NORTH BATTLEFORD - Jane Shury is a remarkable woman. Not only has she dedicated herself to baseball in the province since the 1950’s , currently at 90 years old, she is the curator, manager, and president of Sask. Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. She has dedicating decades of time and effort into this place of history and memories for the Saskatchewan baseball community.
All she wants for this milestone birthday is a signed baseball from the Toronto Blue Jays, even better if it's from her favourite player, Yusei Kikuchi. Shury tells the Battlefords News Optimist and Â鶹´«Ã½AV.ca, she has always had a fondness for lefties and appreciates how steady he is for the team.
Her passion for baseball and her more than 70-year involvement with dedicating her time to the sport as well as 41 years as the unofficial CEO of the Sask. Baseball Hall of Fame, Shury loves hearing positive stories about the province’s baseball history or being praised by out of town and out of province visitors to the HOF centre.
She says of her hopeful birthday wish, “Kikuchi just doesn’t seem arrogant and is always smiling, such a nice fellow.”
Shury has been a Blue Jays fan for as long as she can remember and encourages all Canadians to support the country’s only MLB team, regardless of their season’s statistics.
“I attended a game back when they played the Montreal Expos in Jarry Park. The year my husband, David, was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002, we got to meet the team, which was a very memorable experience. It grew my appreciation for the team,” says Shury.
Shury also says she is extremely proud of the Battlefords hometown baseball star Andrew Albers, who is now with the pitching staff of the Saskatoon Berries and she would love to attend one of their games some time.
“There have been suggestions to digitize our history at this museum and I am hopeful this is something that can be done before I leave this world, as I never want anyone to lose this part of Saskatchewan’s history,” said Shury.
Until then, she will keep her lucky charms close and is hopeful that recent stories about her and her work will help make her birthday wish come true.
