Contact: John Johnson or Geoff Kimmerly
517.332.5046 or [email protected]
EAST LANSING, Mich. – April 18 – Rockford’s Lyle Berry, an official for more than 50 years and a longtime contributor to multiple officials associations, has been selected to receive the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Vern L. Norris Award for 2012. He is pictured with MHSAA Executive Director Jack Roberts (left) and former Executive Director Norris, for whom the Award is named.
The Norris Award is presented annually to a veteran official who has been active in a local officials association, has mentored other officials, and has been involved in officials’ education. It is named for Vern L. Norris, who served as executive director of the MHSAA from 1978-86 and was well-respected by officials on the state and national levels.
Berry continues to officiate both cross country and track and also has officiated basketball over more than five decades. He also has served both as president and rules chairperson for both the West Michigan Officials Association and the Association of Track Officials of Michigan.
He will be honored at the Officials’ Awards & Alumni Banquet on May 5 at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing
“Lyle Berry has dedicated a lifetime to bringing a fair and objective voice to our competitions,” said MHSAA Executive Director John E. “Jack” Roberts. “His dedication to that mission is obvious as he continues into his sixth decade of officiating. Lyle actively recruits new officials, and through additional duties with ATOM has worked to keep his colleagues current on rules changes. We are pleased to recognize Lyle Berry with the Vern L. Norris Award.”
Berry began both his education and officiating careers in 1960. Also a former teacher and coach, he worked for Tawas, Farwell, Wayland Union and Wyoming Godwin Heights schools before retiring in 1992. He was inducted into the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2008.
He received ATOM’s Presidential Leadership Award in 2009 and its Bob Bloomer Award in 2010. Berry was the WMOA Basketball Official of the Year in 1988 and continued as a basketball officials evaluator for the O-K Conference.
Berry is a graduate of Grand Rapids Central High School, Grand Rapids Community College and Central Michigan University. He earned both Bachelor and Master’s degrees at CMU. He also volunteered as the broadcast announcer for football and basketball games on the WKTV community access channel in the Grand Rapids area from 1992-2007.
Previous recipients of the Norris Award are:
1992 – Ted Wilson, East Detroit
1993 – Fred Briggs, Burton
1994 – Joe Brodie, Flat Rock
1995 – Jim Massar, Flint
1996 – Jim Lamoreaux, St. Ignace
1997 – Ken Myllyla, Escanaba
1998 – Blake Hagman, Kalamazoo
1999 – Richard Kalahar, Jackson
2000 – Barb Beckett, Traverse City; Karl Newingham, Bay City
2001 – Herb Lipschultz, Kalamazoo
2002 – Robert Scholie, Hancock
2003 – Ron Nagy, Hazel Park
2004 – Carl Van Heck, Grand Rapids
2005 – Bruce Moss, Alma
2006 – Jeanne Skinner, Grand Rapids
2007 – Terry Wakeley, Grayling
2008 – Will Lynch, Honor
2009 – James Danhoff, Richland
2010 – John Juday Sr., Petoskey
2011 – Robert Williams, Redford
High school game officials with 20, 30, 40, 45 and 50 years of service also will be honored at the Officials’ Awards & Alumni Banquet on May 5.
Eight officials with 50 or more years of service will be honored, along with 23 officials with 45 years. A 40-year award will be presented to 39 officials. In addition, 102 officials with 30 years, and 184 officials with 20 years of experience, will be honored. With the induction of this year’s group of 356, the honor roll of officials who have aided young student-athletes grows to 8,648 since the inception of the banquet in 1980.
Tickets for the banquet are available to the public and priced at $20.00. They will not be sold at the door. Tickets can be ordered by calling the MHSAA office at (517) 332-5046.
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,600 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract approximately 1.6 million spectators each year.
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MICHIGAN HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
20, 30, 40, 45 & 50-YEAR OFFICIALS
The officials on this list will receive their 20, 30, 40, 45 or 50-year service awards at the 33rd annual Officials’ Awards & Alumni Banquet at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing on May 5.
