The Peterborough & District Pathway of Fame has announced the seven inductees of the 2026 Pathway of Fame, who will join more than 400 other area residents inducted over the past three decades.
Inductees in the community builder category are family physician Dr. Kim Curtin, volunteers Keith Dalton and Elaine Orgill, and Paralympian Alec Denys, with the Peterborough Theatre Guild’s Marion Griffin in the dramatic arts category, performer Wayne Robinson in the entertainment category, and auctioneer Rob Rusland in the community Samaritan category.
A public induction ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15 at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough. The event is free and open to the general public as well as to families, friends, supporters of the inductees, and past inductees.
Below are the short bios of each of the 2025 inductees, as provided by the Pathway of Fame.
Dr. Kim Curtin (Community Builder)
In response to a 2008 request from Queen’s University, Dr. Kim Curtin developed a two-year Family Medicine Registry Program in Peterborough that today stands as a model of success, with more than 60 percent of its graduates practicing family medicine in Peterborough city and county, most of those contributing to health care at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre and still others very instrumental in the provision of services to the community’s most vulnerable.
Keith Dalton and Elaine Orgill (Community Builders)
Peterborough Action for Tiny Homes (PATH) owes much of its success to the strongly beating social hearts of Keith Dalton and Elaine Orgill, their contributions ranging from Elaine’s work in organizing fundraising events, to Keith’s service as a member of PATH’s Land Acquisition Group and as a project manager. Their path to community service also encompasses the arts, as evidenced by Keith and Elaine’s numerous contributions to both set construction, and overall production support on behalf of the Peterborough Theatre Guild.
Alec Denys (Community Builder)
A five-time Paralympian in archery and a world record holder, Alec Denys’ resilience and determination following a devastating spinal cord injury saw him dedicate his life wholly to the benefit of others, as evidenced by his many years as a peer mentor and support leader with Spinal Cord Injury Ontario, and leadership roles with the Douro-Dummer Seniors Club and the Active Together Program facilitated by Peterborough’s Council for Persons with Disabilities.
Marion Griffin (Dramatic Arts)
President and chair of the Peterborough Theatre Guild for six years, Marion Griffin’s contributions to the community theatre troupe over five decades range from set painting and stage managing to producing and directing. An accomplished pianist and organist, Griffin sings with, and conducts four community choirs and, since retiring 10 years ago, has still found the time to tutor students.
Wayne Robinson (Entertainment)
Singer, actor, producer, arranger … Wayne Robinson’s contributions to Peterborough’s cultural landscape number many, with the success of several Peterborough Theatre Guild musicals traced to his involvement both onstage and off. Over six years, he sang a number of songs in each of the popular Spring Tonic shows at Showplace, performed with the Kawartha Jazz Ensemble, has headlined a number of benefits, and is today active with The Peterborough Singers.
Rob Rusland (Community Samaritan)
Building on the legacy of his father who founded Rusland’s Auctions in 1972, Rob Rusland’s has voluntarily conducted thousands of fundraising charity auctions, with the list of grateful beneficiaries near endless and the proceeds in the millions of dollars. In addition, his volunteer work has elicited a number of awards, including Rotary recognition as a Paul Harris Fellow and the Schofield Award of Community Distinction from the United Way.
The Peterborough & District Pathway of Fame is a not-for-profit organization formed in 1997 to honour community citizens and individuals in the arts and humanities, with stone markers placed into the Pathway of Fame at Del Crary Park for each inductee.
Inductees are chosen from a list of nominations submitted from the community at large each year by a confidential selection committee tasked with reviewing nominations, followed by recommendations to the Pathway of Fame. A new selection committee is appointed each year.
For more information, including a list of all past inductees, visit ptbopathwayoffame.ca.
