Don Pilling

Bell Memorial — Inducted 1997

Don Pilling devoted nearly four decades to promoting amateur and community sport throughout southern Alberta as a newspaper journalist, editor, and broadcaster. Widely respected for his dedication to grassroots athletics, he became one of the region’s most influential voices in sports media.

Pilling began his journalism career at the age of fourteen as a cub reporter covering minor sport for the Lethbridge Herald, where editor Harold Long recognized his early talent and enthusiasm. After briefly leaving journalism to complete his education and work as an accountant, he returned to the newspaper to pursue sports reporting full time.

In 1948, Pilling was appointed Sports Editor of the Lethbridge Herald, a position through which he strengthened coverage of amateur athletics across southern Alberta. Ten years later, he became Managing Editor, further shaping the newspaper’s editorial direction.

In 1961, he joined CHEC Radio as head of news and sports, expanding his influence into broadcast journalism before returning to the Lethbridge Herald in 1963. He remained with the newspaper until retiring in 1979.

Throughout his career, Pilling believed that every sporting event deserved recognition regardless of size or level of competition. His reporting philosophy emphasized community participation and athlete development, helping raise the profile of local sport organizations and volunteers.

Beyond journalism, Pilling played an active role in building sport opportunities in the region. He founded both the Lethbridge Kinsmen Sportsmen’s Dinner and the Lethbridge Little League Baseball Association, initiatives that supported youth participation and community engagement.

He was widely respected among fellow journalists, including Bell Memorial inductee Garry Allison, who credited Pilling as one of the leaders who set professional standards for sports coverage in Alberta.

After Induction