Nicknamed the Father of Minor Softball in Cambridge, Cecil Dunn rounded his last base on July 13 at age 94, leaving behind a legacy of love for the sport of baseball.

Cecil loved everything about the game and started umpiring in 1945. Four years later he became a founder of the Galt Minor Softball Association then joined the South Waterloo Umpires Association, serving as president. Later he served with the Hespeler Umpires Association as a director, president, umpire-in-chief and clinic instructor, providing hundreds of young people with free clinics over the years.

"He was pretty engrossed in what he was doing, " explained his son Bill Dunn.

Bruce Beirman, umpire-in-chief for the International Softball Congress, noted his friend's importance to the game of baseball. He was an organizer for a 1996 tribute honouring Cecil's years of service and recalled how the group wanted to give him a rare Norman Rockwell umpire figurine even though they had to drive to a shop in Cooperstown, New York to get it.

"This effort will give you an idea of how well Cec was respected by the umpire fraternity," Bruce said.

Still full of energy into his 80s, Cecil would show up at Bill's office three times a week so the two could work out together at the YMCA, Cecil doing a tough 30 sit-ups on an incline board.

He was still umpiring well into his senior years, though he did stand out from the mostly young guys on the ball diamond. "He was getting derogatory comments about 'old man' so he died his hair black," said Bill, with a laugh. "He was about 78 or 79."

Age meant little to Cecil. Bruce noted "he was 84 . . . and he moved around the ball diamond as well as guys 30 years younger than him."

Cecil was raised in Cambridge, one of two children. In high school he met the lovely Jean Grieve. Bill noted, they were the smallest couple in school.

"Mom was 4'9" and he was 4'11". I think he grew to be about 5'9" but she never grew."

What Cecil lacked in stature, he made up for in enthusiasm for sports. When snow blanketed Cambridge, Cecil switched to organizing bowling leagues or refereeing hockey games and Bill recalls many hours spent with his father in the arena.

Bill was a goalie as a kid, but the family didn't have a car and he needed his father to help carry all his equipment to the arena several blocks away.

"He would volunteer to referee games and we'd be there from 6 a.m. til 12 noon. He'd referee every game and I'd have to go with him. And he'd volunteer my services if someone else's goalie didn't show up."

Cecil and Jean married in 1936 and had two children, Dorene and Bill, who was expected to join sports, particularly baseball.

"When I was a kid that's what everybody played," Bill said.

It wasn't until he was older that Bill realized the availability of softball in Cambridge was largely his father's doing.

"Their first game was against a Kitchener scout troop," he said.

"One of the things I do remember was there were no lights and I remember Dad ordering special lights from B.C. but the poles were not high enough."

After some tweaking, Cecil got the lights working. "It was quite a thrill when they turned the lights on."

Cecil worked as a machinist at Dexter Lawson for 39 years, retiring in 1978.

In 1998, the same year Jean died, Cecil was inducted into the Waterloo Sports Hall of Fame.

When Bill's wife, Anne Dunn, was inducted in 2004 for her curling career, the three were driving back from the ceremony when Cecil quipped: 'There are two important people in this car."

Cecil had a sense of humour.

In 1972, Cecil was named president of the Ontario Amateur Softball Association, an organization which also recognized his 50 years of service with a special award in 1996 -- the same year he was named Cambridge's Sportsman of the Year.

vhill@therecord.com

Cecil Dunn of Cambridge

Born: Aug. 3, 1914 in Cambridge

Died: July 13, 2008 from an age related illness