Mary Swanson, Westfield-Mayville Rotary Club president-elect, welcomed Randy Anderson, Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame board member, as the guest presenter during the Nov. 7 meeting of this Rotary Club at The Parkview in Westfield. Anderson spoke about the CSHOF and its objectives. He also displayed CSHOF items about Vincent Powers, who was born in Westfield and who was the only person in U.S. history to be a leading jockey on both flat and steeplechase tracks. Submitted photo

County sports, honors, an exhibit hall and a famous horse jockey named Vincent Powers who was born in Westfield were some of the topics of a program given by Randy Anderson, board member of the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame, at the Nov. 7 Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville meeting. The gathering was held at The Parkview in Westfield. Mary Swanson, Club President Elect, scheduled Anderson’s presentation.

Anderson stated, “Our whole purpose of the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame is to honor and preserve the history of sports in Chautauqua County. Community members may help by nominating deserving athletes and others involved in sports for possible induction into the Hall of Fame, and by also donating county sports related items.”

The CSHOF was formed in 1981 by Russ Diethrick. It is an all-volunteer organization, which has a 30-member board of directors and 501(c)(3) status. Its 4,000-square foot exhibition hall is located at 15 West Third Street in Jamestown, across the street from the Lucy-Desi Museum. Its board is currently negotiating to obtain another 2,000 square feet of space.

The exhibition hall is open to the public, Monday through Friday, from noon to 3 p.m., and at other prearranged times. There is no admission fee, and volunteers act as docents. CSHOF items, which are donated, range from photos and newspaper clippings to awards and apparel. There is even a 1973 Greeves Griffon motorcycle. Plus, there are numerous interesting displays. All of the items are catalogued in a searchable database.

“We cover all sports, from auto racing to wrestling. As of now, we have 183 inductees, and we will add eight new inductees in the CSHOF Class of 2018,” Anderson said. “We now have 120 nominations on file. Typically, there is a one-year waiting period. Also, there is no set number of annual inductees. We try to select the best athletes and sports representatives to honor. On Dec. 1 we will announce the new inductees.”

Nominees must have been born in, lived in, or achieved in Chautauqua County. Also, as stated on the CSHOF brochure, he or she must meet one of the following criteria: is or was an outstanding athlete in high school, college, amateur or professional sports; is or was a coach, manager, official or administrator who has made a significant contribution to sports; or is an individual who is performing or has performed an unusual or distinguished service in fostering, developing or effectively helping a sport to prosper.

A nomination form is available for download at the CSHOF website: www.chautauquasportshallof-fame.org. Also, a profile from should be downloaded and completed. Forms may also be obtained by calling CSHOF Secretary Russ Ecklund at 484-7684. It is also necessary for pertinent supporting documentation, such as scrapbooks, newspapers and photos, to be submitted for each nominee. Submissions should be mailed to CSHOF, Box 1192, Jamestown, NY 14701. It is necessary to nominate a candidate only once, since all nominations are kept on file and are annually reviewed by the CSHOF selection committee.

There is an annual banquet at which all of the new CSHOF inductees are honored and are given a plaque and a ring. If the inductee is deceased, the award is presented to a family member. Plaques and the inductees’ photos are displayed in the museum. Each inductee has a page devoted to him or her on the CSHOF website. New posts are featured daily on this organization’s Facebook page.

Funding sources for the organization include part of the annual banquet ticket price, paid ads in the banquet souvenir booklet, an annual membership fee ($30 per individual or $100 for a family, business or athletic department) with various benefits, and an endowment fund, which last year raised $100,000.

Part of Anderson’s program at the Nov. 7 Westfield-Mayville Rotary meeting included a “guess who” quiz about famous local athletes. Anderson offered clues and Rotarians guessed the names of the CSHOF inductees. Some who were mentioned were “Doc” Francis Malinowski, Phil Gravink, Jehuu Caulcrick, Don Reinhoudt, Harry Brosius, Jim Hurst, Mel Swanson, Nolan Swanson, Vinnie Calarco and Vincent Powers.

Powers, who was born in Westfield in 1891, was the only jockey in the history of America to be a leading jockey on both flat and steeplechase tracks. In 1909 Powers rode a horse named Wintergreen to victory in the Kentucky Derby. He also rode for the Rothschild family. In 1914 he worked for the Whitney family, who owned Greentree Stable. His flat track wins in North America totaled 654. He switched to steeplechase racing, and in 1917 he was the leading steeplechase jockey in the country. By 1927 Powers was the lead trainer of steeplechase horses in America.

Anderson had the honor of once giving a presentation about Powers during a ceremony at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga, NY, when Powers was posthumously honored as an inductee. “I spoke right between a Du Pont and a Rockefeller. That was some pressure,” he said. Powers, who died in 1966, was inducted into the CSHOF in 2015.

The Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville recognizes the efforts of Randy Anderson and all CSHOF board members who honor outstanding athletes and others involved in local sports, and who continually strive to preserve the sports history of Chautauqua County.