Tireless local volunteer gets spot in ISC Hall of Fame (John Thompson)

By Christine Rivet, The Record

WATERLOO — The ubiquitous John Thompson makes Bill Gates look like a slacker.

If you’ve ever taken in a local fastball tournament or if you enjoyed the Memorial Cup championship when it rolled through town a couple years ago, you’re already familiar with some of Thompson’s best work.

From his duties as general manager of the 2008 Memorial Cup to volunteer tour guide, no job is too big or too small for Thompson.

And through his nearly 50 years of volunteering, Thompson has been content to drive the bus, allowing others to sit back and enjoy the ride.

The longtime Waterloo resident has chaired so many local tournament host committees and coached so many teams, it’s easy to lose track — even for the man himself.

Humble and efficient, Thompson, 64, never met an event he couldn’t MC, a sport he couldn’t promote or a tournament he couldn’t organize.

And for once, instead of pulling the levers behind the scenes, Thompson will stand at the podium to accept an award for himself.

A year from now, Thompson will take a hesitant bow when he is inducted into the International Softball Congress’s hall of fame as a builder.

Oh, that’s the same hall of fame breakfast that Thompson has organized for years, transforming it from a well-intentioned afterthought to the first-class celebration it is now.

“(Thompson) should have starred in the latest incarnation of Superman,” said his close friend and fellow fastball enthusiast, Larry Lynch, who nominated Thompson for the hall.

“He has the busiest schedule of anyone I know, generally has two or three main projects on his agenda and he is up sending emails before the chickens get out of the coop.”

Larry Fisher, executive director of the ISC, said he will never forget the first time he met Thompson, in 2002 when that world tournament made its first of three stops in Kitchener.

“He was running around, doing all these things, and had his (newsletter) in his hands. He’s one of those people you can’t help but notice.”

From his early days playing softball in his hometown of Mildmay, to coaching minor baseball in Waterloo, Thompson moved on to manage the old Waterloo CHYM’rs of Intercity Fastball League fame back in the mid-1980s.

Thompson worked for the United Way Kitchener Waterloo & Area for more than 28 years, until he retired as its chief executive officer in 2005.

He’s run hockey camps, was the business manager for the Kitchener Rangers, the OHL team’s former radio colour commentator and even a long ago host for the team’s cable TV show.

Thompson also helped turn Kitchener’s $20-million Activa Sportsplex into reality when he co-ordinated a sports partnership collaboration. Most recently, he chaired the Special Hockey International tournament held in Kitchener this winter.

These days, Thompson serves as the president-elect for the Rotary Club of Kitchener Westmount.

He’s still involved in the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame, is a longtime member of the Kitchener Sports Association and a founding co-chair of the Kitchener, Waterloo and area athlete of the year program.

Thompson has even taken his show on the road, volunteering at the International Softball Federation’s world championship in Saskatoon in 2009, where he posted stories and game summaries to the web.

He’s also a published author of two books, including Z-MAN Darren Zack, and has produced a daily newsletter for fans, called Diamond Dirt, at the fastball tournaments he’s helped run.

How does he do it?

“He is super organized, has a massive contact list, picks and chooses events that inspire him and he has a fantastic wife and life partner (Brenda),” said Lynch, who was inducted into the ISC’s hall in 2007.

“And he finds time to play golf and play squash and leaps tall buildings in a single bound.”

Like any good event organizer, Thompson knows he’s only as good as the people he manages.

“It’s kind of nice — being a Canadian. I’m glad to represent those other volunteers working behind the scenes, too,” Thompson said of his induction in his typical unassuming fashion.

About a dozen Canadians have been enshrined in the American-based ISC’s hall of fame, which includes about 160 members.

“People around Kitchener are known all over the world for their organizational abilities,” said Fisher from his office in Findlay, Ohio. “And John Thompson certainly is one of them.”

The ISC’s hall of fame breakfast is part of the festivities when the organization returns to Kitchener for the 2014 world fastball championship.