Elliott: R. I. P. Heather Pullen
R. I. P. Heather Pullen
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
The first time I ever saw Heather Pullen was in the press box of the Ottawa Civic Centre during an Ottawa ‘67s pre-season game. It was probably Labour Day weekend.
I was working at The Journal, filling in since Ken Fidlin was covering the Ottawa Rough Riders.
Heather was writing for the new start-up paper Ottawa Today.
A day later in the office at The Journal on Laurier Street, Ken asked me who was in the press box at the hockey game? I listed off the usual suspects and then I added:
“Oh yes, there was a woman writer there and she was wearing sandals, can you imagine? Sandals in a hockey rink!”
Ken asked if the woman had red hair. I said yes.
“Ahhh, I’m dating her,” Ken said.
“Well, her story was better than mine,” I said.
* * *
That woman, Heather Pullen (Calgary, Alta.) and her husband Ken Fidlin (Norwich, Ont.) invited me stay at their house in January of 1987. They lived near Malvern High School. Ken and I had worked together at the Kingston Whig-Standard in 1972-73 and The Journal in Ottawa from 1977-1979. Now I was joining him in Toronto and we worked together from 1987-to-2016.
After attending the University of Western Ontario, Ken started writing at the Woodstock Sentinel Review. After Kingston and Ottawa, he moved to Toronto in 1980 when he had the choice of job offers from two different papers. While at Casa Fidlin for January and February, I’d work at the paper and on weekends search Brampton and Mississauga for a house. It was a hurry-up offence since I was flying south for the Blue Jays spring training.
Heather and Ken were wed in August of 1979 and were happily wed for the next 41 years. Heather passed peacefully Sept. 15 after a three-year battle with breast cancer. A funeral will be held on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 2 pm in the sanctuary at St. Paul’s United Church, 29 Park St. West, in Dundas Ont.
* * *
Generous, kind, thoughtful and selfless, Heather was a friend to all who were lucky enough to cross her path, whether as a family member, a journalist, a broadcaster, a communications specialist, a student or a teacher.
She encompassed all those aspects in her 65 years on earth.
Heather was born in Regina but spent the early part of her life in Calgary, the third of four children born to Jack and Kay Pullen.
Her formative years were a whirlwind of achievement, whether it was academics or athletics. A straight-A student, Heather swam competitively at the Winter Club and built a solid golf game at the Elks Club. Soon enough, her dad introduced her to skiing and she left her mark at Mount Norquay, Lake Louise and Sunshine.
She dreamed of a career in journalism and made that dream a reality when she graduated from Carleton University’s honours journalism program in the spring of 1977.
Her first job after graduating was a short stint at a startup newspaper called Ottawa Today. The newspaper didn’t last ... but during that time that she met her future husband, Ken Fidlin. They were married in August of 1979 and spent the next 41 years in a marriage filled with love and happiness.
-- Circle of Life
* * *
We can recall walking down the hallway of the Civic Centre in the late 1970s after a ‘67s game -- sometimes Heather was there, sometimes she wasn’t working the game. Kilrea would be smoking a victory cigar and he’d say, “I don’t want to talk to you any of you ugly farmers ... I’ll talk to the ‘Gorgeous Red Head’ first. Then, maybe I’ll talk to you guys.”
Kilrea always spoke and no one ever was upset that hard-working Heather went first with her questions. Then, Kilrea would ask Heather what player she wanted to talk to. He’d yell and out the player would come.
We doubt there was a husband-and-wife team that covered as many junior hockey games. We know there was not a couple that wrote them as well.
“Ken was an excellent writer -- always fair -- who knew the game,” Kilrea said. “He was taught by the great sports editor Eddie MacCabe, just like Clem Kealey, who covered us and then went to Toronto to cover the Blue Jays.”
* * *
Her second job was a 10-year stint at CBC Radio where she eventually became one of an elite group producing documentaries for the network’s flagship program, Sunday Morning.
In 1987, she made an abrupt career shift, leaving CBC behind for a job as a communications specialist at Toronto General Hospital. That opened the door to 30 years of health care communications, including 13 years as Manager of Public Relations at Hamilton Health Sciences. She loved being part of a close-knit team working in a public service setting.
Heather particularly treasured the final chapters of her career when she went back to university in 2007, at the age of 52, to join the very first cohort of McMaster University’s Master of Communications Management program. She cut such a wide swath as a student and, later, a teacher in the program that they established the Heather Pullen Pathfinder Fund, to sponsor student research and learning in the MCM program.
-- Circle of Life
Ken Fidlin, Jack Graney award winner at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
* * *
Heather and Ken took more than their usual turns at hosting Christmas parties. One year Heather went to bed, then Ken went to bed.
Except not everyone left.
Heather woke Ken up and told him to get rid of the guy sitting on their couch.
“Ah he’ll go home eventually,” said Ken as he rolled over.
And the desk man was gone eventually.
