Where We Started (Before)

As the official repository of the province’s professional football team, the Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club, the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame’s (SSHF) collection includes 265 regular season and playoff programs spanning close to 80 years. Each program was contained in a media plastic bag and then contained in a mismatched collection of non-archival quality magazine holders/boxes that did not adequately store and protect them. Nor did this storage system serve to maximize available storage space.

The Plan

To purchase 130 standard size acid-free lignin-free hinged lid containers to ensure the dust free, long-term preservation of the programs that would also maximize the use of vertical and lateral space within our storage area. As a secondary component of the project, all programs would be digitized and added to the Collective Access artifact database which would benefit access for in-house usage and external researcher access.

The Process

In the end 155 hinged lid containers were purchased over the course of 2 orders (July 30/18 and January 16/19). Due to a problem with the supplier, the first order of 130 boxes was not received until September 17/18 which meant that summer students were no longer available to assist with the complete transfer & digitization process. This resulted in some increased staffing costs for the SSHF, as well as a reassessment of the timing for the overall project. It was also determined as the project proceeded that the initial estimate for boxes required was a little short. This was mostly due to the inconsistent thickness of individual programs year-over-year and the inclusion of a number of one-off “special event”
programs in some years. This resulted in the 2nd order of 25 boxes being placed in early January which, thankfully, arrived expeditiously.

The transfer to a consistent sized archival quality box system has allowed us to maximize the shelving space in our main storage area, in addition to providing these priceless artifacts with a safe preservation system moving forward.

This project was completed in concert with the implementation of a new electronic cataloguing system, Collective Access, managed by the Saskatchewan Museums Association. The catalogue information for each item was updated as necessary in preparation for entry into this system. Collection pieces that had not yet been digitized were done so as part of the project. The final component of the process was to upload the digitized content into Collective Access. This has been the most time consuming component of the project due to the size of the digitized files and the (apparently) slow capacity of our high speed Internet connection.

As noted in our original application, the SSHF is prepared to cover all labour costs associated with this project. In addition, we are also prepared to cover the difference (if any) between the current currency
conversion between US and CAN funds and what it might be at such time as a cheque is issued.

Conclusion

The project has been a total success in the fact that we have met all of our stated objectives:

• 265 artifacts were digitized (approximately 14,750 pages) and uploaded into Collective Access
• All artifacts are now safely stored in acid free dustproof storage boxes
• We have secured some additional useable storage capacity as a result of this transition

The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame would like to extend their sincere thanks to the International
Sports Heritage Association for the significant contribution of funds through the Founders Fund Special
Project Grant which made this upgrade possible. It is much appreciated.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 28, 2019) – Ron Watson, founder
president of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA), died
Sunday evening at the age of 72, leaving a legacy of remarkable
accomplishments in creating the MSHFA, then molding it into a respected
organization that honors all forms of motorsports.

Watson, a native of Bloomington, Indiana, was a resident of Ormond
Beach, Florida, along with his wife, Donna. They moved to Florida in 2016
when the MSHFA relocated from its longtime home in Detroit to Daytona
International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

“Our thoughts are with Ron’s families – his own family, plus the huge extended family the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America represents,” said speedway President Chip Wile. “His tireless work ethic and commitment to making the hall of fame part of this nation’s motorsports fabric were something to admire. He was a great business associate – and a better friend.”

The MSHFA is housed in the speedway’s Ticket and Tours Building where it greets more than 100,000 guests annually. Watson made the move happen, working with Daytona International Speedway and then-speedway President Joie Chitwood III. The relocation invigorated the MSHFA, which immediately became an integral part of the speedway’s immensely popular fan tours.

Prior to founding the MSHFA in 1989, Watson was a city councilman in Novi, Michigan (1977-89), including a stint as Novi Mayor Pro Tem (1981-85). Watson earned his undergraduate degree at Michigan State University and a law degree from Wayne State University. He practiced law from 1972-93. He was scheduled to retire from his position as MSHFA President in April, 2020 and be replaced by longtime MSHFA Board of Directors member George Levy. That transition had yet to be announced, having been
approved by the board earlier this fall.

“Ron felt that motorsports needed a great hall of fame,” said Levy, “then worked tirelessly for the next 30-plus years to make that dream a reality. In so doing he built an institution that’s respected the world over and became himself one of the most important voices in the sport. He will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him.”

In addition to Donna, Watson is survived in his immediate family by their children, a daughter Stephanie (Ted), son Brendan (Kate) and their beloved grandchildren. Funeral arrangements are pending.

The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America: The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) conducted its first induction ceremony in 1989; the facility was located in Novi, Mich., from 1989 through 2015 and relocated to Daytona Beach, Fla, in 2016. The MSHFA is the only hall of fame that encompasses the full spectrum of American motorsports: cars, motorcycles, off-road, powerboats and airplanes. The overriding mission of the MSHFA is to celebrate and instill the American core values of leadership, creativity, originality, teamwork and spirit of competition embodied in motorsports. The MSHFA is operated by the non-profit Motorsports Museum and Hall of Fame of America Foundation, Inc. Learn more at www.MSHF.com.