Banner showing various sports action shots

Who We Are

The John P. Metras Sports Museum was founded in 1984 by the 'W' Club. Situated at the front of Alumni Hall in Room 100, the museum serves to make visible what has long been the pride and joy of students and staff at Western: the university's legacy of excellence in athletics. The museum's first curator, legendary Mustangs coach Dutch Decker, worked tirelessly to honour that legacy, teaming up with Bob Gage of the London Free Press to establish a foundational collection of photographs and artifacts, many of which were donated by staff and alumni, along with an array of financial contributions. Bob would take over as curator from Dutch in the 1980s and carry on in that role through the new millennium, using his vast knowledge of Mustang athletics to help build the museum into an institution of which the university could be proud.

With support from the 'W' Club and encouragement from many close friends at Western, Bob would use that knowledge to compile a history of men's athletics at the school titled Mustangs Tales, which has served as the foundational text of the museum since its publication, along with Helen Luckman and Pat Morden's account of women's athletics, also titled Mustang Tales. When Bob passed away in 2009, he left over $1 million to Western Athletics, with a large portion of that money going to the museum to ensure Western's athletic legacy would be preserved.

That task fell to Ted Hessel (BA '58, BEd '69), a close friend of Gage's and a long-time volunteer with the 'W' Club. Over his tenure as curator, Hessel oversaw a significant expansion of the museum's collection, beginning with the opening of the museum's workroom in Thames Hall, which allowed him to move his large collection of memorabilia from his basement to Western's campus. Along with his work of creating exhibits and entertaining visitors, Ted made it his personal mission to collect and digitize all of Western's team photographs-- an ambitious task that has required him to enlist the help of countless hard-working individuals, including many from the [former] (WAA) club. Hessel partnered with members of the newly founded Western Mustangs Athletic Alumni to help keep the museum as strong as ever, ushering in the next generation of dedicated volunteers and spearheading the museum's massive digitization project. Ted retired from his position as curator in the fall of 2015 and passed the baton to a new generation.

Meet the Team

Taylor-Victoria Northwood

Curatorial Head

Telephone: (519) 611-2111x88854

Email: tnorthwo@uwo.ca

As the Curatorial Head of the John P. Metras Sports Museum at Western University, with a Master of Arts in Public History, Taylor oversees the museum’s collections, exhibitions, research, and preservation initiatives, while coordinating volunteers and engaging the campus and broader community in celebrating the history of Western Mustangs athletics.

For more information about Taylor

Sandy Perryman

Chair of the Museum Committee

Email: sandyperryman59@gmail.com

A Western student-athlete from 1981-85, Sandy played basketball for four years, earning an Honours BA in Physical Education, followed by a BA in Education. After retiring, Sandy became involved as a volunteer with the John P. Metras Sports Museum and is now the Chair of the museum committee and a board member with the Western Mustang Athletic Association

Mary Riezebos

Museum Committee Volunteer and Past President of the Western Mustang Athletic Association

Helen Luckman

Museum Committee Volunteer

Therese Quigley

Museum Committee Volunteer

Lisa Langley

Museum Committee Volunteer