2010 Wilbur H. "Wil" Peck Referee Emeritus Award - James A. "Jim" Stewart
WILBUR H. “WIL” PECK REFEREE EMERITUS AWARD
James A. “Jim” Stewart
James A. “Jim” Stewart, was born in Miami in 1951. He was introduced to, and got hooked on volleyball in the early 1970s. He received his initial certification as a Regional Referee in 1976.
He was appointed as commissioner of the Florida Region for the 1978-79 season. However, this was short lived, and after one season in the position, he relocated to Atlanta and the Southern Region, changing the course of his volleyball career. It provided him with another calling. Officiating!
Jim received his National Referee rating in 1979 at Dayton, Ohio. He was appointed Southern Region’s referee’s chairman for the 1982-1983 season. His Regional position gave him a voting position on the National Referee’s Commission in the Technical Development Division.
Jim was elected by the Regional Operations Division as one of its six representatives to the Board of Directors in 1983. He served for eight years, resigning his post in 1991 to pursue his new Olympic assignment.
His rise through the referee ranks was rapid, and during the 1982 USA Open Championships in Hilo, Hawaii, he successfully completed the FIVB International Arbitres course and shortly thereafter became certified by the International body.
In 1983 he was the recipient of the Gold Whistle award.
Jim was appointed as the Referee Coordinator for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, following which he was asked to serve as the assistant vice president for referee development within the Technical Development Division. He served in that role for eight years.
While serving in this position, Jim established a new standard of excellence. He initiated a new set of programs for development, certification and assignment of referees. He created the Junior National Referee certification rating, bringing large numbers of referees to the Junior National Championships program to staff the rapidly growing tournaments.
Jim expanded the computerized referee assignment process so that referees could quickly and fairly be distributed among the growing number of matches at the USA Open. He initiated the policy of assigning women referees to top men’s matches. Consistent with this policy, he required that Junior National referees officiate the final matches at the Junior National Championships events.
During his eight years at the helm, national level officials expanded in number with high quality performances and high level of professionalism. It was during this time that relationships improved with the AAHPERD/NAGWS National referee’s program, currently operating as the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials. In 1988, the first joint testing procedures were approved and adopted by both organizations.
At the 1991 Annual USVBA meetings, Jim recommended to the Board of Directors that officials have their own division and be directly represented at the Board. This new Division established the foundation for today’s Official’s Assembly.
In 1991, Jim was honored with the Glen G. Davies Referee Service Award.
In addition to officiating at USA Volleyball’s Open Championship events, Jim traveled extensively with the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National teams on international tours and FIVB Championship events.
In 1991 he was named by the Atlanta Organizing Committee to serve as the volleyball competition manager for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. Upon the successful completion of the 1996 Olympic Games, he served as assistant competition manager for the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta.
Jim officially retired from refereeing in 1998, upon obtaining his Ph.D. in physiology and sports medicine. He is a professor of medical physiology, director of research and director of hyperbaric medicine at the Saba University School of Medicine, where he lives with his wife, Judy, on the island of Saba in the Dutch Caribbean.
USA Volleyball is proud to recognize James A. “Jim” Stewart as the 2010 recipient of the Wilbur H. “Wil” Peck Referee-Emeritus Award.
