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SARS heroine Dr. Sheela Basrur and five other inspiring people from Scarborough will be stars this fall on the Scarborough Walk of Fame.

Basrur, who died last month, was the City of Toronto’s first medical officer of health and “arguably the province’s most respected and known public health official,” after its 2003 SARS outbreak, Scarborough Mirror Editor-in-Chief Deb Bodine said Monday,

As chair of the 2008 Scarborough Walk of Fame nomination committee, Bodine announced Basrur would take her place on Oct. 23 beside Greenpeace founder Bob Hunter, landscape artist Doris McCarthy and 15 other Scarborough luminaries at Scarborough Town Centre.

John Wimbs and the Robbie International Soccer Tournament he founded will also get a place of honour on the Walk of Fame, she told members of Scarborough Community Council.

Since 1967, The Robbie – named for Wimbs’ son, who had suffered from cystic fibrosis – has grown from a tournament of eight teams to more than 220 and has raised more than $1 million for CF research,

The Walk of Fame, showcasing past and present Scarborough citizens who “bring pride to the community and inspire our young people” also has a place for Rick Middleton.

Drafted in the first round by the New York Rangers in 1974, Middleton became a Boston Bruins captain during his National Hockey League career and was a member of his country’s 1981 and 1984 Canada Cup teams.

The committee said another spot on the walk in the shopping centre’s food court is reserved for Earl Campbell, a former education director of the Scarborough Board of Education.

Ben Heppner, one of the world’s finest dramatic tenors, and Deborah Cox, a multiple Juno-award-winning singer and songwriter, are the other confirmed choices this year, said Bodine, who hinted “a couple of surprise announcements” are possible in the coming months.

The community council has dedicated $100,000 to support the Scarborough Walk of Fame, whose volunteers sifted through dozens of nominations this year.

News of the latest inductees was welcomed by Ward 38 (Scarborough Centre) Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker, who said area residents “know how spectacular Scarborough is,” that it’s a place where “people take care of each other” over and over again,

“This is the message we have to get out to the world,” De Baeremaeker said, adding the Walk of Fame helps Scarborough spread the word about the contributions its people make not only to their own community but to all Toronto and Canada.