The Central Florida Officials Association Hall of Fame banquet will be held Saturday, June 9, 2012 at the Hilton Hotel of Altamonte Springs starting at 5:00 p.m.
George Lawson
George Lawson Photo Gallery
George Lawson Photo Gallery
George Lawson Photo Gallery
George Lawson Photo Gallery
George Lawson Photo Gallery
George Lawson Photo Gallery
George Lawson Photo Gallery
George was a member of the Central Florida Officials Association for 35 years.
The CFOA is deeply saddened by the passing of George Lawson. George was a thirty-five year member of the CFOA. George was elected into the CFOA Hall of Fame in 2008. He spent 20 years umpiring softball in the Orlando area.
More about George will be posted here in the future.
Allan L. Whitlow
The opportunity to get to know and work with some really outstanding people. The early founders of this association laid a great foundation. Being a part of it is a real honor. I hope all new and young officials can appreciate the opportunity they have. Being a member has also afforded me the chance to make some great friends. Wearing the CFOA jacket at games beyond District commands respect. Coaches and ADs know they are getting some of the best officials in the State. It feels great to wear it.
Biography:
Personal Information: Married to Kathleen for 12+ years with 2 children and 2 grandchildren
Place of Birth: Indianapolis, IN
Current Location: Winter Park, FL
Occupation(s):
Currently and for 25 years – Engineer at Tektronix (formerly Sypris Test & Measurement)
Military Service: Army 3 years – 1st Lt. Vietnam Vet
Central Florida Officials Association Member: 25 Years in CFOA from 1986 to Present
Other Associations:
1972-1974 (2 years) – East Coast Officials Association in Palm Beach
1974-1985 (11 years) – Indiana Officials Association in Indianapolis, IN
Personal Accomplishments in the CFOA:
- Elected to several terms as an Area Director.
- Elected/Appointed to run basketball education
- Awarded the Stan Staneff Education Award in 2006
Office/Positions Held in the CFOA:
Area Director
Education Director
Personal Accomplishments in other associations:
- Worked a football playoff game the first year playoffs were held in Indiana. We worked as a crew all season.
- We rated #3 of all crews in the State
Sports Officiated:
Football 1972 – 1998
Basketball 1972 – Present
Soccer 1981 – 1986
Play-off games officiated (District, Regional, State):
I have worked District games in Florida since moving to Florida in 1984. I cannot recall the dates of games worked beyond District. I do recall working 6 times at Lakeland. The years again escape me.
Worked several years in football playoffs.
Worked District and beyond in soccer.
Charles William Smith (Bill, C.W., C. William)
Being a member of the CFOA has been like being a member of a great family. There have been ups and downs and moments of pulling together to get things done. There have been many joys, such as dressing at the motels, watching news sports highlights on TV and going out for BBQ until 2 or 3am, and then doing little league or Pop Warner football on Saturday mornings. There was the support of the CFOA while being unemployed and the joy and support of working “the Big Games.” It doesn’t take 300 words to express the love and joy of being a member of the CFOA. It is something that cannot be expressed in words. It is an unforgettable life-time experience.
Biography:
Personal Information: Married to Norma for 49 years with 2 children and 11 grandchildren
Place of Birth: New York, N.Y.
Current Location: Orlando, FL
Occupation(s):
Retired Project Manager, Computer Specialist, Youth Sports Coordinator, Computer Manager, Computer Programmer, Computer Operator, Letter Carrier
Central Florida Officials Association Member: 31 Years in CFOA from 1980 to Present
Other Associations:
1987 to 1998: US Amateur Softball Association
1980 to 1998: Orlando Amateur Softball Association
1982 to 1989: Central Florida Track Officials
Current: Florida High School Athletic Association
Personal Accomplishments in the CFOA:
- 1990 Received Superior Rating as a Football Official
- 1991 Received Superior Rating as a Basketball Official
- 2000 Awarded 20 years of service
- 2005 Awarded 25 years of service
- My son Ted became an official in 1985, and I had the pleasure of working with him for a couple of years until he joined the army.
