An author writing about forgotten Olympians is coming to Chatham-Kent to discuss a local athlete featured in a recently published book.
Mel Wakabayashi is one of the athletes that Seattle-based author Doug Levy decided to focus on in his book "Hero Redefined: Profiles of Olympic Athletes Under the Radar."
Wakabayashi was born in British Columbia in 1943, but started to call Chatham home in 1950. His family had previously lived in multiple internment camps, created to house Japanese Canadians in response to Japan's role in World War II.
It was after his move to Chatham that Wakabayashi began playing hockey, earning a spot on the Chatham Jr. Maroons for multiple seasons. He eventually played for the University of Michigan.
Wakabayashi became an Olympic coach when he led the Japanese National Hockey Team at the 1980 Olympics. Many hockey fans will remember this tournament for the "Miracle on Ice," when the United States beat the Soviet Union to capture the gold.
Levy told CK News Today he was fascinated with Wakabayashi's story after reading an article on the National Hockey League's (NHL) website.
"I was just fascinated about this guy who grew up in Canada, started out in the worst type of circumstance, and turned out to be a star in (Chatham) and in Michigan," he said.
He was so fascinated that he decided to include Wakabayashi in his book. His story is outlined over one chapter, with Levy getting quotes from family members and Wakabayashi himself.
The only issue for Levy was that he never got to personally talk with Wakabayashi, as he was only able to provide written answers.
"I'll always regret that because he just seemed to be a real giant in the community, even decades after he left," explained Levy.
Wakabayashi passed away shortly after at the age of 80.
Levy went on to share the opinion that Wakabayashi should be a role model for anyone of colour looking to play hockey. He also called Ed Wright, a fellow Chatham native who also played for the Maroons before taking his talents to the United States, a fellow trailblazer.
"They were pioneers, and it wasn't easy for them," said Levy.
He mentioned that all the research he did suggested that the best support these two received in their careers was in Chatham.
Wakabayashi and Wright have both since been inducted into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame.
Levy will be in Chatham on September 25 discussing his book at Turns & Tales. He then plans on attending the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame later that night at the John D. Bradley Convention Centre.
