FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 7, 2008

SOFTBALL LOSES UMPIRING LEADER

It is with great sadness that the International Softball Federation (ISF) reports the passing of its Director of Umpires, Merle Butler. The longtime leader of the world governing body’s umpiring program died suddenly yesterday at his home in Edmond, Oklahoma. He was 72 years old.

“This, of course, is a setback for not only our umpiring program, but the whole ISF family,” said Don Porter, ISF President. “Merle has given many years of service to our efforts to put the best men and women on the field. He has traveled around the world to tournaments and conducted both clinics and certification seminars. We’ve been very fortunate to have someone so qualified and dedicated serving the game for as long as Merle did. He will be greatly missed.”

Mr. Butler was first appointed to head the ISF’s umpiring program in 1981, having become a certified umpire 20 years earlier. He was recognized for his contributions with his induction to the Amateur Softball Association of America’s Hall of Fame in 1991. Two years later he was elected to the ISF Hall of Fame.

Mr. Butler was the umpire-in-chief at softball’s three Olympic competitions (1996 in Atlanta, 2000 in Sydney, and 2004 in Athens) and was to serve in the same role this August in Beijing.

In 2007 alone, Mr. Butler was involved in key activities such as, but not limited to, a meeting at the ISF’s world headquarters of the regional umpire coordinators that was held in conjunction with an ISF umpire certification seminar that he led, serving as umpire-in-chief at both the 16-nation ISF VIII Junior Women’s World Championship in the Netherlands and the Africa/Europe Olympic Qualifier in Italy, attending the XXIII ISF Congress in the Philippines, which included a meeting of the ISF Umpires Commission, and participating in an ISF Female Umpire Forum aimed at furthering the participation of women in various facets of the umpiring program. Mr. Butler last year was also working on new resources for the ISF’s umpiring program, a case book and an umpire manual.

Mr. Butler is survived by his wife Deby and three children (Kathy, Suzie, and Jim).

For more information, please contact ISF Director of Communications Bruce Wawrzyniak at brucew@internationalsoftball.com or (813) 864-0100, ext. 229.