(Story & Photo by Marco Stoovelaar)
IN MEMORIAM
...Clovis Lodewijks...
(1930 - 2021) |
  Longtime international softball-administrator and pioneer Clovis Lodewijks passed away
Nederlands
 WILLEMSTAD (Curaçao) -
Clovis Lodewijks, who had a long and respected career as an (international) administrator in softball, passed away on Sunday, October 3, eleven days after he had turned 91.
Mr. Lodewijks has been active for more than seventy years as a multifunctional sports-administrator on the club-level and national organizations in Curaçao as well as in international federations.
In his impressive career, he also founded several clubs and federations and has been a longtime softball-pioneer in his native Curaçao.
Clovis Lodewijks is a member of the Hall of Fame of the International Softball Federation of which he was a member of the Executive Council for 36 years.
Claudomiro Mauricio (Clovis) Lodewijks was born on September 22, 1930 in Willemstad, the capital of Curaçao, which was part of the Netherlands Antilles as an Island Territory through 2010.
Since then, it became a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and is formally called the Country of Curaçao.
Lodewijks developed into an administrator at an early age.
At age 18, he already was named as one of the leaders of soccer-club Centro Dominguito and also was one of the coaches.
He was the club's President in 1950-1965.
In 1957, Lodewijks became a member of the Board of Directors of the Curaçaose Voetbal Bond (Curaçao Soccer Federation), becoming the Federation's Secretary in 1963.
He represented the Soccer Federation at several internationals events and also became a member of the board of the Netherlands Antilles Football Association.
In the sixties, he was a very active sports-administrator on Curaçao, organizing several (international) sporting events.
From the beginning, he showed his love for softball and baseball.
In 1966, Lodewijks was one of the founders of the Wild Cats Baseball Club of which he was the Manager.
With this team, he won eight consecutive Championship-titles.
For many years, Lodewijks was the President of Wild Cats.
Lodewijks also founded the Wild Cats Softball Club of which he also was a longtime President.
Clovis Lodewijks played a major role in the development and growth of softball.
Not only on Curaçao or what then were the Netherlands Antilles, but on the American continent and worldwide.
With that, Lodewijks became one of the most important and influential Caribbean softball-leaders and was much-liked and respected around the world.
Because of his devotion and passionate work to develop baseball and softball on Curaçao, as well as in the Netherlands Antilles, Lodewijks became a very popular, inspiring and respected person.
Not only on Curaçao, but also Aruba and the other Antillian islands.
Because of his many activities in the development of softball, Curaçao climbed on the ladder internationally.
In 1968, Lodewijks was the co-founder of the Curaçao Softball Federation (Federashon di Sòftbòl di Kòrsou) and became its President.
In the same year, he was one of the co-founders of the Netherlands Antilles Softball Federation (Federashon di Sòftbòl i Antia, NASOFE).
Lodewijks would lead the National Softball Federation for more than thirty years.
Besides that, he also served as Vice-President of both the Curaçao Baseball Federation and the Netherlands Antilles Baseball Federation.
In 1969, Clovis Lodewijks also belonged to the group that founded the Curaçaose Sport Federatie (Curaçao Sports Federation), which he led as its President from 1971 through 1984.
He was also elected into the Federation's Hall of Fame.
...Clovis Lodewijks with KNBSB-boardmember...
...Dick Bliek while attending the 1992 Haarlem...
...Baseball Week in Haarlem (Netherlands)...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
Lodewijks also loved horseback riding and was the President of the Koningin Juliana Paardensport Vereniging (Queen Juliana Horseback-riding Club) in 1969-1973.
In 1973, Lodewijks was elected Secretary-General of the Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee, which he stayed until 1980.
Clovis Lodewijks became a longtime member of the Board of the International Softball Federation (ISF), which since 2013 is the Softball Division of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC).
During the ISF Congress in 1973, he was elected Vice-President for Latin America.
Fourteen years later, in 1987, Lodewijks was elected 1st Vice-President.
After having served as ISF-boardmember for 36 years, Lodewijks stepped down on October 24, 2009 during the ISF Congress in Isla Margarita (Venezuela), alongside American Andrew Loechner, who had been the Secretary-General for 22 years.
