The late Adrene "Big Red" Perom was a straight owner of a North Side gay bar, Big Red's, that played an important part in the LGBT community during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in helping build the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association ( CMSA ) .
"She was a huge supporter, financially and morally, of all GLBT sports, especially the MSA sports of bowling and softball, where she sponsored countless teams over the years," said current CMSA President Marcia Hill. "During the 10th anniversary of MSA, Big Red's never-ending sponsorship in the association was recognized at the 1988 softball banquet, when Adrene was honored as Sponsor of the Decade.
"At that point, she was the only sponsor from 1979 who had continuously fielded a team in MSA. Her unbroken streak as a sponsor was acknowledged with a special plaque given to her that evening to commemorate her years of support."
The CMSA is again honoring Perom. She is part of the class of 2010 for the CMSA Hall of Fame, who will be formally inducted Saturday, March 27, at Spyners, 4623 N. Western.
The class of 2010 also includes Peter Meyer, Lucas Wonn, Mel Ferrand and The North End.
"Thanks to the dedication of this year's class, along with previous inductees, CMSA stands strong today in providing the LGBT community a place to play sports," Hill said. "Our Hall of Fame process is very simple. We open up the nomination period from May to November. A person needs to download a ballot for either an individual or a fan/supporter and then e-mail it back to [ CMSA ] . Once the ballots are returned, and the nomination deadline date has passed, the HOF chairperson takes the essay portion, blanks out the person's name, numbers them and then distributes the essay portion to be graded by the HOF committee.
"The HOF committee is composed of volunteers and any previous inductee who wants to serve on the committee. The committee meets and verifies the category/point values. The committee also takes the time to verify if the information submitted is true. The first guideline is a person needs to have been involved in CMSA for at least five years to be eligible. Based on the total points, a certain threshold is needed to be elected. Our basic guideline/mission statement is a person needs to have contributed to the success of a CMSA team, sports league or as an organization, to honor dedication, preserve its history, promote pride in sports and building bridges between CMSA and the surrounding LGBT community."
The CMSA Hall of Fame Committee first met in 2005, and the first class was inducted in March, 2007, honoring Marcia Hill, Peg Grey, Sam Molinaro, Jimmy McKinzey and Dick Uyvari.
The Class of 2008 honored Rich Essig, Art Johnston, Doug Malm, Bobby Nicholson and Sidetrack.
Last year's honorees were Nancy McKenzie, Mike McHale and Early Quintana.
Hill said there were more than 12 candidates this year, although some ultimately did not meet the eligibility requirements.
The Class of 2010:
—Peter Meyer: To be honored for open Sunday softball; founder of Senior Cup softball tournament; previous president of CMSA; and former board member
"Peter has been involved as player, coach, manager, commissioner and tournament director. He has received several awards from various tournaments for outstanding service and sportsmanship," Hill said. "He was instrumental in teaching beginners how to play the game of softball with sportsmanship and pride."
—Lucas Wonn: Co-founder of CMSA badminton and kickball leagues;former open volleyball commissioner; longtime player; manager; coach of various sports
"Lucas positively influenced many people to try various gay sports and also [ was ] involved with fundraising for several causes," Hill said.
—Mel Ferrand: Former President of CMSA, former board member, women's volleyball commissioner, player/coach/manager, photographer, advocate for women's sports.
"Mel has long provided info to the local papers, whether it is photos of the league champs or weekly standings," Hill said.
—The North End, longtime supporter of CMSA
"Ever since The North End bar opened in 1983, it has provided a space for gay athletes to bond and a space for friends to have a drink together and also to have registration parties or end-of-season gatherings," Hill said.
