1955 Alberta Snapshots     

Jerry Burcher                Greg Seastrom

Left :  Pitcher Jerry Burcher   Right - Greg Seastrom (Vulcan) in a finely pressed Lethbridge Miners uniform.

Below - Ah, the rigors of baseball in Canada! Below - Marty Norman and Greg Seastrom in the calm waters of Lake Louise, Alberta. [ All photos, unless otherwise noted, courtesy Jack Altman]    

Lake Louise paddlers

Granum three

Above - Jocko Tarnava, Gordon Vejprava, Don Johnson enjoy a break from baseball.  

Colwill, Ingarfield hockey stars too         Bentley brothers

Left :  After the 1955 baseball season, Earl Ingarfield, Granum 3B, and Les Colwill, 2B Lethbridge, would move into pro hockey with the Saskatoon Quakers.  By the 1958-59 season, both would be playing in the NHL with the New York Rangers. Ingarfield would suit up for 14 seasons in the NHL. (Lethbridge Herald, 1955)

Right :  For many, baseball was a sideline to their real sports careers -- on ice. At the 1955 Lacombe tournament, there was no scarity of blade stars. Max (left) and Doug Bentley (right) brought in their Delisle ball club which also featured Bev Bentley and Reg Bentley. Among others, Edmonton had Norm Ullman and Ray Kinasewich and Granum brought in Ingarfield, Gord Vejprava and Harold Jones [Photo courtesy of the Galt Museum and Archives, Photo # 19753802015]

Marty Norman         Sztaba & Welch

Left :  Marty Norman.  Right : Two key members of the Lethbridge Miners Baseball team. Left – First baseman Mitch Sztaba, right – pitcher Morris Welch  [Photo courtesy of the Galt Museum and Archives, Photo # 19753802013]

Ingarfield, Walasko & Vejprava

Three of the big guns for the Granum White Sox.  Earl Ingarfield, Willie Walasko and Gord Vejprava.  [Photo courtesy of the Galt Museum and Archives, Photo # 19753802014]
  

Cold Lake

Above - the ballpark at Cold Lake, Alberta. 

Below - downtown Fernie, British Columbia and a photo of a game at the Fernie ball park.

Fernie, BC downtown

Fernie baseball

Granum ballpark, 1955

Above - the ball yard at Granum, Alberta, 1955. 

Below - the park at Lacombe, Alberta site of the big, annual tournament.

Lacombe 1955

Below - Lethbridge, 1955

Lethbridge 1955

Lethbridge 1955

Lethbridge 1955

Above - two more views of the ball park at Lethbridge, 1955. 

Below - Gord Wesley sliding home. The catcher is Hans Pung of Picture Butte.

Wesley slides

Granum wins

Granum White Sox win the Alberta Senior Championship at Cold Lake, August, 1955. Left to right - Jack Altman, Gord Wesley, Jim McDonald, Tedd Bogal, Steve Odney, George Wesley, Al Malarchuk, Bill Fennessey, Willie Walasko, Bill Kucheran, Lee Wesley (receiving trophy), Gord Vejprava, Frank Stone, Earl Ingarfield, Jocko Tarnava.

[Photos from the Jack Altman Collection]

1955 Snapshots Page One >>>