Even when they've won dozens of accolades in multiple sports, sometimes for star athletes it's the events off the field of play that resonate.
 
"When the new War Memorial Gym was built the boys got that gym and we got the old one," say UBC two-sport star, BC Sport Hall of Famer, and one of the newest members of the Basketball BC Hall of Fame, Eleanor Whyte. "So to have our own space, our own lockers, it was a fun time at UBC."
 
Whyte, who we caught up with at her Basketball BC Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, remembers fondly her days as a UBC basketball and field hockey star in the early 1950's.
 
"It was wonderful place to be, the school was much smaller so you got to know everyone on campus," she explains. "UBC is a great school."
 

The @BasketballBC #HOF's newest inductee Eleanor Whyte w/@JordanJWhyte @dianalee_5 @spencermckay15 @UBCWBBall pic.twitter.com/mLkaMvx5jq

— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) May 15, 2016

 
Whyte went into the Basketball BC Hall of Fame for her life long dedication to both playing and growing the sport. The fact she is in the same induction class as future NBA Hall of Famer and All-World point guard Steve Nash is not lost on her.
 
"All my family is here tonight to see me go into the hall," she quipped from the podium during her acceptance speech. "But I think they actually came here just to see Steve Nash."
 
Nash did not make it to the induction ceremony on this night, but Whyte was there with her large entourage of children and grandchildren. She still follows UBC basketball intently, attending games whenever possible and the Millennium Breakfast each year. 


 
Along with her UBC women's basketball team getting their own space on campus, Whyte fondly remembers the long road trips that were a part of basketball in the 1950's.
 
"In my day to win a Canadian championship you had to take the train, win two games in Calgary, then on to Saskatoon, then you had to win a game in Winnipeg. So you were gone for three weeks."
 
The train ride has come to a stop at the station in the Basketball BC Hall of Fame. Congratulations Eleanor, you are a remarkable Thunderbird and a more remarkable person.