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Coach - Wetaskiwin Community & School Teams 1963-1979
Referee - Football & Fastball 1975-1993
Historian - “Sports History: Intermediate Hockey in Wetaskiwin
1896-1978” and “Sports History: Football – Wetaskiwin High School
1929-2006”
Volunteer
From 1963- 2019
Bill
Mojelski has been involved in Wetaskiwin sports and recreation as a
coach, referee, volunteer and historian since he moved to Wetaskiwin in
1963 and began teaching at Wetaskiwin High School. For fifty-six years
he has spent hours volunteering his time and effort in our community.
Bill operates on the premise “if it isn’t recorded it didn’t happen” and
to this end he has worked tirelessly documenting Wetaskiwin and
Wetaskiwin County’s sporting history. Bill has produced two research
documents, written the nomination materials and anecdotal notes for
numerous teams and individuals and helped the board of the WCSHF in
developing its goals and directions. Bill’s contributions to our
community make him more than worthy of induction into the Wetaskiwin and
County Sports Hall of Fame.\
Six Decades of
Contribution and Counting
In 1963 Bill moved to
Wetaskiwin and taught at Wetaskiwin Composite High School for
thirty-three years until he retired in 1996. At WCHS Bill coached
volleyball in 1964-65, both boys and girls curling teams from 1966 to
1970 and was the assistant coach of the Sabres Football Team from 1972
to 1974. Bill started refereeing in the Central Alberta High School
Football League in 1975 and later became head referee and schedule
planner until 1993. Additionally, Bill refereed in a few Western Canada
Junior Football games.
Bill also contributed to
community sports. He volunteered with the Wetaskiwin Colonels Hockey
Team and was their League Representative to the North Central Alberta
Intermediate Hockey League starting in 1971. From 1973 to 1977 as the
Colonels Rep, he was responsible for composing and formatting team
schedules for the league. In 1976-77 Bill was elected President of the
Alberta Major Intermediate Hockey League. The next year he served as
Commissioner of the league.
Bill started T-ball teams
for girls 12 to 14 years old and coached for one season. He also
refereed fastball and professional fastball from 1975 and extending over
his career.
Preserving Wetaskiwin's
Sporting History
“If it isn’t recorded it didn’t happen.”
Bill has been an
invaluable resource person for the Wetaskiwin and County Sports Hall of
Fame. In 2005-2006, the initial year of the Wetaskiwin and County
Sports Hall of Fame, he was asked to be the consultant because board
members knew of his research ability and knowledge of sports and
sporting heroes of Wetaskiwin. He and three other members did most of
the research and writing for the initial twelve inductees. Over the
fourteen years the Wetaskiwin County Sports Hall of Fame has been in
existence, Bill has nominated numerous individuals and teams for
induction into the WCSHF and done the research necessary to write the
biographies for our banquet program and our online web site. He has
often discovered things about the achievement of athletes that even
family members did not know. Bill has also made many suggestions for
possible future nominees and many ideas to the Board for possible
projects. Some Wetaskiwin athletes who are now members of the Alberta
Sports Hall of Fame in Red Deer were nominated for that honour by Bill.
The Board of the WCSHF is most indebted to Bill for his efforts and his
dedication to explore all avenues of honour for the names of individuals
or teams that he puts forward.
Six Decades of
Contribution and Counting
Besides his commitments to
sports, Bill has somehow found the time to contribute to other areas and
organizations in our community. In 1984 he was the Leader of a Student
Study Tour to Europe and conducted three months of night classes for the
students to gain credits for their experience. Bill was a Director with
Wetaskiwin Credit Union from 1971 to 2015 and not surprisingly has
researched and written the history of the Wetaskiwin Credit Union for
its first sixty years (1939 to 1999). Bill has been involved with the
Wetaskiwin Ashoro Friendship Society and again, not surprisingly, has
researched and authored the 1990 to 2015 history of this society.
Additionally, Bill served on the County of Wetaskiwin Appeal Advisory
Board from 2011 to 2013 and from 2014 to 2016.
Achievements of an
Inquisitive Mind
Because of his involvement
with the Colonels Hockey Team and WCHS football, Bill’s inquisitive mind
and interest in the development of these two sports in Wetaskiwin led
him to research and write two “Sports History” documents: “Intermediate
Men’s Hockey in Wetaskiwin 1896-1978“ and “Football: Wetaskiwin High
School 1929 to 2006”.
Without Bill’s diligence,
persistence and commitment much of our community’s sporting history
might be lost. By proudly inducting Bill into the Wetaskiwin and County
Sports Hall of Fame we are thanking him for his many and varied
contributions and for his countless hours of volunteer effort in the
many organizations and teams with which he was involved. Well done
Bill!
Read the presentation speech by
Kristi Paukstat
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