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Since the very first Gay Games in 1982 we have been serving the LGBTQ+ community with sports and cultural events
An Olympic decathlete who competed in the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games, Tom Waddell is best known for founding the Gay Games, a sports competition modeled on the Olympics for artists and athletes of all sexual orientations.
Waddell was born Thomas Flubacher on November 1, 1937 in Paterson, New Jersey to a Catholic family. Aware of his homosexual feelings in high school, he excelled in athletics as a means to compensate for them.
His parents separated while he was in his teens, and at the age of fifteen he went to live with Gene and Hazel Waddell, for whom he did chores; they adopted him six years later. The Waddells were former vaudeville acrobats and encouraged Tom to take up gymnastics.
Waddell attended Springfield College in Massachusetts on a track scholarship. Originally majoring in physical education, he switched to pre-medicine following the sudden death of his best friend and co-captain of the gymnastics team, an event that moved him deeply. At Springfield, he competed on the gymnastics and football teams and began training for the decathlon following his graduation in 1959.
“Athletically speaking, the Games are not about competition alone, they never were. They are about participation and self-fulfillment. They are not just a one-week event, they are a continuous process. They're symbolic in the Gay movement in a way that is assertively free of discrimination. They're symbolic of friendship and fun and they are for everyone.”
- Dr. Thomas F. Waddell, April 1983
Tom Waddell’s Legacy
The "Tom Waddell Award"
Since 1990, the Federation of Gay Games has named his highest honor the “Tom Waddell Award.” It goes to two individuals at each quadrennial Gay Games.
San Francisco renamed one of its streets for Waddell
In November, 2014, the City of San Francisco renamed one of its streets for Waddell.
The new Dr. Tom Waddell Place runs near the Civic Center and passes in front of the public health clinic where he worked. That health center was previously renamed for Waddell. Among those attending the formal unveiling of this new street was Tom’s widow and Gay Games co-founder Sara Waddell Lewinstein and their daughter Jessica. Supervisor Jane Kim, who introduced the legislation to change the name of this street, was also present.
Dr. Tom Waddell memorialised in San Francisco's "Rainbow Honor Walk"
A series of sidewalk plaques in the City’s greater Castro neighborhood. The Rainbow Honor Walk (http://rainbowhonorwalk.org/) salutes the groundbreaking achievements of noted LGBT persons throughout history. Waddell was among the first group of 20 individuals to be so honored in 2014.
The "Tom Waddell Day"
It was a stirring half-day event attended by hundreds, including several of his fellow students from the class of 1959. It was organized by Professor Martin Dobrow, Distinguished Professor of Humanics, who worked closely with the Federation of Gay Games to assure that Tom Waddell was being accurately remembered at this event. The FGG was represented by Honorary Life Member Jeffry Pike who spoke live about Tom’s most visible legacy… the Gay Games. Sara Waddell Lewinstein and daughter Jessica prepared a welcome video that was shown at the event. Delivering the keynote address was Springfield College graduate student Rob Kearney, a strongman champion and the first openly gay man to actively compete in his sport at the international level.
When asked to characterize the reception on campus for this special event, Jeffry Pike said “Between 250–300 people attended the activities of Tom Waddell Day. Everyone was enthusiastic to see the injustice of omission righted and Tom’s complete story recognized both on a plaque to hang near his Springfield College Hall of Fame plaque and in the lore of the school. Clearly current students, faculty, and alums, alike, radiated pride in their school, which now is dedicated to being proactive in social justice. The cross-section of people in the room confirmed the relevance of the event to the Springfield College community, from the President of the College and several Trustees to current professors, from Tom’s classmates from the Class of ’59 to other alums who were moved by Tom’s accomplishments, to the students present to hear the words of one of their fellow students, Rob Kearney, a professional Strongman competitor and world record holder who recently came out.”
One of the goals of this event was to more accurately preserve Tom Waddell’s legacy at Springfield College. When asked if that goal was achieved, Pike said “The enthusiasm and determination to tell Tom’s story accurately impressed me. Professor Dobrow organized a meaningful and inclusive event that honored Tom Waddell beautifully. For the President of the school to stand up and reiterate the commitment of the College to address not only the injustice to Tom, but to other social injustices both on campus and in the community, moved many to tears.”
