2005 Girls Track Honorary Referees Named

Three individuals who have been great friends to girls track and field and to the IHSA have been named Honorary Referee for 2005. Together they have a combined 91 years of service at the girls state meet.  Salzer and Kidwell will be retiring from their positions after this year.

Named Honorary Referees for 2005 are: Phil Salzer of Peoria, Louis V. Hencken, President of Eastern Illinois University, and David Kidwell, Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing and Sports Information at EIU.

Phil Salzer has worked the boys state finals meet since 1978 and the girls state finals for the past 14 years.  He has been a member of the IHSA Track and Field Advisory Committee since 1978, and became the Chair of the Advisory Committee when the boys and girls committees merged in 1991.  He was only the second person to serve as the Chair of the Advisory Committee and as the Head Official for both the boys and girls state meets.  Phil has served the IHSA at the state finals in a variety of ways including scorekeeper, chair of the Games Committee, member of the Jury of Appeals and Meet Manager.

Phil was a track and field coach at Farmer City and Peoria High School for more than 30 years.  While teaching at Peoria High School he was twice named as teacher of the year.  In 1974 he was named Illinois High School Track and Field Coach of the year by the Track and Field News.  Phil has also been inducted into the Illinois Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame and the Illinois High School Football Hall of Fame.  During the time he coached at Peoria, Phil coached Dave Ayoub, who still holds the state record in the 800-meter set in 1977.

Phil is a certified track and field official, an IHSA rules interpreter and a track and field clinician.  He was the Honorary Referee for the boys state finals in 1996.  He is retiring as chairman of the Track and Field Advisory Committee and Head Official of the boys and girls state meets today.

Louis V. Hencken, who has served Eastern Illinois University in a variety of administrative positions for over 35 years, is in his 3rd year as President.  He was appointed interim on August 1, 2001, and officially became Eastern’s ninth President on September 30, 2003.  Under his leadership, significant progress has been made with an increase in enrollment with the three largest freshman classes in the history of the University.  Also during his tenure, the completion of four major capital development projects has enhanced the quality of student life and academic support.

Hencken began his career in student affairs at EIU as a graduate assistant and advanced through the housing ranks as a counselor and both assistant and associate director prior to being selected director in 1975.  In 1989, he was named Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, assuming responsibility for three new student affairs areas in addition to housing.  His duties continued to expand in 1992 when he was named Vice President for Student Affairs.In 1996-97 he served as Interim Director of Athletics when the Panthers were the Ohio Valley Conference All-Sports Champion.  He is a former NCAA football official and was assigned to five NCAA playoff games including the 1989 NCAA Division III National Championship game.

Hencken has worked in various capacities with every IHSA Girls Track Meet.  He was Director of Housing when the Girls Track Meet was held on the campus, and at that time three floors were used to house the participants.  At today’s event twelve buildings are used to house the participants.

David Kidwell, a member of the Ilinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, is completing his 33rd year at Eastern.  He was promoted to Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing/Sports Information in July 1997 after originally being hired as the Sports Information Director in 1972.

Kidwell oversees sports information for the 22 sport programs, is in charge of external relations in marketing/event promotions, administers the EIU Lettermen’s Club, is the liaison with athletics for cheer teams, Pink Panthers, and marching band, hosts the weekly "Sports Talk" coaches show on WEIU-TV, and assists with home game management.  He served two years on EIU’s Council of University Administrators and was Acting Director of Information in 1986.  Publications Kidwell has edited have won national honors from the Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America.  

Kidwell has assisted the IHSA with the administration of every girls state track meet since its inception in 1973, and every boys meet since it moved to Eastern in 1974.  He’s also been cited by the Illinois High School Association for its Distinguished Service Award. 

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