Lifetime Service Most of the wrestling community knows Gene through his years of officiating the sport of wrestling. However, he has also served as a rules interpreter, been on the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA) Board, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Wrestling Advisory Committee, and he has helped to raise the bar in every aspect of wrestling he touched. His high standards were set not only for others, but for himself as well. A take-charge guy, Gene's career in wrestling spans more than fifty-five years. As a wrestler he competed at Blue Island Eisenhower and in his senior year was a Central AAU Champion. At Western Illinois University he was a wrestling letterman for four years and an Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champion. Before moving into administration, he was the head coach at Erie, Rock Falls and Lake Park "” all high schools in Illinois. After coaching at Lake Park for five years, he became a school administrator. He continued his interest in wrestling by officiating and many other ancillary wrestling functions. During his forty years of officiating Gene has officiated matches from kids' programs to the NCAA Division 1 Regionals. His main focus was, however, on Illinois high school wrestling. Twenty-nine IHSA Regionals, twenty-seven IHSA Sectionals, and eighteen IHSA Individual State Finals "” where he was the Head Official for thirteen years "” are a tribute to his dedication. Since his retirement in 1993, because of recurring back problems, Gene has been involved with the performance of officials and the awards ceremonies at the Individual State Tournament in Champaign. Gene was the Head Official in a National High School Federation film for wrestling officials and coaches. He was involved with wrestling officials through mini-clinics and six week classes on officiating techniques. He was also responsible for getting officials together for a rules run-through before the state tournament series for many years. He was recognized by the National Federation Interscholastic Officials Association in 1984 for his contributions to wrestling. Furthermore, Gene was inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 1984, served as an IWCOA Grand Marshal in 1990, and was honored by the IWCOA as "The Man of the Year," in 1992. Finally, on April 26, 2003, Gene received from the IWCOA the "Lifetime Achievement Award For Dedication to the Sport of Wrestling."