Les Rothman
2000
Les was a tireless worker who volunteered countless hours to wheelchair sports. He became involved in wheelchair sports while working for the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Brockton, Massachusetts in the mid 1970’s and continued his involvement when he transferred to the VA Hospital in Tampa, Florida.
Known as one of the country’s top officials, Les helped create the National Wheelchair Officials Association (NWOA). He served as a NWOA official from 1975 to 1995 and as the chairman from 1982 to 1991. Les was a staunch supporter for the NWOA, which recruited, trained and certified officials specifically to work in wheelchair sports.
In 1985, Les became the first non-British official to be accredited by the International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation in athletics and weightlifting. He officiated internationally from 1986 to 1995 including the 1988 Paralympic Weightlifting Competition in Seoul, South Korea.
Although officiating was Les’s primary discipline in wheelchair sports, he served as meet director for various qualifying events and coached on the local, national and international levels. Les worked for the Veteran’s Administration for more than thirty years.