• Robert "Red" Van Adestine

Robert “Red” Van AdestineRed grew up on a dairy farm in the rolling hills of Manawa, WI. Within these hills on the farm was a secluded lake that was perfect for skating and playing hockey in the winter months.

Red was the first one on the lake when it froze and his mom used to warn him that he needed to tie a rope to his waist in case the ice was too thin.

Red and his fellow farm friends would play on this lake after chores during the week and on the weekends. They would follow the cow path to the lake carrying their shovels to clear the ice and their lanterns if it was a night game.
 
Manawa and the nearby city of Waupaca had hockey teams that he played on and skating meets that he competed in. Many newspaper stories tell of his ability as a hockey player.
 
Red moved to Green Bay to work for the railroad and of course found the hockey rink. He became involved with the hockey community and he was elected president of a group that wanted to start a local team that would compete statewide. This group was the Green Bay Hornets. Red and his companions drove to Chicago to pick up their first uniforms. The Hornets have produced many of the honorees that have been inducted in the Wisconsin Hall of Fame.
 
His love of hockey lead him to become an on-ice official. Red was a registered official for 37 years. He worked in the USHL until 1967 including officiating games for visiting foreign Olympic teams.
 
Red became a WAHA board member in 1949. He served as the Vice-President from 1953 to 1957. In 1957, he was elected the President of WAHA. He served until 1959.
 
Red‘s passion was helping hockey officials. He could be found on early weekend mornings helping his hockey referees succeed. He encouraged these individuals to keep studying the rules and making the game better. Red always encouraged officials to strive to officiate the highest levels.