20 YEAR OFFICIALS
Alanson - Robert Thompson
Albion - Arthur Kale
Appleton - Robert Andrews
Auburn Hills - Priscilla Larned
Battle Creek - Laurie Mueller
Battle Creek - Bob Wilkerson
Bay City - Jill Ferrio
Bay City - Michael Kukla
Bay City - Gary Merrill
Bay City - Brian Weaver
Belleville - Paul Carafelli
Bellevue - Kent Bass
Beverly Hills - Thomas Prysby
Big Rapids - David Gross
Big Rapids - Gregg Sanders
Bloomfield Hills - Owen Nakamura
Buckley - James Rawlings
Burton - Bernard Mayville III
Byron Center - Todd Powell
Carleton - Geno Walker
Cedar Springs - Shane Wood
Charlotte - Ron Bristol
Cheboygan - Thom Wissner
Chelsea - James Beck
Chesterfield - Thomas Hebben
Clinton Township - Paul Smith
Clio - Johnny Kennamer
Columbiaville - Russell Cossaboom
Dearborn - Kenneth Butler
Dearborn - Sharon Harris-Higgins
Dearborn Heights - Anthony DeMarco
Dearborn Heights - Royce McKinney
Detroit - Damon Brown
Detroit - Blanton Day
Detroit - David Jones
Detroit - George Preston Jr
Detroit - DeArgo Watson
DeWitt - Jeffrey Spedoske
Dowagiac - Larry Brewer
Dowagiac - Don East
East China - Richard Olszewski
East China - Kirk Seibert
East China - Michael Welser
East Lansing - Mark Uyl
East Tawas - Kenneth Baker
Emmett - Tom Mailloux
Escanaba - Kevin Ayotte
Essexville - David Lovely
Falmouth - Don Blue Jr
Farmington - Mose Smith Jr.
Farmington Hills - Gregory Harper
Fennville - Philip Bard
Fennville - James Siver
Fenwick - Greg Wagner
Flint - David Warson
Freeland - Paul Farminer
Galesburg - Jeffrey Scott
Gaylord - Vern Collins
Gaylord - Daniel Hunt
Germfask - Paul Stoetzer
Gladstone - James Chenier
Grand Blanc - Thomas Le Blanc
Grand Blanc - Dean Tondreau
Grand Haven - Lori Spelde
Grand Ledge - Scott Barnes
Grand Ledge - Brad Ritter
Grand Ledge - Aaron Wieber
Grand Rapids - Mark Bennett
Grand Rapids - Peter Cool
Grand Rapids - Geoffrey Henderson
Grand Rapids - Dwayne Moore
Gwinn - Eric Jancsi
Harbor Beach - Darryl Wehner
Harbor Beach - Jeffrey Woycehoski
Hart - Christopher Bosse
Hartland - Larry Mach
Hemlock - Randy Henne
Hemlock - James La Grow II
Hillsdale - Thomas Stuchell
Holland - Kurtis Borgman
Holland - Shawn Walton
Holt - Timothy Tilma
Hudsonville - Ronald Thenn
Indian River - David Reeb
Iron Mountain - Randy Evosevich
Iron Mountain - Russ Pericolosi
Iron Mountain - Bruce Tapio
Iron Mountain - Hans Wienke
Ishpeming - Thomas Perry
Jenison - Steven Shutich
Kalamazoo - John Deppen DDS
Kalamazoo - O'Neal Ollie
Keego Harbor - Michael Sopko
Lake Odessa - Robert Wieland
Lakeport - Kenneth Marzka
Lamont - Charles Miller
Lansing - Patrick Lickfeldt
Leslie - Juan Zamora
Lincoln Park - Andrew Sueta
Ludington - Aaron Condit
Mattawan - Chad Crawford
McBain - Robert Canute
Mesick - Daniel Cochrane
Midland - Robert Babcock
Midland - William Cynecki
Midland - Sally Paulus
Monroe - Brian Lamour
Montague - Jeremy Goorman
Morrice - Andrew Flynn
Muskegon - Jo Bergbower
Muskegon - Jerome Dibble
Muskegon - Scott Thomas
Muskegon Heights - Cleotha McCarty
Negaunee - Mike Ryan
Newport - James Martin
Niles - Bryan Wild
Novi - Ron Angell
Novi - Samuel Bailo Jr.
