Chatham Hall of Fame Announces Nominees: Builder
The Chatham Sports Hall of Fame has announced their four nominees for the builder category. Voting for this category will begin June 1.
Martin Aarts (1932- )
Martin came to Chatham from his native Holland in 1958. Having played semi-professionally, he was eager to play his beloved soccer. Because of the inadequate playing fields, he turned away from the sport for 17 years. In 1975 he became involved with a group of men eager to start a youth soccer association. From the beginning of 4 teams and 60 players, it has grown to close to 200 teams and over 2500 boys, girls, and adults. Martin has done every job, co-founder, director, coach, and referee, for the Chatham Youth Soccer Association at some point over the last 35 years. In addition he has refereed countless high school games and has been involved regionally and provincially at the administrative level.
– 1975 – along with Bob Christie, Louis Teeuwen, Vito Craievich, Mike Smith, and Ed Williams, founded the Chatham Youth
Soccer Association
– 1976- 1984 – was President of CYSA
– 1984- 1990 – was Director of CYSA
– 1991 to present – is Administrative Director of CYSA
– 1985 – was co-founder of Lambton-Kent (District) Soccer Association which has a current membership of over 9000 players
– 1985 – 1992 – was Vice-president of LKSA – 1993 – 2008 – was President of LKSA
– 2009 to present – is Administrative Director of LKSA
– 1990 – 1999 – Director of London-District Soccer League
– 2007 – 2010 – Director of Western Ontario Youth Soccer League
– 2002 to present – is Member of Ontario Soccer Association, West Region League Management Committee
– 1979 until completion – Member of Steering Committee for Thames Campus Complex
– 1988 – formed Chatham Express Men’s team to compete in the Western Ontario soccer League – has coached team every year since
Coaching highlights – 1991 received Individual Sportsmanship Award W.O.S.L.
– 1994 – Express won 2nd Division Championship
– 1999 – Express won 1st Division Championship
– 2009 – Express were 1st Division Cup Winners
– 1996 & 2003 – Express won Club Sportsmanship Awards
Gene Dziadura (1936-2010)
Gene was a much loved teacher, coach, official, and friend to all who came in contact with him during and beyond his 35-year teaching career at Chatham Collegiate Institute. He is best known as the scout who worked for 3 years to develop Fergie Jenkins and then signed him to a Philadelphia Phillies contract in 1962. However there is more to Gene Dziadura than that. He was an all-round athlete as he grew up in Windsor going on to play baseball in the Chicago Cubs minor league system until he was sidelined by back problems. He became a teacher and took his love of sports to coaching and officiating.
– at CCI – coached football for 28 years and is credited with resurrecting the sport at the school after it was disbanded in the early ‘60s because of a fatality – the Cougars consistently won league championships and won one SWOSSA championship
– coached basketball for 10 years
– coached track and field for 3 years
– coached tennis for 5 years
– organized academic and sports awards program which were adopted by other schools
– in community – 1965-1987 – refereed high school basketball
– 1976-1984 – refereed high school football
– for 3 years coached in Chatham Minor Hockey Association
– for 5 years coached in Chatham Minor Baseball Association
– 1959-1976 – was area scout for Philadelphia Phillies
– gave baseball clinics to Western Counties Baseball League coaches
– organized tryout camps for local players, bringing in other scouts to watch and evaluate
– in 1990s was a volunteer baseball instructor for Louisville Slugger out of Wallaceburg
Throughout his adult life, Gene continued to compete and excel at various sports. From 1970 to 1985, he played Slow Pitch at the local and provincial level winning an Ontario Championships with the Sports Mart team. He played old-timer hockey. He won a tennis pairs title at the Wheels Racquet Club and a golf championship at Maple City Country Club. Gene died in November of 2010 as a result of a heart attack at the age of 74.
Jim Maynard (1941- )
Jim Maynard’s first love was hockey, but in 1976 his daughter started bowling in a youth league and Jim became involved. Thirty-five years later, he is still at it. He started out as scorekeeper, he became a coach, a supervisor, and for the last 25 years he has been program director. With help from other volunteers, he runs the league and tournaments, orders trophies and crests, raises money, and makes sure that the results are published in the paper. Number wise, the program peaked in the late 1990’s with over 300 kids, making it the 2nd largest 5 pin program in Ontario. Jim spends weekends at Bowlerama with the kids and a couple of other days a week doing the jobs necessary for the program to run successfully.
– has taken a countless number of teams to Provincial Finals over the years
– 5 teams have advanced to National Finals
– 1993 Bantam Girls Team
– 2005 – Junior Boys Team – Junior Boys Single
– 2006 – Junior Girls Team
– 2007 – Junior Girls Team
Awards and Recognitions
– 1989-90 Program Director of the Year
– 1995 – Sertoma Club Service to Mankind Award
– Variety Club Award for recognition in helping handicapped kids
– Distinguished Service Award from Bowling Proprietors of Ontario
Bob Weedon (1945- )
Bob has served as President of the Maple City Slo-Pitch League for the past 22 years during which time it has grown to 86 teams. He has volunteered endless hours to the game of slo-pitch in Chatham and Ontario. Locally he oversees the league, umpires, players, and coaches. He has overseen ongoing improvements to the diamonds, including upgrading the lighting and backstops and adding sprinkler systems. Bob has helped to develop, promote, and regulate slo-pitch in Chatham and Ontario.
– 1978 to present – President of Maple City Slo-Pitch League
– 1984 to present – Executive Member of Slo-Pitch Ontario Association (SPOA)
– 1991 to present – Executive Member of Softball Ontario
– 1992 – 1997 – President of Slo-Pitch Ontario, voting delegate of Softball Canada
– 1997 – umpired in Ontario Special Olympics Summer Games
– 1998 to present – Treasurer of Slo-Pitch Ontario Association
– 1999 – invited to umpire at World Special Olympics Summer Games in Raleigh, N.C.
Awards and Recognitions
– 1998 – Appreciation Award from Maple City Slo-Pitch for over 20 years of service
– 1999 – Slo-pitch Ontario Association Appreciation Award for 15 years of service
– 1999 – Certificate from Meritor Automotive for Community Participation
– 1999 – inducted into Slo-pitch Ontario Association Hall of Fame (Builder Category)
In addition, Bob has served on the Centennial Clock Committee and Municipal Alcohol Policy Committee for Chatham-Kent.