(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Fotopersbureau De Boer (Poppe de Boer)/Noord-Hollands Archief)
IN MEMORIAM
...Elizabeth Schmitz...
(1938 - 2024)
(© Photo: Fotopersbureau De Boer
(Poppe de Boer)/Noord-Hollands Archief) |
 Former Haarlem-Mayor Elizabeth Schmitz passed away
Nederlands
  BEEKBERGEN / HAARLEM (Neth.) -
Former Haarlem-Mayor Elizabeth Schmitz has passed away on Tuesday, December 31 in Beekbergen at age 86.
The passing of the former politician was announced on Tuesday (January 14) on the website of the Municipality of Haarlem.
As Mayor of Haarlem, Mrs. Schmitz played a role in several baseball- and softball-activities, including international tournaments.
Elizabeth Maria Alida Schmitz was born on May 20, 1938 in Rotterdam.
After her school-period, she studied at the University of Cambridge in England, then moved back to Rotterdam, where she went to work for a shipping firm.
Later, she studied administrative law and political science at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam.
Mrs. Schmitz became involved in (local) politics in the late sixties and was a member of the Rotterdam City Council in 1972-1974 on behalf of political party D66.
In 1974, she joined the Labour Party (PvdA) and on behalf of this party, she was an Alderman for Social Affairs in Rotterdam from 1974 through 1982.
In 1985, Elizabeth Schmitz was named Mayor of Haarlem and was installed on February 16 of that year.
She led the city through August 3, 1994.
On that day, she stepped down, as she became a member of the Dutch National Cabinet.
Since the early eighties, the partner of Elizabeth Schmitz was Ien Dales, who also was a wellknown politician.
Mrs. Dales, who passed away at age 62 in 1994, was State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment in 1981-1982 in the second Cabinet of Dries van Agt, then served as Member of the House of Representatives (1982-1987) and Mayor of Nijmegen (1987-1989), before returning into a Government-position.
From November 1989 until her unexpected death on January 10, 1994, Ien Dales was the Minister of the Interior in the third Cabinet of Ruud Lubbers.
From August 22, 1994 on, Mrs. Schmitz served as State Secretary for Justice (succeeding Aad Kosto) in the first Cabinet of new Prime Minister Wim Kok, being responsible for immigration, asylum policy and gambling, amomgst others.
She served in this position until August 3, 1998 and then was succeeded by Job Cohen.
In the same 4-year period, wellknown Erica Terpstra was the State Secretary for Sport.
From 1999 through 2008, Elizabeth Schmitz was a deputy judge in the district court in Zwolle.
In 2004-2008, she served in the same role in Zutphen.
In almost the same period (2001-early 2006), she was a member of the Advisory Council on International Affairs.
From 2005 on, she was the chairperson of the Advisory Board Members Selection Committee Judiciary.
...As Mayor of Haarlem, Elizabeth Schmitz throws the ceremonial first...
...pitch during the opening of the 1985 European Championship...
...Baseball in Haarlem (Netherlands); Standing at right is Piet Tromp,...
...President of the Organizing Committee; Looking on in the back are...
...players from the Swedish Team...
(© Photo: Fotopersbureau De Boer (P.de Boer)/Noord-Hollands Archief) |
Besides these positions, Elizabeth Schmitz also was the chairperson of the curatorium of the African Studies Centre in Leiden in 1999-2009.
In February 2000, she became the Health Insurance Ombudsman of the Stichting Klachten en Geschillen Zorgverzekeringen (SKGZ), succeeding Til Gardeniers.
She also was a former politician, having been the Minister of Wellfare, Health and Culture in December 1977-September 1981 in the first Cabinet of Dries van Agt, then Minister of Health and Environment in September 1981-November 1982 in the second and third Cabinet Van Agt, as well as interim Minister of Culture, Recreation and Social Work in October-November 1982 in Van Agt's third Cabinet.
Elizabeth Schmitz became only the second person to serve in the role of ombudsman.
She resigned from this position in 2010 after having served in this role for eleven years.
As Mayor of Haarlem, Elizabeth Schmitz of course became involved in baseball and softball.
