Norm Jary, 91, on Jan. 8. Jary arrived in Guelph in 1954 from CJCS Stratford, following the lead of former colleague Lloyd Robertson, a CJCS operator who Jary had suggested get behind the mic and who had moved to the city a few months earlier. In 1965, Jary was offered the job of TV play-by-play voice for the New York Rangers on the recommendation of the team’s general manager, who had been a Guelph coach earlier in his career. Among Jary’s more famous calls was Bobby Hull’s record-breaking 51st goal in 1966. Jary ultimately decided to stay at CJOY. Alongside his four decades in broadcasting as CJOY’s news and sports director, Jary sat on Guelph City Council for 35 years and was the city’s longest-serving mayor from 1970 to 1985. Jary was an inductee of the Guelph Sports Hall of Fame and was a lifetime member of the Guelph-Wellington Community Living and Children’s Services of Guelph and Wellington. His annual golf tournament raised more than $700,000 in support of those with intellectual disabilities. Jary retired from CJOY in 1992.
Michael Hooey, 69, on Jan. 3. Hooey started his career in the 1970s a a cameraman at Citytv. He went on to join CFTO-TV in the early 1980s, acting as a director on shows that taped at the Toronto studio, including kids game show “Just Like Mom” and eventually working behind-the-scenes on the CTV National News with Lloyd Robertson. Hooey went on to direct Canadian series, including “What’s For Dinner?”, “Christine Cushing Live” and Anna Olson show “Sugar,” among other Canadian productions.
Erv Wegwitz, 75, on Dec. 13. Originally from the Regina area, Wegwitz attended De Vries Technical School in Toronto before returning to Saskatchewan to work for CKCK-TV in Regina. He made the move to CBC Winnipeg in 1967, also doing work for Videon as cable TV was being introduced to the city. Wegwitz and his wife moved west to Vancouver in 1970 where he was hired by CTV and then CBC as a Television Technician. Among his career highlights were working on no less than 10 Olympic Games. He retired in 2002.
