Laurie Artiss
July 25, 1932 – January 23, 2018
Inducted 1995
Primary Outlet
Winnipeg Tribune, Regina Leader-Post
Born in Winnipeg on July 25, 1932, Laurie Artiss began his journalism career at age 16 as a cub reporter for the Winnipeg Tribune.
After 10 years, he became sports editor at the Brandon Sun, and in 1965 he moved to Regina to take on the same role at the Leader-Post. In the 1970s, he expanded his reach as the host of a weekly sports program on CKCK-TV.
“If you grew up in Regina loving sports, Laurie Artiss was, and always will be, like royalty,” said Rob Vanstone, who later followed in Artiss’s footsteps as a sports journalist at the Leader-Post.
Artiss’s contributions to sport extended beyond journalism. He helped organize major events, participated in amateur sport and founded the Grey Owl golf tournament in 1961. He covered the Saskatchewan Roughriders' Grey Cup victory in 1966 and led the successful bid to bring curling’s 1983 Air Canada Silver Broom to Regina. His later career centred around curling, a sport he championed both on and off the ice.
His achievements earned him inductions into several halls of fame, including the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame, the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, the Curling Canada Hall of Fame and the Regina Sports Hall of Fame.
Even after retiring to Nanaimo, B.C., Artiss remained a trusted mentor.
“Laurie was a very charismatic and dynamic person,” said Bernadette McIntyre, the lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan. “He was full of energy and ideas. He loved people and he loved sports.”
Artiss’s entrepreneurial spirit emerged when he noticed a gap in curling memorabilia. What began as a curling supply shop grew into Laurie Artiss Ltd., a company whose pins are now part of sports history, worn by athletes and displayed in museums around the world.
Laurie Artiss was inducted into the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Media Roll of Honour in 1995. He passed away on Jan. 23, 2018, at age 85.
After 10 years, he became sports editor at the Brandon Sun, and in 1965 he moved to Regina to take on the same role at the Leader-Post. In the 1970s, he expanded his reach as the host of a weekly sports program on CKCK-TV.
“If you grew up in Regina loving sports, Laurie Artiss was, and always will be, like royalty,” said Rob Vanstone, who later followed in Artiss’s footsteps as a sports journalist at the Leader-Post.
Artiss’s contributions to sport extended beyond journalism. He helped organize major events, participated in amateur sport and founded the Grey Owl golf tournament in 1961. He covered the Saskatchewan Roughriders' Grey Cup victory in 1966 and led the successful bid to bring curling’s 1983 Air Canada Silver Broom to Regina. His later career centred around curling, a sport he championed both on and off the ice.
His achievements earned him inductions into several halls of fame, including the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame, the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, the Curling Canada Hall of Fame and the Regina Sports Hall of Fame.
Even after retiring to Nanaimo, B.C., Artiss remained a trusted mentor.
“Laurie was a very charismatic and dynamic person,” said Bernadette McIntyre, the lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan. “He was full of energy and ideas. He loved people and he loved sports.”
Artiss’s entrepreneurial spirit emerged when he noticed a gap in curling memorabilia. What began as a curling supply shop grew into Laurie Artiss Ltd., a company whose pins are now part of sports history, worn by athletes and displayed in museums around the world.
Laurie Artiss was inducted into the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Media Roll of Honour in 1995. He passed away on Jan. 23, 2018, at age 85.