Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to two exceptional constituents of Brandon—Souris. Last Saturday, Souris residents Murray Zuk and the late Bill Kirkup were inducted as honorary life members into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame.
Murray Zuk helped found the Hall of Fame and Museum, serving as a director since its inception in 1997, with a significant career as a baseball scout and organizer in Manitoba, all while maintaining a remarkable career as principal of Souris School.
The late Bill Kirkup was a builder and loved the game of baseball. He committed countless hours to promoting teams and various leagues throughout Manitoba and western Canada, in addition to supporting countless other initiatives and causes in our community. If there was a project to get done in Souris, it was very likely that Bill Kirkup was involved.
To Murray, his wife Donni and the Zuk family; and to Bill's wife Sheila and the Kirkup family, I thank them both for a lifetime of service to the great game of baseball, to our hometown of Souris and to Manitoba. We are certainly better off because of the lives of Murray Zuk and the late Bill Kirkup.