New book honors late Expositor sports editor Ted Beare

Ross Enslev has published a new book that celebrates the work of the late Ted Beare.

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Beare was a long-time sports editor at the Brantford Expositor. The Best of Beare Facts covers the personalities and teams that dominated The Expositor’s sports pages for more than 40 years.

“This is a book that brings to light the history of sports in Brantford as captured by the pen of Ted Beare,” Enslev said. “He was a well-respected sports writer who wrote in a way that everyone could appreciate.

“He chronicled so much of the rich sports history during his career and this book will bring back a lot of memories for many people.”

Beare, who died in January 2011 at age 82, covered local sports for more than four decades.

His entertaining column, The Beare Facts, provided insight into local sports scenes and the personalities of the day.

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The Best of Bear Facts includes snippets from Beare’s columns. Other chapters capture Beare’s coverage of the glory years of the Brantford Red Sox, local football, lacrosse and hockey history as well as athlete profiles.

Earlier this year, the City of Brantford named a baseball diamond at the Steve Brown Sports Complex after Beare.

Enslev, a long-time coach, retired teacher and local sports historian, said his new book is for people who remember Beare and for future generations to gain an appreciation of local sports history.

“We’ve had a lot of great teams and athletes in our community and this is a way of remembering them,” Enslev said. “Ted had a front row seat to all of the major sports events in the community and he also traveled with teams.

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“That’s what makes his columns and reporting so important.”

The book was completed with help from Beare’s wife Piret.

“I’m really pleased with the book,” Piret Beare said. “Ross spent a lot of time going through Ted’s columns and did a great job of putting them together.

“I think Ted would be quite pleased to see it.”

The book is being sold for $20. Proceeds from its sale will be used to support Free Sport For Growth, an organization formed by Enslev and his friend Dave Levac, also a retired teacher, a past Brantford-Brant MPP and speaker of the Ontario Legislature.

Free Sport for Growth collects donated sports equipment including skates, shoulder and shin pads, jerseys, sticks, pucks, helmets, baseball bats and balls to distribute to young people.

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The organization’s next sports equipment giveaway is scheduled for Sept. 28 from 10 am until noon at its headquarters at Arnold Anderson Stadium on Sherwood Drive.

Copies of The Best of Beare Facts will be available for sale at the free giveaway. They are also available directly from Enslev at 519-802-1169 or [email protected].

Co-chaired by Levac and Enslev, Free Sport for Growth also seeks to encourage children to organize their own games in local parks.

“I think Ted would be proud to know that the proceeds from the book are being used to support kids playing sports,” Piret said. “He recognized the important role sports can play in a child’s life.”

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