The lines on Don MacKenzie’s face are the illustrations of a life in the sporting trenches.  Around his eyes the lines profess wisdom.  On his forehead, concern.  Along his cheeks, the remnants of a lifelong smile that comes from doing the right things. For almost 50 years of his life, MacKenzie was at the forefront of Manitoba’s greatest sporting gift – volunteerism.

His first volunteer job back in 1955, was at Isaac Brock Community Club, where he, like so many others before and after him, coached and managed kids’ hockey, football and baseball.  The only difference was, he did it while playing junior hockey for the Winnipeg Rangers – at age 15! From there, his commitment to sport grew to such a larger-than-life extent that he became a giant in his community.

In 1972, his work at the community club level put him in a position to be named a director of the Winnipeg Minor Hockey Association.  He went on to become the WMHA’s president from 1977-79.

For 10 years, from 1975-85, he served as a director of the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association and was the MAHA’s president from 1980-84.  In 1981, he chaired Manitoba’s first foray into the hosting duties of the World Junior Men’s Hockey Championship when he and MAHA executive director George Allard helped their friend from Minnesota, Walter Bush, make the IIHF World Junior Championship one of the most revered international hockey events.

Don MacKenzie was also instrumental in the evolution of amateur sport in our province with the Manitoba Sports Federation, serving as its President.

However, his greatest gift to the people of Manitoba had its seed in 1987 when he accepted a position as first vice-chair of the 1990 Western Canada Summer Games.  He had long believed that Manitoba could once again reach the heights of international sports excellence by making a bid to host another Pan American Games (Winnipeg had played host to the Games in 1967). Because of his outstanding contributions to the 1990 Western Canada Games – and his ability to convince politicians of the glories of sport—MacKenzie was asked to help create Winnipeg’s bid to play host to the 1999 Pan Am Games.

From his early role on the Games’ bid committee to his position as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Pan American Games Host Society, MacKenzie’s work with the Games made the event one of the most well-organized and well-attended Pan Am Games in history.

The lines on Don MacKenzie’s face show the world a life of devotion and passion.  Devotion to his city and province and passion for the games we play.  He is a worthy and most honoured addition to the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.