For their long service, both Lodewijks and Loecher were awarded the ISF Medal of Honor.
Lodewijks was succeeded by Canadian Dale McMann, while Loechner was succeeded by Ms. Beng-Choo Low from Malaysia, who currently is the Secretary-General of the Executive Board of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC).
At the Congress in 2009 in Venezuela, Dutch administrator André van Overbeek was elected as one of the two Vice-Presidents for Europe, the other being Ami Baran (Israel).
André van Overbeek passed away on May 4 at age 71.
Clovis Lodewijks also was an administrator in Continental Federations.
He was elected Treasurer of the Confederación de Centroamérica y del Caribe de Softbol (Central American and Caribbean Softball Confederation, CONCACAS) in 1968, a position he held for two years, as he was then elected President in 1969, which he was through 1979.
Mr. Lodewijks also was the President of the Confederación Panamericana de Softbol (Pan American Softball Confederation, CONPASA) for some 25 years.
After being elected President of CONPASA in 1981, he then stepped down from the position in 2004 due to health reasons.
In May 1992, the Asociación de Confederaciones Deportivas Panamericanas (Association of Pan American Sports Confederations, ACODEPA) was founded in Acapulco (Mexico) to represent 26 different sports.
Brazilian Dennis Clemence, who was an administrator in sailing, became the first President and Lodewijks was elected Treasurer.
Three years later, in March 1995, in Mar del Plata (Argentina), during the new ACODEPA-elections, Clemence was re-elected as President, while Lodewijks was elected Executive Vice-President.
In October 1998, Lodewijks was named Interim President, succeeding Clemence.
When Mexican modern pentathlon-administrator Ivar Sisniega was elected new President in July 1999, Lodewijks returned to his position as Executive Vice-President.
He stepped down from this position in July 2007 and was succeeded by Venezuelan hockey-administrator Antonio Von Ondarza.
...Coverage by TeleCuracao Multimedia of the 50th anniversary of...
...Wild Cats in January 2017, which includes Kenley Jansen,...
...Antonio Keller, Johnny Balentina and Clovis Lodewijks... |
Throughout his long administrative career, Clovis Lodewijks received many awards and honors.
In 1992, he received a Royal Decoration and was Knighted in the Order of Orange-Nassau for his many contributions to the development of Curaçao.
He also was named Honorary Member of the Curaçao Softball Federation and Honorary President of the Confederación de Centroamérica y del Caribe de Softbol.
Clovis Lodewijks was also decorated by the Olympic Committees of Japan and Colombia.
In 1981, Clovis Lodewijks was a member of the inaugural group of softball-personalities to be elected into the Hall of Fame of the International Softball Federation, alongside Esther Deason (Australia) and Bill Kethan (USA).
Unfortunately, Mr. Lodewijks is the fifth member of the ISF Hall of Fame who passed away this year.
On January 23, American lefthanded pitcher Ty Stofflet (Hall of Fame 2005) passed away at age 79.
On January 31, Canadian umpire Wayne Brown (HOF 2007) passed away at age 72.
In May, Venezuelan administrator Jacinto David Amaiz González (HOF 2009) and Colombian administrator Antonio Morales Arrieta (HOF 2013) passed away at age 63.
On July 2, 2011, Clovis Lodewijks received the Krus di Merito (Cross of Merit) of Curaçao, which is handed out to inhabitants of Curaçao who have devoted many years to the development of the island.
On that day, which was Dia di Bandera (Flag Day), Lodewijks was honored together with former banker Lionel Capriles, former trade union leader Oscar Semerel, musician Juan 'Victo' Bartholomeus and Melva Leito, who has been active in scouting on Curaçao for forty years.
When you met Clovis Lodewijks, he was always attentive and interested in other people.
He always had a smile on his face and too time to talk with everyone.
Clovis was very passionate in everything he did and was a driven administrator.
Thanks to his administrative, managerial and communicative qualities, he became a well-respected and loved person and has done a lot in the devlopment of softball in Curaçao and the Netherlands Antilles.
Clovis will surely be missed by many.
The webmaster of Grand Slam * Stats & News offers his condolences to the family of Clovis Lodewijks and wishes them a lot of strength with this loss.
(October 8)
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