My name is Chester Lawrence Buffalo. The official records say I was born in the Doctor's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. There have been many times that I think I was born in a galaxy far, far away and a long, long time ago.
     I currently reside in Manning, South Carolina. I am here because my wife, Azalee Blanding Buffalo was born here. Although I met her in Boston, we got married in Manning and moved back to Boston. When she became ill we moved back to Manning so she could be near her family. We left Boston on Saturday May 30, 2003 and arrived in Manning on Sunday May 31, 2003. She died on August 11, 2003 at Tuomey in Sumter, South Carolina. We were together for 35 years.
     I am officially retired. I umpire softball games as I have been doing since 1984. In the Fall of 2007 I started refereeing soccer games. It's little kids, 7 to 9 years old, which is good because I can keep up with them. In the Winter of 2008 I did scoreboard and timekeeping for youth basketball. If the right part-time job comes along then I'll do it but that hasn't happened yet and I'm not holding my breath waiting. I'm also working on a math book, intended specifically for adult learners, that I started in 1975.
 
Avocations
    Over the years I've had a number of pastimes and hobbies.
     As a youngster I liked putting together models and reading. I still read a lot but I haven't put a model together in years. The last ones I worked on were with my children when Star Wars came out.
     During my teens I started doing crossword puzzles. Not long afterwards I started doing variety and number puzzles. I especially liked Word Arithmetic, Number Place and Cross Sums.
     As a young to middle aged adult I got more into reading, especially Science Fiction, and developed a taste for particular authors. Issac Assimov, Robert Silverberg, Authur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, Rex Stout, to name a few.
     These days I mostly read and do Cross Sums. Fortunately there are magazines devoted exclusively to Cross Sums although once in a while I'd like to do some Word Arithmetic puzzles.
 
Education
    I was initially educated in the Boston public school system. The schools I remember are the Sarah J. Baker Elementary School, the James Patrick Timilty Junior High School, Boston Latin High School and English High School.
     Boston Latin is the school with the strongest and fondest memories. I was in the College Studies program and my classes were: French, German, Latin, English and Math. I've always loved math and I found that I had a little flair for languages.
     I quit high school in the 10th grade. I got bored with classes and had spent most of that year playing hooky. I decided to explore Boston and spent most of my time at the Boston Public Library and Boston Museum of Science. I also spent time at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. I went on to get my GED.
     At the urging of my mother I enrolled at Boston State College. My mother was teaching an education class there which I took. I also took a few other classes but ended up with a lot of incompletes. The main offices of Boston State College were located in the same building that used to be the Sarah J. Baker Elementary School. Boston State College later became the University of Massachusetts at Boston until they moved to their then newly built home in Dorchester, next to the JFK Library.
     A few years later I enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. There wasn't a separate Boston campus at that time. My first year I got into a program called the Unified Science Study Program (USSP) and spent my first year taking classes and doing self study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. My second year I enrolled at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. I got into a program called The University Without Walls which was actually run out of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. It was program that allowed students to essentially build and pursue their own curriculum using a variety of different schools and self study. During that time I also taught college math and science classes to other students in the program.
 
Memories
    The Boston Public Library - It started when I was in elementary school. I would go to the Children's Room and read everything I could. When I was in junior high school I discovered the Young Adult's Room. In high school I made the greatest discovery - Bates Hall. This was the reference section of the library. It had a card catalog (this was before the days of personal computers), encyclopedias and so many other reference materials. The whole world was opened up to me. I would spend hours there just reading things that caught my fancy. Most of those hours were school hours. I was learning more and having more fun than in high school.
  • The assassination of JFK - 11/22/63
  • The assassination of MLK - 4/4/68
  • The assasination of RFK - 6/6/68
  • The assassination of Malcolm X - 2/21/65
  • All Saint's Day choir singing
 
Music
    Music has always played a very important part of my life. My earliest recollections of music are mostly classical. When I was in junior high school I discovered Rock and Roll. It had an immediate and life-long affect on me.
     The first music I ever owned was given to me by a friend of my father's. They were 2 45's (remember those), Broken Hearted Melody by Sarah Vaughn and Lover's Never Say Goodbye by the Flamingos. The first 45 I ever bought was Finger Popping Time by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters. The first album I ever owned I bought and it was the Hollywood Bowl Sympathy Orchestra playing Chopin.
 
Politics
    I am a registered Independent. I know to many that means a Democrat but I have voted Republican and Independent many times. There are also a number of issues in which I think conservatively but I am by no means a Conservative or a Conservative Democrat.
 
