O’Neill was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame during its inaugural induction ceremonies held in the mid-1980s at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. Through the dedicated work of the late Norm Carter, then director of community services for the City of Woodstock, Southside Sportsfield was renamed the James ‘Tip’ O’Neill Sportsfield. There was also some discussion that the late ‘Tip’ O’Neill, Speaker of the House in the U.S. Congress, was a long-distant relative of our very own Tip.
"Extra Information From Quiz Committee:
Thomas P. ‘Tip’ O’Neill, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977 to 1986, mentioned in his memoirs that he was nicknamed after the Canadian ‘Tip’ O’Neill, a boyhood hero of Tom’s father.
Sources:
- Doug M. Symons, The Village That Straddled A Swamp, p.48 (Oxford Historical Society)