Third-year OS Devon Fraser, a History major, has been working with Dr. Heidi Jacobs of the Leddy Library to compile and catalog a large collection of articles covering the 34 seasons of the Chatham Coloured All-Stars, and the career of Wilmer "Boomer" Harding, Born in 1914, Boomer joined the Chatham Coloured All-Stars while still a teenager, helping them to win the Ontario Baseball Amateur Association Intermediate B championship in 1934. Boomer Harding was one of the first black athletes to break the colour barrier in Canadian sport history; he was a talented athlete who achieved excellence in baseball, hockey, and track and field. Devon's work has contributed to the development of a webpage about Harding's life, as part of the Digital History Project at the University of Windsor. Please visit the page they worked on: Breaking the Colour Barrier.
This has been a rich experience for Devon. Because of this work, she is planning to pursue a Master's degree in Library Science. The opportunity to work on compiling and digitizing a significant archive has opened a new career opportunity for Devon, and she has already contributed to the library's role as a home for public history in our community.