As were her predecessors and successors, as Haarlem is one of the leading cities in the Netherlands in baseball and softball.
Baseball originated n Amsterdam in the early 1900s, but in 1923, Haarlem was the second city with an official baseball-club.
Since the late forties, Haarlem became the leading city in softball.
And of course since 1961, Haarlem is the site of the wellknown and successful international Haarlem Baseball Week, which will be organized for 32nd time next year.
From 1980 through 1999, ten editions of the international Haarlem Softball Week were organized.
The 1995 edition also served as Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Through the years, Haarlem also hosted several other sport 'Weeks' through the years, including for basketball and handball.
Besides that, Haarlem also was the location for several World Championships, European Championships and European Cup-tournaments in both baseball and softball.
In 1986, 2005 and 2009, Haarlem was one of the playing sites of the World Championship Baseball.
In 2014, the World Championship Women's Softball was organized in Haarlem, marking the first time the event took place in Europe.
The European Championship Baseball was held in Haarlem six times: 1973, 1977, 1981, 1985, 1995 and 2003, the latter together with Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
The European Championship Women's Softball took place in Haarlem in 1981.
The historic Pim Mulier Stadium has been the site for most of the games played during the before mentioned baseball-events.
Through the years, the stadium has served as home-site for EHS, Haarlem Nicols, Kinheim and DSS/Kinheim.
During the Softball Weeks and the European Championship Softball, the games were played at the Noordersportpark, the home of HHC, then Sparks Haarlem.
The World Championship Softball took place at the Nol Houtkamp Sportpark, the home-site of Olympia Haarlem.
In all these events, representatives of the City Council of Haarlem played a role, in many occassions the Mayor or an Alderman.
They were involved in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and they frequently not only addressed the spectators, but also threw the ceremonial first pitch.
...As Mayor of Haarlem, Elizabeth Schmitz performs the opening...
...at bat during the 1987 Haarlem Softball Week in Haarlem (Neth.)...
(© Photo: Fotopersbureau De Boer (P.de Boer)/Noord-Hollands Archief) |
When Elizabeth Schmitz was installed as Mayor of Haarlem on February 16, 1985, she succeeded Jan Reehorst, who had delivered the first pitch during several Haarlem Baseball Weeks, as did his predecessors.
When she took office, Elizabeth Schmitz became the first woman to serve as Mayor of Haarlem and she still is the only one.
Haarlen received town privileges in 1245 from Count Willem II of Holland.
From then on, the city was governed by a group of four Mayors, with one of them acting as president or chairman.
That changed in 1824.
From that year on, the city is led by only one Mayor.
On August 3, 1994, Elizabeth Schmitz was succeeded by Jaap Pop, who also became a frequent visitor in the Pim Mulier Stadium and also became known as an avid amateur photographer.
During her 9½ years as Mayor of Haarlem, the European Championship Baseball (1985) and World Championship Baseball (1986) took place in the Pim Mulier Stadium and there were five editions of the Haarlem Softball Week.
Elizabeth Schmitz was in attendance during most of these events.
During the Opening Ceremony of the European Baseball Championship in 1985, she threw the ceremonial first pitch.
Two years later, in 1987, Elizabeth Schmitz also played a role during the Opening Ceremony of the fourth Haarlem Softball Week.
This time, she didn't threw the first pitch, but batted the first pitch.
In a reaction on the website of the Municipality of Haarlem, current Mayor Jos Wienen said:
,,In Haarlem, Elizabeth Schmitz is remembered as a committed Mayor who worked for all Haarlem-residents and had an eye for minorities.
She brought global issues such as immigration, the environment and peace to local attention.
For example, with the city partnership with the Zimbabwean municipality of Mutare.
She also worked for women's emancipation.
She was the driving force behind the council-wide women's consultation in the municipal council
In doing so, she not only made an active contribution to the emancipation of Haarlem women, but as a female politician she was also a role model for many Haarlem women and girls''.
The webmaster of Grand Slam * Stats & News offers his condolences to the family and friends of Elizabeth Schmitz and wishes them a lot of strength with this big loss.
(January 14)
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