THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 16, 1995 TAG: 9508160590
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
Herb Simpson turned 80 recently, but most days he still heads to his office at the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, the High Street museum he founded in 1971 and opened to visitors in 1977.
Simpson has watched the museum grow from an idea to an attraction that draws 35,000 visitors per year. And he expects to continue to watch it grow. He just won't be doing it as the museum's executive director.
After 24 years as the only chief executive the museum has ever had, Simpson is stepping down. He'll be replaced on Sept. 5 by Eddie Webb, the former Old Dominion and Virginia Commonwealth assistant basketball coach, who has been named interim executive director.
``I thought: `I put so many years into it, maybe someone else should come along to put in some new ideas,' '' Simpson said. ``Maybe they could improve the hall of fame.''
The museum opened Oct. 16, 1977, in the former County Clerk's office at 420 High Street. Since then, 148 people have been inducted. All are either native Virginians or athletes or coaches who made their mark in the commonwealth.
Simpson, a former Portsmouth City Council member, has had a hand in the selection of all of them, from the first inductee, Clarence ``Ace'' Parker, to last year's group, which included Lefty Driesell and Dave Twardzik.
``Herb has been the hall of fame, and he will be missed,'' said Dean Ehlers, former athletic director at James Madison and the current president of the hall. ``It's our job now to try to build on the foundation he laid for us.''
Ehlers said he would like to see the museum's profile raised across the state. He'd also like to increase membership, and possibly set up regional exhibits and committees.
``Since Lefty Driesell is the basketball coach here at James Madison, maybe we could display his hall of fame case here for a while, to let people know about the museum in Portsmouth,'' Ehlers said.
One way the board hopes to raise interest in the museum is by dropping the requirement that athletes or coaches be retired before they can be inducted. By inducting current athletes, the museum hopes to attract younger patrons, Ehlers said.
To implement these plans, the museum's board of directors is planning to hire a full-time, professional director to promote the museum across the state and to raise funds.
Webb, 41, could be that person, although the board won't decide on a permanent director until its annual meeting in February.
Webb, the son of former ODU coach Paul Webb, recently ended a 20-year coaching career and was planning to take an administrative job with the basketball program at VCU.
``I didn't want to remove myself from sports, and this will give me an opportunity not just at a particular school, but to promote sports across the state,'' Webb said.
Webb called the hall of fame ``one of the biggest secrets in the state, outside the Tidewater area,'' and said his first priority is to spread the word across the state.''
As for Simpson, he said he plans to stay involved.
``I am not completely dropping it,''he said. ``I'm going to try to help whoever we select keep it going.
``My only ambition was to have a Virginia hall of fame. And now it's one of the best state halls of fame. I just hope we can keep it going on a high plane of operations.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MARK MITCHELL/Staff
Herb Simpson, the only executive director the hall has ever had,
said it's time for someone who could ``put in some new ideas.''
by CNB