Office/Position(s) Held in the CFOA:
Area Director, Vice President of Education 1988-1990, Vice President of Basketball 2003-2004
Personal Accomplishments in Other Associations:
- 1989 – Present
Official Scorekeeper – Orlando Magic
NBA All Star Game 1992
All Magic playoff games
Missed a total of 2 games since 1989 - 1990 – Present
Scoreboard Operator – Orlando Predators
Missed a total of 4 Games since 1990
Worked all Arena Bowl Games held in Orlando - 1980 – 1998
Member of U. S./Orlando Amateur Softball Association
1984 – Orlando’s Amateur Softball Association’s “Mr. Hustle” Award
1987 – 1989 Selected to 3 National Tournaments
1988 & 1989 Worked the Championship Game
1989 – Inducted into the ASA National Indicator Fraternity
1995 – Inducted into the ASA Orlando’s Hall of Honor
Many Local, State, and Regional Qualifying Tournaments - 1992 – 1999
Official Scorekeeper – Orlando Cubs and Orlando O’Rays - 1991 – 1995
City of Orlando Youth Sports Coordinator
Football Program
Basketball Program (Martin Luther King Tournaments/Florida Youth Basketball Tournaments-Local/District/State)
Track Program (Hershey Qualifying Meet/Local, District)
Assisted with the State Baseball Program
1994 – Inception year of Jackie Robinson League - 1982 – 1989
Member Central Florida Track Officials Club
Timed many district, regional, and state meets
Head timer in state meets in 1987 – 1989
Head Timer Golden South Meet 1987-1988 – Winter Park, Florida
Head timer for National Masters Track Meet – Orlando Florida
Head timer for the Red Lobster Half Marathon – Orlando, Florida
Florida Relays – Gainesville, Florida
Junior Olympics – Clearwater, Florida
SEC Indoor Championships – Gainesville, Florida - 1977 – 1980
Member New Jersey North Board #33
Basketball Official
Member U.S./New Jersey Amateur Softball Association
Softball Umpire - 1972 – 1979
East Orange Youth In Action
Bowling Coach – Richmond, Virginia 1978
Detroit, Michigan 1979
Basketball Assistant Coach
1975 Small Fry Tournament – Puerto Rico
1972 – 1977 Little Lad National Tournaments – Heightstown, N. J.
1975 Little Lad National Champions – Heightstown, N.J. (Head Coach)
U.S. Youth team defeated the Junior Russian Team – South Orange, N. J. - 1973 – 1977
East Orange Panthers Youth Football Coach
1975 State Youth Football Champs
Buddy Young Football League – New York City, N.Y.
Played in Washington D.C. Invitational - 1963 – 1967
East Orange Tigers Youth Football Coach
Undefeated season 1964
Had players that went on to: University of Southern California/Idaho University/Cincinnati University/Bethune Cookman College and many others
Sports Officiated:
Football
Basketball
Softball
Track
Play-off games officiated (District, Regional, State):
1986 – Worked the 1A State Football Championship
2000 – Worked the 5A State Football Championship Game
2008 - Worked the 5A State Football Championship Game
Many district and regional football playoffs
1991 – Worked the 5A Girls State Semi-final basketball game in Tallahassee, Florida
Many district and regional basketball playoffs
Jerry Prather
Simply put, being a member of the CFOA has meant great camaraderie, great friendships, great sports moments in football and basketball but most of all a sense of belonging.
Biography:
Personal Information: Married to Cheryl for 36 years with 3 children and 2 grandchildren
Place of Birth: New Albany, Mississippi
Current Address:
Occupation(s): Marketing Manger
Central Florida Officials Association Member: 30 yrs. in CFOA from 1981 to present
Personal Accomplishments in the CFOA:
- State Football Finals with the first Father/Sons team – Bernie, Chuck and John.
- Having my son become an official
Office/Positions Held in the CFOA:
Assignment Committee
Personal Accomplishments in other Associations:
- Jerry Prather played small forward for Torchy Clark’s UCF Knights from 1974-78 and finished his career ranked fourth all time in scoring (1,707) and second all time in rebounding (849). He is one of just three UCF players to finish his career with more than 1,500 points and 500 rebounds.
- He earned NCAA Division II All-America honors as a senior in 1978 en route to leading UCF to the Division II Final Four. Prather also helped UCF to three consecutive Sunshine State Conference Championships during his playing career.
