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A Lasting Impression
Smiths Falls’ Betty Mulville
By Joe McLean
Undeniably the world of golf is a small one. That is especially true when you are
considering the competitive golf scene in Eastern Ontario. Within that community
you find many people that seem to make up the fabric of the sports existence.
They are the golfers who always seem to be there – supporting events,
other players, and in their own way, making a mark on the game and
the people around them. Betty Mulville easily fits into that category,
although it is hard to put any type of boundary on someone who has
done so much beyond the ordinary.
A self-described “loner”, the truth is that Betty will never be alone, as
she has touched the lives of so many students and fellow golf competitors
who have become close friends and “golfing buddies”. As a teacher
and award-winning sports coach in the Smiths Falls area for more than
38 years, in that time Betty has compiled a bevy of friends. Often many
are former students who have developed a bond with Mulville due her
willingness to provide mentorship. “She was my hero in high school,”
says Sharon Ellis of Brockville. “I played on all her teams and I became
a teacher because of her.” Still close friends, Sharon entrusted Betty to
take her daughter, top amateur player Leigh Ann Ellis, to many golf
tournaments when Sharon or her husband were not available. “I
wanted to be just like her. There were five of us who used to play
basketball and were close friends and four of the five became teachers.
We all looked up to her. She really took an interest in what you did and
that made a big impact on all her students.”
Although sports have certainly been a cornerstone for Betty’s life,
education has taken first priority. Growing up in Westport and Smiths
Falls, she attended high school at Smiths Falls Collegiate. From there
it was on to Queen’s University in Kingston, followed by Ottawa
Teacher’s College and a stint at the University of Miami for graduate
school. Betty’s goal was to become a teacher and possibly a school
principal. The opportunities for a principal’s position were abundant,
but Betty’s passion for coaching prevailed and knowing it would be
hard to juggle both to her standards, she remained a teacher.
While she coached most sports, basketball was her passion and many
of her students learned not just about the game, but received lessons
24 FLAGSTICK FOR WOMEN
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