(Story & Photos by Marco Stoovelaar)
IN MEMORIAM 
...Pim Adriaansz...
(1924 - 2016)
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 Pim Adriaansz, Honorary Chairman of Quick Amsterdam, passed away
Nederlands
 CASTRICUM (Neth.) -
Pim Adriaansz, who was a longtime boardmember of baseball- and softball-club Quick Amsterdam, passed away on Tuesday, November 29 at the age of 92.
The memorial service took place on Tuesday, December 6 in Driehuis.
Willem Adriaansz, who was better known under his nickname 'Pim', was born in 1924 in Amsterdam.
At a young age, Adriaansz became involved in activities for baseball-club Quick Amsterdam.
This club holds a special name in the rich history of baseball in the Netherlands.
Quick was founded in 1913, one year after the founding of the Netherlands Baseball Association.
With its 103 years, Quick is the oldest exiting baseball (and softball) club in the Netherlands and even the oldest in Europe.
In 1922, Quick was the first-ever baseball-champion of the Netherlands.
In those early years, Quick Amsterdam was a club of baseball-pioneers, as its members included legendary persons as Emile Bleesing and Maarten (MC) Bakker.
Bleesing was the longtime chairman of the Dutch Association for more than 30 years, while Bakker served as its secretary.
Both promoted the sport throughout the country during their lifetime and were elected into the Netherlands Baseball and Softball Hall of Fame.
In 1946, at age 22 (!), Pim Adriaansz became the third chairman of the board of Quick Amsterdam, succeeding Emile Bleesing, who had been the chairman for 29 years since 1917.
Adriaansz went on to become one of the club's longest serving chairmen (20 years), as he stayed on through May 1969, except for a 4-year period in 1952-1955.
Adriaansz was succeed by Ben van Wattingen, who also was the club's chairman for 20 years.
With that, Bleesing, Adriaansz and Van Wattingen combined had led the club for 69 years in its long history!
In March 2013, when the 100th anniversary was celebrated, Adriaansz and Van Wattingen were joined by three other (including the then-active) chairmen of the club.
...Quick Amsterdam-chairmen Joost Comperen, Rob Woudstra,...
...Tom Helmers, Ben van Wattingen and Pim Adriaansz during...
...the 100th anniversary of the club in 2013...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
In its announcement of the passing of Mr. Adriaansz, Quick Amsterdam mentions that he helped the club through a difficult period following World War II.
And that he stood at the base of the club-culture as the club knows now.
Adriaansz also created the club-magazine 'De Kort Stop'.
Pim Adriaansz was named Honorary Member and Honorary Chairman in 1963 for his many contributions during his tenure in the board.
In 2013, Quick Amersfoort named its renovated accomodations Pim Adriaanszpark.
In the fifties, Pim Adriaansz was a member of the Financial Committee of the Dutch Federation.
In the sixties, he was the chairman of a special commission that looked into transfer-applications.
Also, from the late fifties through late sixties, Adriaansz was active a baseball-umpire.
Through this year, Pim Adriaansz always has remained in touch with the club and was a frequent vistor of meetings and games.
Quick Amsterdam states: ,,We will remember Pim as a closely involved chairman who convinced us how beautiful our club is and what had preceeded in previous years''.
The webmaster of Grand Slam * Stats & News offers his condolences to the family of Mr. Adriaansz and wishes them a lot of strength with this big loss.
(December 8)
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