|
COLORADO
SPRINGS,
Colo.
–
William
Walter
Baird,
a
long-time
member
of
the
United
States
Volleyball
Association
and
president
of
the
organization
from
1988-92,
passed
away
on
Friday,
April
30
in
Scotia,
N.Y.,
after
a
long
illness.
Baird
has
served
the
sport
of
volleyball
in
many
ways
and
completed
his
tenure
as
President
of
the
United
States
Volleyball
Association
in
October
1992.
His
initial
volleyball
exposure
is
documented
back
to
1943
as a
young
sailor
with
the
U.S.
Navy
at
Sampson
Naval
Office.
As
Baird
worked
for
the
game
at
the
local
level,
he
became
an
active
leader
at
the
national
level.
In
1963
he
was
named
the
National
Commissioner
of
Regions,
a
post
he
held
through
the
1975-76
season.
In
1971
he
was
elected
USVBA
Secretary.
Baird
also
served
as a
Division
Vice
President
from
1980-1984
and
as
Executive
Vice
President
from
1984
through
1988.
In
1972,
following
the
footsteps
of
Leonard
Gibson
and
Harry
Wilson,
he
was
initiated
into
the
world
of
international
volleyball.
He
was
a
United
States
representative
to
the
FIVB
Congress
in
Munich,
Germany,
in
1972,
a
position
he
enjoyed
through
the
1992
Games
in
Barcelona
Spain.
Baird
was
elected
to
the
FIVB
Rules
of
the
Game
Commission
from
1976-1980;
and
to
the
FIVB
Board
of
Administration
from
1980-1984.
Additionally
he
represented
USA
Volleyball
at
several
World
Championships,
NORCECA
and
Pan
American
Games,
and
most
recently
as
the
United
States
representative
at
the
1993
World
University
Games
in
Buffalo,
N.Y.
He
served
as a
member
of
the
Jury
for
the
Olympic
Games
in
Moscow
(1980)
and
Los
Angeles
(1984)
and
at
World
and
Junior
World
Championships.
He
was
President
of
the
Jury
for
the
1992
Pan
American
Games
and
the
1990
Goodwill
Games.
Baird
was
instrumental
in
the
development
of
the
current
English
version
of
the
FIVB
Rules
of
the
Game,
the
three-ball
system,
adoption
of
the
antennae
and
the
touch
of
the
block
rule
that
permitted
three
additional
contacts
of
the
ball
after
a
block.
He
also
served
as
an
instructor
in
the
Far
East
in
Japan,
Okinawa
and
Korea.
In
1974-75,
he
served
as
the
director
of
the
National
Teams
unit.
That
was
the
year
that
the
concept
of
year
around
training
was
adopted,
a
first
in
the
United
States
for
any
sport.
Over
the
years,
Baird
was
the
recipient
of
many
USVBA
honors,
including
the
Leader
in
Volleyball
Award
(1965),
the
Dr.
Neville
A.
"Doc"
Booth
Commissioner's
Award
(1976),
the
Referee
Emeritus
Award
(1978),
the
Harry
E.
Wilson
Distinguished
Service
Award
(1994)
and
USA
Volleyball’s
highest
honor,
the
Dr.
Harold
T.
Friermood
“Frier”
Award
(1984). |