Olivet - Edward Collins
Ortonville - Stephen Hendershott
Owosso - Thomas Rau Jr
Owosso - Michael Thornton
Paw Paw - David DeCou
Perkins - Julian Vandecaveye
Petoskey - Charles Gano
Pinckney - Charles Krochmal
Pinconning - Denny Wiltse
Plainwell - Darin Price
Pontiac - John Bowie
Port Huron - Tyrone Christmas
Portage - William Louthan
Potterville - R Michael Hammond
Rapid City - David Harrison
Reading - Mark Dooley
Redford - Patricia Mathieu
Redford - Eric Opalach
Reese - David Selden
Riverview - Gary Kulchar
Rochester Hills - James McNutt Jr.
Rochester Hills - Dennis Ruckes
Rochester Hills - Paul Troy
Rockford - Angela DeVito
Rockford - Roy Stallworth
Romulus - Vincent Lewis
Rossford - Timothy Voyles
Royal Oak - Thomas Dinkelmann
Saginaw - Michael Clark
Saginaw - Daniel Streeter
Saline - Robert Prehn
Shelby Township - David Roeschke
South Haven - Jim McCloughan
South Haven - Timothy Rediess
Southfield - Wayne Smith
St Charles - Larry Graf
St Clair - Dale Kaufman
St Clair Shores - Shawn Dinkfelt
St Clair Shores - Jerry Haraburda
St Ignace - Eric Danielson
St Ignace - Robert Lee
St Johns - Daniel LeVeque
St Joseph - John Ruddell
Sterling Heights - Gary Harris
Stevensville - Larry Ward
Swartz Creek - David Allen
Swartz Creek - Terry Scrivener
Sylvania - Shawn Glass
Toledo - Don Heaston
Traverse City - Kevin Novorolsky
Trenary - Roy Aho
Trenton - Gerri Ferraiuolo
Trenton - Mark Revesz
Troy - James DeVerna
Trufant - Richard Lehnert
Warren - Susan Pauling
Waterford - Marc Cooper
Wayland - Phillip Kuhtic
Wayne - Bobby Sullivan
West Bloomfield - Barry Yett
West Branch - Anthony Buckett
Westland - John Emmerd
Whitehall - Warren Kent III
Whitehall - Joseph Stine
Williamsburg - Bradley Holst
Wyandotte - John Rzeppa
30 YEAR OFFICIALS
Adrian - Brenda Betz
Allen Park - Brett Davis
Allen Park - William Gatesy Jr.
Allen Park - James Sombati
Allendale - Russell Brown Jr.
Au Gres - Robert Hardy
Barryton - Donald Foreman
Battle Creek - Michael Olson
Bay City - Vaughn Begick
Bay City - Timothy Heinz
Bay Harbor - Peter Fitzsimons
Bay Port - James Bollenbacher
Berrien Springs - Michael Emerson
Brighton - Randy Paulson
Buckley - Charles Bott
Burton - Gibbon Goulish
Clarkston - Kenneth Wikle
Clinton Township - James Lewis
Coloma - Todd Smith
Dearborn - Gary Trocino
Dearborn Heights - Alan Kevwitch
Dearborn Heights - Shaun Soraghan
Decatur - Daniel Benson
Depew - Russell Johnson
Dewitt - Garry Underwood
East Grand Rapids - Donald Burke
Elkhart - Bruce Klonowski
Escanaba - Debbie Anderson
Farmington - Gerald Potter
Fenton - Mark Larson
Fishers - Dale Peters
Flint - Geoffrey Gale
Gaylord - Stephen Johnson
Gaylord - John Noirot
Gladwin - Rick Stone
Grand Blanc - Ray Inman
Grand Rapids - William Wagner
Grandville - Peter VanGessel
Greenville - Robert Higgins
Greenville - Thomas Kohn
Greenville - Kirk Perry
Greenville - Brian Zdanowski
Hamilton - Stephen Miller
Haslett - Stephen Grinczel
Hawks - Scott Cordes
Holland - Jerry Hatcher
Holly - Dale Smith
Howell - Thomas Guilmette
Hudsonville - Jay Dekker
Hudsonville - Keith Miller
Ionia - Kenneth McKee
Jackson - Richard Foster
Jackson - Timothy Hoffman
Jackson - Joseph Page
