George "Shorty" Lander

Athlete (1988)

Marathon Canoeing

Because Shorty and Denny were pioneers in the sport of marathon canoeing, they were inducted together in 1988. They and their two sons were members of the Great West Auto Body team that placed first in the popular Louis Riel Relay race in 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984 and 1986. When the Canadian marathon canoe championships were held in Saskatoon in 1981, Shorty and Denny placed fifth in the senior man's division. They were third in 1982 and sixth in 1983.

From 1984 to 1986, the pair moved up to the Master men's category and won three successive Canadian titles. Shorty and Denny picked up another victory in the Louis Riel race in 1987 and six days later, while practicing for the Canadian canoe championship, Denny suffered a heart attack and died.

Shorty went on to the nationals winning a silver medal in the Masters Singles. In 1988, Shorty won three gold medals and then went on to the USA nationals.

In addition to canoeing, Shorty and Denny played Old timer hockey and took up cross-country skiing.