Hawaii Sports Officials Hall Of Fame To Induct Six In 2023

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Six officials will be inducted into the Hawaii Sports Officials Hall of Fame Class of 2023 for their outstanding service to their chosen sports.

The six are:

>> Denice Hanson (volleyball)
>> Dr. Lloyd Hisaka (football-basketball)
>> Donald Meinel (softball)
>>  J. Craig Petersen (basketball)
>> John Smith (baseball)
>> Glenn Young (football)

They will be honored at a ceremony Sunday, Sept. 3, at the Ala Moana Hotel.

“We are extremely excited to honor these six individuals for induction to the Hall of Fame,” HSOHOF president Cal Evans said in a news release. “These are the very best officials in the state of Hawaii and we are privileged to honor them as part of our sixth class.”

Here are some highlights of the 2023 inductees’ officiating careers, provided by the HSOHOF:

Denice Hanson: Although she was an outstanding volleyball and canoe paddling athlete, she was known for her many appearances as a volleyball official. … Officiated at nearly every level from league play to high school to USA Volleyball and ultimately an NCAA Division I official working for the Western Athletic and Big West Conferences. Her biggest accomplishments were earning USA Volleyball Junior National and National Officials Certification as well as traveling to California to work WAC volleyball matches. Hanson passed away in 2021.

Dr. Lloyd Hisaka: His contribution to Hawaii officiating extends beyond the football field and basketball courts. For nearly 50 years he taught college students to officiate flag football as part of the UH Manoa Intramural Sports program. He also served on the NFHS football rules committee and was honored as an NFHS distinguished official. On the field, he worked collegiate and high school football and basketball since 1976. He is also a founding member of the Hawaii Football Officials Clinic.

Donald Meinel: As a mentor to countless softball officials in his career, he taught respect for the game and how to officiate and enjoy the game. Since 1988, he umpired slow and fast-pitch games as well as worked high school and collegiate games in Division I and II. Behind the scenes, he was elected president of the Amateur Softball Association of Hawaii in 1985 and served 3 years until his appointment as Commissioner of USA Softball in 1988 — a position he held for 33 years until his retirement in 2021.

J. Craig Petersen: His officiating career is among the who’s who of basketball officials in Hawaii. He joined the Hawaii Basketball Officials Association under Hawaii Sports Officials Hall of Fame inductee James Aiona in 1972 and quickly rose to be among the top high school officials on Oahu. He worked high school basketball games for 17 seasons, including two HHSAA state championship games. In 1979 Craig was hired to officiate in the Western Athletic Conference and worked full schedules in both Hawaii and on the mainland. He is the only Hawaii official to work a WAC men’s championship game — in 1993. He also worked Big West women’s basketball, the prestigious Maui Invitational and the postseason National Invitational Tournament.

John Smith: A native of Louisiana, he moved to Hawaii in 1966 and soon began working as an umpire a year later in the Majors Division of the Palolo Little League. In, 1971, he started umpiring Babe Ruth and high school junior varsity. Two years later he worked varsity, AJA and American Legion games. In 1975, he started umpiring University of Hawaii games. His two sons (Gene and David) played on the UH baseball teams during this period and had outstanding careers. In the 1980s, he began scheduling umpires for American Legion, high school, AJA and the Hawaii Baseball League. He passed away in 2017.

Glenn Young: Although many people knew him as a longtime assistant basketball coach and founder of the ʻIolani Classic, Glenn had a distinguished career as a football official. He worked over 25 years working in the Oahu Interscholastic Association and worked multiple OIA championships, the Oahu Prep Bowl and the first two HHSAA state championship games.  He was a very respected rules administrator, was well regarded in the OIA and was also among the first coordinators of officials for the HHSAA football championships. He passed away in 2015.

To attend the ceremony, visit the HSOHOF website at www.hawaiisportsofficialshalloffame.org.

Hawaii Sports Officials Hall of Fame Past Honorees