The History of the Portsmouth Sports Club History

The Portsmouth Sports Club had its beginning in March 1946 when Pete Glazer, a Portsmouth sports writer, Meyer Jacobson, a local businessman, and J. Herbert Simpson, a local sportsman, met to formalize the Club's beginning with seventy-five charter members.

The Sports Club was organized to promote sports in general and to recognize the achievements of local individuals in athletics. The Portsmouth Sports Club, still after fifty-nine years of being in existence, promotes sports in general and recognizes local individuals for special achievements in sports.

The club meets once a month; has a Jamboree with a nationally recognized speaker once a year; has a Golf Tournament to raise scholarship funds; has, at times, scheduled road trips to scheduled athletic events; conducts a Reverse Raffle to raise scholarship funds and has sponsored a basketball team in the Portsmouth Invitational Basketball Tournament for many years and continues to do so; winning The Championship in 1990 and 2002, and just recently the 2005 Tournament. Add to that, over the years,several Second place and Consolation Trophies.

The Portsmouth Sports Club gave its first scholarship in 1972 to an outstanding high school student/athlete and continues to award them today. The Portsmouth Sports Foundation was established as a vehicle to raise funds for the scholarships. A scholarship in memory of W. 0. "Bill" Lewis, is awarded at the Sports Club Jamboree and has been done so for many years. W. 0. "Bill" Lewis was a past President of the Sports Club as well as a Sports Person of the Year.

In 1991, The Portsmouth Sports Club created the Portsmouth Sports Foundation Inc. to create and sustain an endowment for the purpose of awarding scholarships in the name of the Portsmouth Sports Club to deserving student/athletes from the Portsmouth area. In October 1991, the Foundation was granted tax exempt status. To date, the Foundation has a balance of over $200,000 and is able to provide the scholarships from interest earned on an annual basis received on the endowment principal.

Scholarships are awarded annually at the Jamboree, including two in memory of the late, great PGA golfer John Chandler Harper, who passed away November 8, 2004 and another Portsmouth great Marty Brennaman, the broadcasting voice of the Cincinnati Reds for many years.

The Club presents several awards that are named after individuals: "The High School Coach of the Year"', named in memory of the late Abe Goldblatt who was a renowned sports writer for The Virginian Pilot-Ledger Star for many years; "The Sports Person of the Year Award" is named after J. Herbert Simpson, local sportsman, for his lifelong love of sports and his many contributions to the Portsmouth Sports Club and to sports throughout the state of Virginia; and "The Clarence "Ace"Parker Awards" to be presented to the outstanding male and female high school athletes of the year. "Ace" is a Wilson High and Duke University graduate, a member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and the National Football League Hall of Fame.

The Portsmouth Sports Club invites all persons interested in becoming a member to complete a membership application and give it to a current member, or mail to R 0. Box 237, Portsmouth, Virginia 23705.

The Portsmouth Sports Club meets on the third Monday of each month at 12:00 noon at the Holiday Inn - Olde Towne to hear a featured speaker and to enjoy good fellowship.Let's "ALL” become a major part of promoting sports by continuing the tradition provided by both the past and current membership.

The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum (www.vshfm.com) was also created through the efforts of J. Herbert Simpson, Portsmouth Sports Club Founding Member, and was incorporated and located in the City of Portsmouth. It is the official Hall of Fame of the Commonweakth and is located at 206 High Street in Downtown.



Written by Roland W. "Buck" Dodson, Sports Club Historian 91