DICK LOEK / TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO
John Wood proudly shows off his silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.
The Canadian canoeing great died on Jan. 23 at age 62.
Dear Colleagues:
Sad to have to let you know that Museum Board member, Olympian, and great friend of the Museum, John Wood, died suddenly on January 23rd. Having competed in C-1 and C-2 sprinting at the Summer Olympics in Mexico City (1968), Munich (1972) and, of course, in Montreal (1976), where he won the silver medal in C-1 500m, John brought olympic luster to the board, but he also brought a gentle cooperative spirit and a very generous spirit of giving to the Museum.
John was a remarkable athlete, winning more than 30 international medals (including a C-2 500 bronze with Greg Smith at the Canoe Sprint World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria) and more than 100 medals in Canada during his competitive paddling career which extended from the early 1960s to the late 1970s. When he retired from competition, John gave back to the sport in many ways from commentating on CBC Television, chairing the Canadian Olympic Foundation, and a host of volunteer commitments to paddling clubs and organizations, including our Museum. Introduced to the Museum through our Chair, Jim Matthews and Past-Chair, Jim Stewart, John joined the board at our AGM in May 2011, bringing with him his distinguished athletic accomplishments as well as considerable connections to the Canadian competitive paddling world and links to the financial services world as Chair and Founder of Bellwether Investment Management Inc.
Heartfelt condolences go out to his wife, Debbie, and their four children, Jason, Michael, Alan, and Jenny. A celebration of John's life is planned for Saturday, February 2nd, 2-5 pm.
John's paddling career, along with that of his contemporaries, Larry Cain and others is featured in a lovely film called "Paddles Up" (18 minutes long) made by another friend of the Museum, Wolf Ruck, which you can see by clicking here.
His citation in the Oakville Sports Call of Fame is viewable by clicking here.
And the video of his amazing race in Montreal back in 1976 where (in Lane #1 in the boat basin in Olympic Park, above) he was a scant 34/100th of a second behind Alexandre Rogov of the Soviet Union, as seen here (you'll have to scroll down the page a bit).
What a triumph for Canada in Montreal as John won Silver and the first paddle sport medal since the Summer Olympics in Helsinki in 1952!
It's a sad day for canoeing in Canada and a significant loss to The Canadian Canoe Museum. So long, John.
James Raffan, Executive Director
John Wood’s silver medal race – Montreal 1976
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