ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Recreation & amp; Parks (HCRP) personally celebrates in fall 2021 at the Howard County Community Sports Hall of Fame. Participants included Judy DeJong, Tim Krause, Eric McLamb, Vernon Seibert, Don Van Deusen, and Laura Wetherald. Each year, the Community Sports Hall of Fame honors outstanding individuals for their commitment to or significant contribution to social sport in Howard County.
“Thanks to our trainers, volunteers and community leaders. Thanks to your commitment, we are able to offer our residents the highest quality programs, ”said A. Raul Delerme, director of HCRP. “Your experiences and commitment to sport offer so many irreplaceable opportunities.”
One of the founders of Volleyball House and former CEO of Volleyball House Inc., Judy DeJong, is considered the beating heart of the Howard County volleyball and soccer recreational scene.
For over 27 years, Tim Krause has been a volunteer in the Western Howard County Youth Baseball / Softball League as coach, clerk and referee coordinator. In 2010, he was awarded the GoodSports Howard County Award for Integrity and Excellence as a Sports Official.
As a man of many hats, Eric McLamb has served many roles in the Howard County Youth Program (HCYP) leagues and basketball programs, including as a volunteer travel and recreation coach, league commissioner and program director. He is also the creator of the HCYP Basketball Referee Certification Program, an accreditation process that trains over 13-year-olds in the basics of refereeing, mechanics, application of rules and professional ethics.
Vernon Seibert, who died in 2013, began his sports career as a runner, defensive athlete, and later defensive coordinator at the University of Maryland. A beloved local educator and Howard County resident for over 50 years, Vernon helped establish one of the first local summer recreation programs in 1965. He also played a key role in the development of the Howard County Old Timers softball and basketball programs.
Don Van Deusen has worked as a teacher, coach and sports director for Howard County since the early 1970s and has won several High School Coach of the Year Awards. He helped launch the Allied Golf program in partnership with the Howard County Public School System in 2015, which teaches disabled students the basics of golf and gives them the opportunity to play on the county courses. Don currently serves as executive director of First Tee – Howard County.
The head of the HCRP’s Office of Recreation, Laura Wetherald, passed away in February 2021, and after her death, she has had an immeasurable impact on sports and leisure activities in Howard County. Among her many professional achievements, Laura’s presidency included the annual County Celebration of Sports and the Community Sports Hall of Fame.
Their induction ceremony will be held at the 18th Annual Sports Festival on Tuesday, October 18 at the Turf Valley Resort and Conference Center. Tickets cost $ 42 each or $ 420 at a table of 10.
To learn more about the Social Sports Hall of Fame, visit www.hcrpsports.org/halloffame.