Religion
     I grew up as an Episcopalian. The first church I remember attending was St. Augustine. As a teenager I attended St. Cyprians. I became a member of the choir. I remember we once went to a suburban church on All Saints Day (November 1st) as part of a group of choirs. That was one of the most spiritual and uplifting events in my life.
     Shortly after that I started to investigate other religions. I read as much as I could about other faiths. At first, after I had read up on a particular faith, I would try and practice it. In a way I became a jack of most religions. Throughout most of my life to that point I questioned religious doctrine. I don't know what I was looking for but I know I didn't find it and haven't really found it yet. I do believe in a Supreme Being but have been worshipful in my own way and in my own heart and mind.
 
Sports - Softball
     I have done almost every type of softball. I estimate that 90% of all the games I've done have been youth fastpitch games. I have been on both sides of the field but I am most comfortable as an umpire.
     My first encounter with softball was when I was a teenager. I was at Columbus Park in Boston watching 2 teams play. They did not have an umpire. I was asked if I would call balls and strikes from behind the pitcher. I called about 3 innings and only missed one call. I played for a company team in my mid 20's. I played first base but was more comfortable with left field. I didn't have the strongest throwing arm but I did manage to throw out a runner from third at home on a fly ball. I could field but I couldn't hit. On another job I started a softball team and became the coach and first baseman. I coached about 5 games before I stopped coaching and playing.
     I umpired my first softball game in July of 1984. It took me 2 tries to pass the written test. It was a coed slowpitch game and I was alone. That year I also did men's modified fastpitch. The following year I started doing men's slowpitch and modified women's fastpitch. In my third year I started doing men's fastpitch, women's fastpitch and high school fastpitch. I don't remember when I started doing youth fastpitch, youth recreational leagues or tournaments. This was all with ASA.

I have umpired for just about every major softball organization (listed alphabetically):

AAU - Amateur Athletic Union
ASA - Amateur / American Softball Association
Dixie Youth
ISA - Independent Softball Association
Little League
NCAA - National Collegiate Athletic Association (D1, D2, & D3)
NFHS - National Federation of State High School Associations
NSA - National Softball Association
PONY - Protect Our National Youth
USSSA - United States Specialty Sports Association
WFC - World Fastpitch Connection

I have also done just about every type of softball game:

Charity games
Fundraising games
Recreational leagues
Sanctioned tournaments
Friendly tournaments
International Tournaments (CASA - Montreal, QC)
High School (varsity, junior varsity, freshman)
High School playoffs (alas no championship games)
Men's Modified Fastpitch National Qualifiers (ASA)
Youth Fastpitch National Qualifiers (ASA - 18U)
NSA World Series
ISA World Series
Special Olympics

     I have been a Deputy Junior Olympic Commisioner for ASA. I have also trained a number of youth and adult umpires.
     In 2008 I did the announcements for a Dixie Softball Inc. state championship series here in Manning. A wonderful experience and I would like to do more.
     In 2009 I officially retired from umpiring at the end of the recreational league season. I would like to do one more tournament. In 2000, 2001 and 2002 I umpired in Montreal. I would like to go back, hopefully next year, and make that my final call.
 
Sports - Soccer
     November 15, 2007 marked the end of my first season as a soccer referee. I was actually an Assistant Referee (AR). It was for my local recreational league and the age group was 7 to 9 although I did 1 18U game. It was also coed and seemed to be an equal mix of girls and boys.
     I did as much reading on the sport as I could before I began. I was nervous and a bit apprehensive but everything turned out fine. We didn't use signals and I didn't blow my whistle very often. The one major thing I still haven't quite got yet is an offside. If I do it again next year I'll concentrate more on that. I also find myself watching soccer on TV.
    November 6, 2008 marked the end of my second season as a soccer referee for my local recreational league. This year I was much more comfortable making calls but I still have a lot to learn.
 
Sports - Baseball
     As a very young child I remember playing baseball at summer camps. I liked playing but I don't think I was very good.
      I was base umpire for 2 games in 2008 and 2 games in 2007. They were Dixie Youth Baseball 12U recreational league games. It was very much like softball and I will probably do more in the future.
 
Sports - Basketall
    I tried basketball when I was in Junior High School. I never learned how to dribble the ball and consequently didn't play in any games.
     In January and February of 2008 I did time keeping for my local rec league. I learned a lot about the rules of the game and I may referee games in the future.