* * *
Heather leaves behind her husband, and two sons, Tyler (Megan) and Samuel, granddaughter McKenzie Fidlin, brothers Stuart (Lola) and Richard, brother-in-law David Dacyk as well as nieces Amanda Dacyk (Dan Dorey) and Valerie Onischuck (Bo). She was predeceased by her parents, Jack and Kay Pullen, and her beloved sister Carol.
Heather also played an important role in the Fidlin clan, bonding with Ken’s late mother Dorothy, his five siblings, their wives, husbands and children.
The family would like to thank Dr. Richard Tozer, Heather’s brilliant oncologist who shot every arrow in his quiver to try to save her. We also owe a debt of gratitude to the hundreds of medical professionals who contributed to her treatment at the Juravinski Cancer Centre. We are indebted to the Victorian Order of Nurses, and nurse Jenny Voisin in particular for their professional, compassionate care.
-- Circle of Life
* * *
In June Ken was supposed to be honoured at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys. He was scheduled to be presented with the Jack Graney award for contributions to the game in Canada. Ken would have been on stage with inductees Justin Morneau (New Westminster, BC), former Blue Jays John Olerud and Duane Ward, plus former Montreal Expos broadcaster Jacques Doucet.
The event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 virus, but next June the same group will assemble with the class of 2021.
Like his brother, Ken was one fastball pitcher. They were among the top percentile in the province. In Woodstock, Ken pitched for the Navy Jets Juniors. In Kingston he pitched in the Circle League, probably the second best of the dozens of leagues around the city.
In Toronto, he competed in the Press League and most days had little defence behind him. Manager Cito Gaston always loved teasing one writer if his team had lost to the other writer’s team.
Ken and I travelled many miles together but I’ll never forget one December we were at the winter meetings. I was on the phone and Ken had that “something is up look.” I got off the phone quickly.
Each time at the winter meetings managers will do a half hour interview session. I had been listening to Gaston when an agent phoned, so I bolted. Now I was blowing off the agent.
“You’re not going to believe what Cito said,” Ken told me with a laugh. “He was explaining something to another writer, looked at me and added ‘Ken you played the game ... you know what I’m talking about.’
“The Circle Softball League. I have no idea who the other writers thought I was or where I played.”
Fidlin was there went Joe Carter walked off the Philadephia Phillies to win the 1993 World Series, the year before when Robbie Alomar homered off the Oakland A’s Dennis Eckersley, Jose Bautista’s bat flip against Texas Rangers’ Sam Dyson in 2015 and Edwin Encarnacion’s walk off against Baltimore Orioles Ubaldo Jiminez the next season.
“During our glory years with the Blue Jays, the writers at The Sun who were must reads were Bill Lankhof, Steve Simmons and Ken,” said Hall of Fame general manager Pat Gillick.
Ken’s favorite players over the years included Mark Buerhle and John McDonald.
“I met Heather in the early 1980s at house party Ken and Heather had,” said former Blue Jays executive Howard Starkman. “Ken was a laid back guy. He did his job and he did it well. He didn’t crave adulation. He wrote what he thought ... he knew what he was talking about.”
Former GM Gord Ash respected Fidlin’s work as well.
* * *
In lieu of flowers, Heather requested that donations be made to the Heather Pullen MCM Pathfinder Fund at McMaster University.
-- Circle of Life
* * *
Heather was an avid golfer. An excellent golfer. Now, I haven’t been on a golf course since I caddying at the Cataraqui Golf Course in Kingston. So, I am of zero help.
An assistant pro from Guelph was on the par five 11th hole playing his second shot. He hit three straight out of bounds. As I had on the first three, I started towards him with a new ball and said “duck.”
I said “pardon.”
“DUCK!”
And he fired the club deep into the woods.
Golf insiders who have seen both play said Heather was the better golfer of the two. Of course, it could have been talk spread by a former co-worker Ken had beaten on the back nine.
* * *
A funeral will be held on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020 at 2 pm in the sanctuary at St. Paul’s United Church, 29 Park St. West, Dundas Ont. Livestream viewing of the service will be available on the Church web site (stpaulsdundas.com).
Due to COVID-19 space restrictions, family and friends who wish to attend the service in person, in the Church sanctuary, are asked to register by September 30th by email to penny.smith54@gmail.com.
-- Circle of Life
* * *
Our kids grew up addressing Heather and Ken as Auntie Heath and Uncle Kenny. Our son was a little gaffer when he built a costume out of Construx building blocks.
It was a grand idea. Until he moved and the blocks came apart.
For a few years on Halloween we went to Heather and Ken’s house to show off the costumes. We went to the car, my son, likely about four years old, wearing his Construx costume. He moved, the delicate structure broke and we arrived at Ken and Heather’s in tears.
Heather stopped the tears, re-constructed the costume and gave out treats in quick order. She picked up the save quicker than Duane Ward.
* * *
All of us here at the Canadian Baseball Network would like to express our deepest sympathies to Ken, Tyler, Megan, Samuel, McKenzie along with everyone who knew and loved the “Gorgeous Red Head,” who touched so many lives.