VANCOUVER – One of the icons of UBC women's basketball has passed away. Nora McDermott died on May 16, 2013 in North Vancouver after a short illness.
Her association with basketball at UBC was a lifelong one. McDermott starred for the Thunderettes from 1945 to 1949, leading the team to Vancouver Senior 'B' championships in 1947 and '48. She was also an instrumental part of UBC's field hockey teams during her time on campus.
After graduating, McDermott continued to support the UBC program. She was always seen on the sidelines cheering on the Thunderbirds at War Memorial Gym and she helped players through the Millennium Breakfast and Ruth Wilson Memorial Scholarship programs right up until her passing.
McDermott continued her basketball career with the Vancouver Eilers, winning nine Canadian championships in 14 seasons. She represented Canada at the Pan American Games and World Championships in 1955, '59 and '63. McDermott also managed the bronze-medal winning Canadian team at the 1967 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg.
She also excelled in volleyball, winning Canadian club championships in 1962 and 1964.
McDermott received numerous honours for her outstanding career. She was the first woman inducted into the Basketball Canada Hall of Fame as an individual player. She is also a member of the UBC Sports and Basketball BC Halls of Fame.
A proud graduate of Vancouver's John Oliver High School, McDermott returned to her alma mater to become a teacher, spending 25 years there before moving to Eric Hamber High School. McDermott coached at least three high school teams a year for 27 years.
Just before she passed, McDermott was informed that the gymnasium at Hamber would be dedicated to her and former colleague Bruce Ashdown as part of the school's 50th anniversary celebrations. The ceremony took place a day after McDermott passed away.
A funeral Mass will be held on Friday, May 24 at 11 a.m. at St. Pius X Catholic Church in North Vancouver.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Lions Gate Hospital Foundation or Hospice, or the BC Cancer Society.
- with files from Fred Hume, UBC Historian
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