Jackson - Phillip Westheimer
Jackson - Dennis Whitehead
Kalamazoo - Trent Anderson
Kalamazoo - Michael Aumack
Kalamazoo - John Martin
Kalamazoo - Carol Willson
Lansing - James Benington
Lansing - Dean Kimmith
Lapeer - Gary Oyster
Livonia - Thomas Burmeister
Livonia - Tom Fitzsimmons
Livonia - James Gibbons CAA
Macomb - Allan Jacobs
Mason - Mark Sefcik
Menominee - Joe Gypp
Midland - Keith Netzley
Monroe - Michael Knabusch
Northville - Peter Morrissey
Oak Park - Robert Czech
Owosso - Michael Selleck
Oxford - Michael Dunn
Paw Paw - Horace Turner
Pickford - Joel Peffers
Portage - Gary Therrian
Posen - Mary Wozniak
Quinnesec - David Soderbloom
Reese - Lee Morgan
Rochester - Thomas Luxmore
Rochester Hills - I Neubauerii
Saginaw - Rudy Kocsis
Saginaw - Ray Powers
Sanford - Anthony DeRoo
Shelby Township - Michael Barczewski
Shelby Township - Helmut Egger
Southfield - Peter Beer
Spring Lake - Kenneth Erny
St Clair Shores - Rene Cafmeyer
St Ignace - Martin Spencer
Stevensville - David Machemer
Tecumseh - George Harvey
Toledo - George Korakas
Troy - Ramiro Bucheli
Vicksburg - Terrel Coburn
Wayland - Harvey Haverdink
West Bloomfield - Brian McKenna
Wyoming - Kevin McKenna
Wyoming - George Nelson Jr
Wyoming - Michael Wurz
40 YEAR OFFICIALS
Allen Park - Michel Massad
Battle Creek - Charles Hobbs
Bay City - Thomas Baird
Birch Run - Stephen Ketchel
Blissfield - Darrell Polter
Brighton - Bruce Ritter
Colon - Lloyd Teller
Davison - Patrick McKenna
Dearborn Heights - Vernon Thomas
Farmington - Raymond Cranston
Fremont - Ronald Mousel
Grand Junction - Clyde Line
Grand Rapids - Michael Cronkright
Grand Rapids - Tom Essenburg
Grand Rapids - Bryan Lillis
Grand Rapids - Michael Rainone
Grand Rapids - Frank Smith
Howell - James Downs
Iron Mountain - Kenneth Marchetti
Kalamazoo - James Long
Marine City - Charles Winzer Jr
New Baltimore - Richard Runels
Okemos - Dennis Mayer
Otsego - Barton Volkers
Plymouth - Brian Foust
Port Huron - James Gosger
Saginaw - Roger Borchard
Saginaw - John Musulin
Southfield - Jean Blievernicht
Spring Lake - William Fritsma
Spruce - Leslie Miller
St Clair Shores - George Mihalic Jr.
St Joseph - Frederick Fenrick
Taylor - Alphonse Ruffner
Tekonsha - Brian Briegel
Troy - Richard Sands
Warren - Thomas Lieckfelt
Westland - James McPartlin
Wyoming - Robert Stewart
45 YEAR OFFICIALS
Adrian - James Kerekes
Alto - Paul VanOveren
Battle Creek - James Hayes
Bessemer - Joseph Matrella
Eastpointe - Francis Napiewocki
Flint - Wayne Jeffries
Florence - Dennis DeMerse
Fremont - James Helgemo
Grand Blanc - James Lott
Grand Rapids - Kenneth Terpstra
Jenison - Frank Scalabrino
Lowell - Wayne Watts
Marlette - Beryl Hager
Mason - Rodney Horton
Middleton - Jim Niemiec
Negaunee - Roland Koski
Plymouth - Kenneth Dersey
Rochester Hills - Cecil Haggard
Rochester Hills - Walter Popyk
Rockford - Larry Taylor
Sparta - James Kane
Ubly - Jerome Messing
West Bloomfield - Alan Kaczander
50 YEAR OFFICIALS
Battle Creek - Daniel Wilson
Dearborn - James Carr
Erie - John Michael
Franklin - George Newman
Mt Pleasant - Norman Sorenson
St Clair Shores - Diane Johnson
St Joseph - Dennis Kniola
Wyoming - Jerry Hendrickson