Winners: Dorothy Walton, Badminton
Dorothy Walton in a badminton pose.
Date: January 3, 1942
Collection: Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
1940 - Feature Story
There was no reason to doubt Dorothy Walton’s chances at the All-England Badminton Championships in 1939, the pinnacle of the sport. After all, her five-year-old son, John, told her she would win. The native of Swift Current, Saskatchewan played 14 sports at the intercollegiate level, but racquet sports were her first love. She switched her focus to badminton after moving to Toronto in 1932. By 1935 she was both Toronto and Ontario champion, titles she retained every year through 1940. From 1936 to 1940, she collected 64 championships across North America and in 1939-1940 she never once lost a game. The win at the all-England club made her the world champion, but with the coming of war, she gave up her game, except to play exhibition matches to entertain servicemen. After the war, she became a champion for consumers as founding member and president of the Consumers Association of Canada.
Career Highlights
- 1973 Received the Order of Canada
- 1961 Inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
- 1940 Bobbie Rosenfeld Award (Canada’s female athlete of the year)
- 1939 All-England tournament champion, the unofficial world championship
- 1936, 1938, 1940 Canadian Badminton Champion
Dorothy Walton reaching for the birdie.
Date: January 7, 1937
Collection: Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Dorothy Walton waiting to return the birdie.
Date: January 8, 1937
Collection: Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
Portrait of Dorothy Walton.
Date: 1930’s
Collection: Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Dorothy Walton serving.
Date: March 24, 1939
Collection: Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Informal portrait of Dorothy Walton.
Date: December 1, 1939
Collection: Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
A formal portrait of Dorothy Walton.
Date: May 16, 1939
Collection: Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Dorothy Walton modelling an ermine coat donated by the Retail Furriers of Ontario in aid of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (I.O.D.E.) war charity.
Date: October 14, 1942
Collection: Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Dorothy Walton, President of the Canadian Association of Consumers, and Sam Steinberg, President of Steinberg's Ltd., with food products entered in the Consumer Package Competition.
Date: October 21, 1952
Collection: Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
