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John Rutherford of Thunder Bay announced his retirement from chess organization a few days ago, in an email sent to several dozen Canadian chess people.
I would like to thank John Rutherford sincerely, for his decades of outstanding, dedicated service to Canadian chess!! :) :)
For those unfamiliar with John's efforts, he has led the scholastic chess organizational effort in Northern Ontario for more than two decades. Travelling thousands of kilometres annually, in harsh weather conditions, usually over lonely, poorly maintained roads through sparsely inhabited wilderness, John was the sparkplug who generated amazing interest in chess among schoolchildren in the region, on a level never before seen. He mobilized and trained many like-minded volunteers, created some incredible participation numbers in isolated communities, and touched and improved the lives of thousands of young people from this neglected region of Canada. He organized and directed hundreds of tournaments.
I've been fortunate to meet John and visit with him on a few memorable occasions. He drove from Thunder Bay to Kingston, bringing several chess-playing friends, to support the 2003 Ontario Open, which I organized on short notice after the previous organizers backed out. He was at the 2004 Canadian Open in Kapuskasing, where I served as Assistant Arbiter and database manager. Efforts by John and his fellow organizers from the region had helped bring the Canadian Opens of 2003 and 2004 to Kapuskasing; several dozen titled players from many countries competed for some significant prize money in each tournament, and the CYCC was held in advance of each Kap Open as well.
John Rutherford has served many terms as CFC Governor for the Northern Ontario region.
John has done all of this, and more, while continually battling some significant health challenges, which hampered his own chess achievements; he has been a very enthusiastic chess player for most of his life, but never a particularly strong one. He has brought an infectious spirit, a never-say-die perseverance, and a marvelous ability to conquer the seemingly impossible.
John has inspired and influenced me in a positive manner, although I can never match his organizational energy and achievements.
If there is anyone in the history of Canadian chess who has organized and directed more tournaments ON A VOLUNTEER BASIS than John Rutherford, I would like to meet that person.
John Rutherford is certainly not as well known as many outstandingly strong Canadian chess masters. But his contributions to Canadian chess have been immense.
So, I am going to nominate John Rutherford, in this forum, first and informally, for membership in the Canadian Chess Hall of Fame. He is as deserving of induction as anyone I know. As I am on the Selection Committee for this enormous honour, I will be soon making a formal nomination of John Rutherford to David Cohen, who chairs the Hall's Selection Committee, for the Committee's consideration, at the next available induction. :) :)
I would like to thank John Rutherford sincerely, for his decades of outstanding, dedicated service to Canadian chess!! :) :)
For those unfamiliar with John's efforts, he has led the scholastic chess organizational effort in Northern Ontario for more than two decades. Travelling thousands of kilometres annually, in harsh weather conditions, usually over lonely, poorly maintained roads through sparsely inhabited wilderness, John was the sparkplug who generated amazing interest in chess among schoolchildren in the region, on a level never before seen. He mobilized and trained many like-minded volunteers, created some incredible participation numbers in isolated communities, and touched and improved the lives of thousands of young people from this neglected region of Canada. He organized and directed hundreds of tournaments.
I've been fortunate to meet John and visit with him on a few memorable occasions. He drove from Thunder Bay to Kingston, bringing several chess-playing friends, to support the 2003 Ontario Open, which I organized on short notice after the previous organizers backed out. He was at the 2004 Canadian Open in Kapuskasing, where I served as Assistant Arbiter and database manager. Efforts by John and his fellow organizers from the region had helped bring the Canadian Opens of 2003 and 2004 to Kapuskasing; several dozen titled players from many countries competed for some significant prize money in each tournament, and the CYCC was held in advance of each Kap Open as well.
John Rutherford has served many terms as CFC Governor for the Northern Ontario region.
John has done all of this, and more, while continually battling some significant health challenges, which hampered his own chess achievements; he has been a very enthusiastic chess player for most of his life, but never a particularly strong one. He has brought an infectious spirit, a never-say-die perseverance, and a marvelous ability to conquer the seemingly impossible.
John has inspired and influenced me in a positive manner, although I can never match his organizational energy and achievements.
If there is anyone in the history of Canadian chess who has organized and directed more tournaments ON A VOLUNTEER BASIS than John Rutherford, I would like to meet that person.
John Rutherford is certainly not as well known as many outstandingly strong Canadian chess masters. But his contributions to Canadian chess have been immense.
So, I am going to nominate John Rutherford, in this forum, first and informally, for membership in the Canadian Chess Hall of Fame. He is as deserving of induction as anyone I know. As I am on the Selection Committee for this enormous honour, I will be soon making a formal nomination of John Rutherford to David Cohen, who chairs the Hall's Selection Committee, for the Committee's consideration, at the next available induction. :) :)
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