![]() ![]() That, in a nutshell, would be the beginning of history in the making. Lo and behold, it was Jim Doherty calling and a conversation ensued with Doherty asking young O’Donnell if he’d like to “come to the States,” specifically New England. Learning the trade “bit-by-bit,” as he hung out in the different stables, one day, while visiting the Bill Doherty Stable (Bill being the brother of Jim Doherty), the phone rang, and they asked O’Donnell to “pick up the phone!” Of course, mining wasn’t the only industry up in Nova Scotia territory-harness racing was big, too-and one of the great connections up in Nova Scotia land was a friendship between Henny and Joe Hennessey, Wally Hennessey’s dad, and the O’Donnell-Hennessey family friendship has stretched all this time - “like 75 years,” lamented Wally. ![]() There were two separate mining disasters in Spring Hill, the first in 1956 where there were 39 killed and the second in 1958 where 75 miners died forcing the family to move further east.īill wound up in Sydney Mines which he once described, “isn’t even on the map,” where he graduated high school. ![]() ![]() Born In Spring Hill, Nova Scotia, Canada, hardly a small “goosebump” on any map, the town was known for coal mining with one of its employees being Bill’s father, Henny. ![]()
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