Sports Officiated (FB/BB/BSB/VB, Etc.) and include years:
Football 25 years
Basketball 30 years
List any play-off games officiated (District, Regional, State) including year:
State Final – Football – 2006
State Finals – Basketball – Women’s
Sate Semi-finals (football & basketball) – twice
Regional (football & basketball) – 4
District (football & basketball) – many, many times
Albert A. St. Pierre, Jr. (Al)
Membership in the CFOA has given me the opportunity to develop a lasting friendship with many of the officials with whom I have come in contact over the years. It has allowed me to develop other officials while at the same time allowing me to grow as an individual. I have been able to stay active, both on the field and off the field.
Biography:
Personal Information: Married to Kay F. St. Pierre for 41 years with 2 children and 6 grandchildren
Place of Birth: New Orleans, LA
Current Location: Longwood, FL
Occupation(s):
Retired from IBM after 30 years of employment
(Management positions – Airline Industry – Banking Industry
International Assignment – Networking)
Military Service: US Marine Reserves & US Air Force – Regular
Central Florida Officials Association Member: 16 Years in CFOA from 1995 to Present
Other Associations:
1977 to present: US Swimming – Louisiana, Texas, Connecticut & Florida LSC’s
2005 to present: Collegiate Swimming Officials Association (CSOA)
Personal Accomplishments in the CFOA:
- Established the football mentor program, assigning seasoned officials to new officials to ensure that the new officials were acquiring the proper skills and had someone he/she could talk to on a regular basis.
- Instituted major changes within the CFOA by installing and computerizing the accounting process (payroll) and later the scheduling of games through the Arbiter System.
- Established a tracking system for new officials going through the CFOA training process.
- Set up procedures for handling the Jessica Lunsford requirements.
Office/Positions Held in the CFOA:
Information Technology Coordinator
Personal Accomplishments in other associations:
- US Swimming – Florida LSC Area Director (1998 – 2004)
Special Olympics – National Championship Meet – 2010 Lincoln, NE
Florida State Championships – 2007 – Present (Meet Referee)
Olympic Trials – 1992
National Championship Meets – 1985 – 1995 - Collegiate Swimming Officials Association (CSOA) – Southeast Regional Director (2005)
Two NCAA Division II National Championship Meets
Blue Grass Mountain Conference Meet (This will be my 13th year working this meet)
Officials Coordinator for the newly formed (2011) Sunshine State Conference Swim Meet - Sports Officiated (FB/BB/BSB/ Etc) and include years:
Swimming – 1977 – Present
Football – 1990 – Present
Water Polo – 1997 – 1999
Baseball – 1991 -1996
Track & Field – 1996 – 1999
Play-off games officiated (District, Regional, State):
2 State Championship games
Playoff games every year from 1998 – 2009
Alan Buky
The CFOA has made me feel like helping other officials. I’ve needed to be in rehab for the last 8 yrs. The association within this group has made my development more complete.
Biography:
Personal Information: Married to Andrea for 36 years with 2 children and 1 grandchild due in July
Place of Birth: West Palm Beach, FL
Current Address: Lake Mary, FL
Occupation(s): Electronics Technician
Military Service: US Army July 1966 – July 1969 (3 yrs)
Central Florida Officials Association Member: 25 yrs. in CFOA from 1982-1985 and 1990 to present
Other Associations:
1980 to 1985: Orange Baseball Association, Piedmont Virgina
1990 to 2002: Valley Officials Texas
Sports Officiated (FB/BB/BSB/VB, Etc.) and include years:
Baseball 18 yrs.
College Baseball 8 yrs.
Football 30 yrs.
List any play-off games officiated (District, Regional, State) including year:
FB Melbourne Central Catholic Sarasota Cardinal Mooney Armwood, Vero Beach, Jacksonsonville Ribault,
State Final at Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium (Southridge vs. Manatee) 1990
Baseball District tournament in all classes in Central FL also Regional games at Melbourne Central Catholic
Lake Wales, Jacksonville Bolles, First Coast, Merrit Island, St. Pete Catholic Lakeland Catholic Fernindina Beach, Leesburg
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