When it comes to the sport of track and field, Phil Edwards' contributions to this country are amazing. And Edwards was recognized for those contributions and achievements this summer as he was presented as a bronze statue alongside Wayne Gretzky and six other Canadian athletes at the official opening of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in Calgary.
Edwards' daughter, Girija Edwards-Hooleyof Gibsons, was on hand for the momentous occasion. She is immensely proud of her father and what he meant to this country and is honoured that he has been recognized in such a lasting and profound way.
"It was a very emotional time for me. Just knowing that he was representing Canada's athletes was incredible," said Edwards-Hooley. "When I was called that he was inducted in 1997 into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, and then he was chosen as one of seven athletes as a bronze statue in the new Hall of the Fame in Calgary, I thought that was a real statement to honour a Canadian athlete who has really put a lot towards representing this country and the pursuit of excellence and the pursuit to keep track and field going strong."
She said the official opening of the new Hall of Fame on July 1 was incredible.
"Meeting the other family members and athletes of those honoured was a very rewarding experience," she said. "What came out of all of this was, to me, the importance of athletics to communities. I really started realizing how my father and how all these sports people felt so strongly to help keep alive sports in their communities."
Born in British Guiana, Edwards moved to New York City and then Montreal in the '30s to further his education.
He was 12 of 13 brothers and sisters, and although his siblings were very gifted athletically, he just seemed to be a bit better.
He went to NYU and ran track and field for four years in a row. He was the national track indoor champion in the 600-yard race at the time (equivalent to the 500m).
"Being a British citizen, his father decided that he and his brother should go to Canada and attend McGill University in the early '30s," said Edwards-Hooley. "He was one of the first blacks accepted at McGill University."
He studied for five years at McGill and graduated in medicine with honours.
He ran for Canada for the '28, '32 and '36 Olympics and gained medals in all the events. In the Commonwealth Games in '34 in London, he ran for British Guiana, winning a medal which is still the only medal the country has ever won.
In 1936 he was on the Olympic team running in Berlin and was captain of the team and very well respected as an athlete and as a person.
"He did very well in those Games as well. It seemed that whatever race he was in, he was a front-runner and he pushed the pace to such a degree that every time he ran, a world record was set either by him or by the other competitors," she said. "They all say it was because he ran so fast. He had no coaching, so you can only imagine what he would have accomplished had he had coaches. He just ran at a tremendous pace and it created a lot of excitement."
In 1936 he was given the Lou Marsh Award as the top male athlete in Canada.
And he was not only a top Olympic and world-class runner. He was at the top of his class in the medical profession.
"After he hung up his track shoes, he kept training himself and helped to train others and was the doctor on an Olympic team. He always wanted to give back and make others better," recalled Edwards-Hooley.
When Edwards-Hooley got the call that her father would be bronzed at the Hall of Fame, she was at a loss for words.
"He was being recognized as an outstanding athlete for Canada. In all of this I was really quite proud and quite happy that Canada has remembered him," she said.
She was able to fly to New York City where the bronze statues were being created and ended up being a big part of the finished product.
"They were using photographs to make the statue, but when I saw it, I told them that was not Dad," she remembered. "So they asked for other photos, told me to go and have lunch and they would work on the corrections. I came back a while later and they had transformed the statue. It was just so amazing. I played a part in creating the statue.
"It was such a moving experience for the artists that they actually made a bust of my father and gave it to me. They were that moved by my reaction. I was so pleased by everything. That was a very touching moment and very generous and thoughtful of them to make a bust of my father and give that to me."
The Hall opening honoured Edwards as well as Ron Turcotte, jockey of Secretariat and Northern Dancer; diver Sylvie Bernier; hockey icon Wayne Gretzky; figure skater Barbara Ann Scott; curler Sandra Schmirler; and cross-country skier Herman "Jack Rabbit" Smith Johannsen. Edwards-Hooley was able to present the award for the outstanding Canadian track athlete of the year and gave a speech about her father to more than 1,000 participants at the Canadian National Track and Field Championships awards gala.
That same evening she also sat and talked at her dinner table with Olympic gold medalist Donovan Bailey.
"It was an amazing three days of events recognizing our wonderful athletes," she said. "Canada as a nation has so much potential. We need to continue to give our children a chance to rise and shine. Out of all of this, not only did my father have a tremendous influence in Canada in terms of its role in the Canadian platform, I'm really happy to be a part of being so close to this level of excellence through my father. Maybe I can give back by telling my father's story and showing young athletes that no matter what obstacles you have in front of you, if you work hard, you can succeed."
