After 39 Years, Frank Forster Hangs Up His Cleats

After 39 years as a player, umpire and eventually, league commissioner, East Greenwich’s Frank Forster watched one last season of softball wrap up on Wednesday night.

Forster, an East Greenwich native and graduate of East Greenwich High School, has served as league commissioner of the East Greenwich Parks and Recreation Department’s softball league since 1989 and his retirement marks the end of an era.

“Forster ensured that the league’s original intent of being a local recreational league, with the emphasis on ’recreational’ was sustained,” a Parks and Recreation Department release stated. ”He ran a fair, competitive, yet fun league where all levels of play were able to compete. In a tradition often performed by wrestlers who are retiring or who fought a hard battle, Forster left behind his umpiring shoes on home plate. Those are certainly some big shoes to fill.”

Forster was a successful high school athlete. He went on to Tufts University and received the Tusk Award and the Triple Letterman Award.

From there, Forster returned to Rhode Island, where he taught, coached high school basketball and football as well as umpired for softball games throughout the state.

It was 39 years ago that Forster signed up for the town’s adult softball league as a player. After earning his umpire certification he became an umpire for the League and assigned the officials. In 1989, he was promoted to the League Commissioner’s position for both the men’s and women’s divisions.

Forster was instrumental in expanding the league to include a fall ball season in 2010. Forster saw fathers and sons come through the league. Several of the players commented at the evening’s presentation that they were toddlers or not yet born when Forster started as the League Commissioner.

Photo: Frank Forster’s ceremonial shoes stand on home plate after his last game with the league. (Courtesy: East Greenwich Parks and Recreation Department)