Kathy Wedderburn (left) and Shirley Paradis (right) at the Okotoks Hall of Fame 2015 unveiling

The Okotoks Hall of Fame's Class of 2015 was unveiled on Friday night, with a pair of well-know community figures being inducted.

Receiving the call this year were local arts & culture advocate Shirley Paradis, and former teacher and local sports builder Greg Wedderburn.

Paradis has been a fixture in the Okotoks arts scene for decades, as she has served as an artist in the mediums of oils and acrylics, stained glass, silversmithing, and metal sculpting. She has also served for a long stretch on the Okotoks Arts Council, helping to transform the former Okotoks United Church into the Rotary Performing Arts Centre during her time as President.

She also dabbled into the sports scene as well, creating and monitoring art work and designs used during the 2004 Alberta Summer Games, jointly hosted by Okotoks and High River. Along with mentoring young artists, Paradis uses her art as a tool when working with Foothills residents with learning disabilities.

Paradis says the town holds a very special place in her heart, and is proud to call herself a resident of Okotoks.

"You're family no matter where you go," Paradis says. "I mean it's still getting bigger and bigger, and I don't know everybody, but it just seems like the chorus seems to grow in heart. And they treat you like family, that's just the way it is."

Joining Paradis in the Hall is Wedderburn, who was well known for his efforts to promote sports in the community and his time as a teacher. Born and raised in Okotoks, Wedderburn was a highly accomplished hockey player, but turned to coaching while still a teenager in 1963.

Greg would continue coaching for the next 30 years, while also serving as a teacher at both Percy Pegler Elementary and Okotoks Junior High School. During that time he coached volleyball, track & field, and football, and was a key member in bringing the Okotoks Oilers Junior "A" franchise to town in 2004.

The plaque for local sports builder Greg Wedderburn, who was inducted on Friday nightSadly, Greg passed away on February 2, 2013, but his wife Kathy says Greg wasn't your average teacher.

"He went to their games on the weekends," Wedderburn says. "It didn't matter if he coached them or not, he went and watched them so he could talk to them about it in school. And [he] communicated with them on a different level, and helped them learn."

Following an emotional unveiling of Greg's plaque, Kathy says it was an extremely important evening for her family.

"It was an honour to share this with his dad [Friday], it was totally emotional not only for our family, but for his friends as well," she says. "And when I moved here there was 1,600 people, and I've grown with Okotoks and so have my kids. They are Okotokians and it's very special to us."

Paradis and Wedderburn become the third class to be inducted into the Okotoks Hall of Fame, and join eight other inductees on the Hall of Fame Wall at the Okotoks Recreation Centre.