime the facility is open.
“They’ve done a nice job putting the display in the hallway,” Johnston said.
The Hall of Excellence features a main information sign along with plaques that contain pictures and short biographies of all 45 inductees. Expanded profiles are available on the Hall of Excellence website, while hard copies are available at the Ridgetown Library and in a binder maintained by the committee.
Johnston came up with the idea of a Hall of Excellence during a conversation with students who were unaware of the history of the school, town and its people.
He put a committee together, starting with Jim Brown, publisher of the Ridgetown Independent News, and Rev. Kevin Babby, representative of the Ridgetown Ministerial Association, to come up with a plan to honour RDHS grads who went on to become leaders in their profession.
“The Ministerial Association put up the money to make sure this was going to function because I didn’t have the budget for it at the school,” Johnston said.
The trio came up with an eligibility criterion for former RDHS students to be considered for induction.
The committee came up with 11 different categories for induction – including medicine, politics, military, science, business, humanitarian, education, agriculture, law, media and athletics.
“When you start reading through the bios, it’s absolutely overwhelming the contributions these people have made over the years, not just locally but nationally and internationally,” Johnston said.
Johnston said the purpose of the Hall of Excellence was not only to recognize local residents who made such great impacts, but to have the display in the school so current students could read about the accomplishments of former RDHS students.
“It’s an incentive for them to say, ‘if they could do it, I could do it,’” Johnston said.
The change will make Ridgetown residents who left town to attend secondary school in Chatham or other centres become eligible, or others who have moved to town after making notable contributions elsewhere who meet the criteria.
“It will be more of a community recognition,” Johnston said. “I think it will be an asset for the Activity Centre, once people get to know it’s there, they’ll stop in and have a look at it – and maybe even join the Activity Centre as well.”
Holman’s induction ceremony will be the first at The Centre.
“Margery will have the distinction of being the last inductee under the initial criteria and the first inductee in the new location,” Johnston noted.
Holman is already enshrined in three athletic halls of fame and has received several major awards for her leadership and vision in the classroom and the community.
The daughter of Jean and Ray Holman, she attended RDHS – where her mother was a business teacher – and played every sport offered to girls in the early 1960s.
After graduating in 1965, Holman attended the University of Windsor from 1965-69, where she played basketball for one year and volleyball for three, and had the unique distinction of being a student in the first graduating class in Physical & Health Education while also obtaining her Bachelor of Arts degree.
Holman enjoyed a decorated 42-year teaching career in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Windsor, where she coached the Lancers’ women’s volleyball team for 21 years and served 18 years as the university’s first Director of Women’s Sports.
She is acclaimed nationally and internationally for her advocacy to increase equity and eliminate harassment and abuse in sport, which led to her serving on the International Olympic Committee.
