If there was an athletic event taking place in Thunder Bay during the 1970s and 80s chances were Maureen Grace would be participating in it, and doing so successfully, in running, rowing, swimming and skiing. A member of Hillcrest's 'Green Machine' and the Thunder Bay Olympic Club, Maureen claimed honours at the Northwestern Ontario Junior Track Championships and put in a 5th place showing in the 1500M at the Canadian Junior Track championships in 1975. For three consecutive years (1976-78) Maureen was the first female to cross the finish line of the Royal Canadian Legion 10 Mile Road Race.

Maureen's accomplishments in the swimming pool started with the Thunderbolt Swim Club in the early 1970s and continued on while a student at Lakehead University. Named LU's Most Valuable Swimmer in 1979 and 1980, she served as a member of the CIAU gold medal winning 4X200m Relay in 1978.

In the late 1970s Maureen turned her attention to the sport of rowing and by 1980 she had entered the record books when she and Karen Wiznuk became the first women's team from the Thunder Bay Rowing Club to win gold at the prestigious Royal Canadian Henley Regatta doing so in the 1000M Women's Pair event. In 1981 she added Canadian honours to her record of success and in 1982, while competing individually, she earned silver medals at the Canadian Championships and Henley Regatta. Not surprisingly, Maureen's exceptional talents soon earned her the right to compete for her country. In 1983 at the Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela, her bronze medal performance in the women's single sculls marked the first of it's kind for a rower from northwestern Ontario.

Throughout her athletic career, Maureen always took the time to pass along her talents to others, holding various coaching positions and serving as a source of inspiration to many young athletes. In 1981 she received her Masters of Science Degree in the Theory of Coaching, became a doctor in 1989 and earned her Diploma of Sports Medicine in 1992. Dr. Grace continues to contribute her talents to the world of sports having served as Team Physician for the 1994 World Champion Canadian Women's Hockey Team and the 1995 Canadian Rowing Team's European Tour - continuing to exhibit her dedication and commitment to sports excellence.

Inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, September 27, 1997