Jim Chamberas dies at 71; famed as founder of Twilight Throwers
Greek god of old throwers.
Here’s the obit for posterity:
James A. Chamberas, 71, of Chelmsford, passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 12, at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston. He was the beloved husband of Barbara R. (Sherwood) Chamberas who survives him and with whom he celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on December 29, 2014.
Born in Xerokámpion, Greece, July 30, 1943, a son of the late Fr. Athanasios E. and the late Artemis G. (Vlogiannitis) Chamberas, following his family’s immigration to the United States, he attended Poughkeepsie, New York schools and was a graduate of Poughkeepsie High School in the Class of 1961.Collage posted on Facebook by Jim Burgoyne
Eager to further his education, he went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education at Springfield College in Springfield, MA in 1965 and then a Master’s Degree in Administration and Organization at George Williams College.
Jim was owner and operator of Homtec Realty in Chelmsford. Previously, he was a longtime Assistant Coach of Track & Field Throwing Events at Chelmsford High School, Westford Academy and Phillips Academy.
Among his many passions, Jim was the Founder and President of the Twilight Throwers in Chelmsford where he will fondly be remembered as Competitor, Coach, Official, Meet Director, Father, Husband and Friend. According to their Facebook post, Jim’s motto will live with them forever….”THROW as FAR as you can, whenever you can, for as long as you can!”
He was also a member of the YMCA World Service Division having created a camp for local youth in Beirut, Lebanon.
In addition to his wife Barbara, Jim is survived by a son Michael A. Chamberas of Needham, MA; a daughter Christina Burndrett and her husband Robb of Tyngsboro, MA; a granddaughter Alexandra R. Burndrett of Tyngsboro; two brothers George A. Chamberas and his wife Cynthia of Salem, MA and Fr. Peter A. Chamberas of Hebron, NH; and many nieces and nephews.
Friends may call at the O’DONNELL FUNERAL HOME 276 PAWTUCKET ST. at Fletcher from 4 to 8 P.M. Thursday. Relatives and friends are invited to attend his Funeral Service on Friday morning at the ASSUMPTION of the VIRGIN MARY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH in Dracut at 10:30 o’clock.
Burial to follow at Pine Ridge Cemetery in Chelmsford. E-condolences/directions at odonnellfuneralhome.com. Those wishing may make contributions in his memory to the Cardiovascular Genetics Center at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Attn: Julia Viegas, Brigham & Women’s Hospital Development Office, 116 Huntington Ave, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02116. Arrangements by Funeral Directors James F. O’Donnell, Jr. and John W. Crane (978 or 866) 458-8768.
His friend Jim Burgoyne said Chamberas died after a long complicated heart illness, He sent me a write-up he did when nominating Jim for the 2014 USATF New England Marja Bakker Volunteer Award. (He was indeed selected.)
Jim Chamberas began the Twilight Throwers in 1998 after deciding that there needed to be a place where Throwers could gather and compete.
After graduating from Springfield College, where he was a successful Javelin and Discus thrower, he went off as many throwers do and lived his life “after” track. It wasn’t until later in life he discovered that there were Masters Track events.Jim (left) won the prestigious Ken Weinbel Award in 2011. Honored with other awards were Len Olson and Ruth Welding.
The bug bit him and he was back throwing in competitive environments. The problem was that there were not enough local opportunities to throw. Jim decided that he would do something about that and set about building his dream in Chelmsford.
In the first year, he had a group of six throwers who participated. Jim held a few meets then ended the series with a Weight Pentathlon.
So the Twilight Throwers Series became an annual event, drawing Throwers from all over New England and beyond. Over the years, the weekly series has been held on either one or two days a week with Jim playing the role of Meet Director, Official, Grounds Keeper and on the rare occasion, Competitor!
The number and types of competitions have grown to include Special Series (Round Ups & Javelin Jamborees), Ultra Weight Pentathlons and the Throw-A-Thon. Some have been held as USATF East Region Championships.
The facility at Chelmsford High School exists thanks to Jim’s efforts. Behind the tennis courts lives a throwing facility which is not found at many High Schools in the New England. There is a Shot Put Circle with a Cage, a combination Discus & Hammer Circle with a gated cage, a Javelin Sector with grass runway and most recently added is an Ultra Weight Throwing Pad & Sector. These were planned and constructed by Jim for the use of his throws group but also to the benefit of Chelmsford HS. Recently, when UMass Lowell track was under construction, they utilized the facility for their meets,
bringing the College Throwers over for just the field events.The Twilight Throwers, while gaining recognition as a Masters Club, is a Throwers Club first. The competitors run from age six all the way up to 92. Men and Women, young and old, Experienced and First Timers all come to the meets and are welcome with open arms by all. This is the vision Jim had 16+ years ago.
More recently, the Twilight Throwers under Jim’s leadership have organized as a true club. With a website and strong social media presence, the group has added followers across the Nation and beyond. The past few years, Jim has been involved with Weight Throw Clinics for HS competitors, giving them an opportunity to learn the event and prepare for College.
Last year, these clinics were held in MA and Vermont, spreading the message of throwing.
In 2011, Jim was honored for his accomplishments by the USATF Masters Throws Committee by awarding him the Ken Weinbel Award. This is presented annually to the person “Who has made exemplary contributions to the Masters Throwing Community over a period of years and has a strong record of accomplishment both as a Thrower and as a Meet Organizer
and Administrator.This past year, Jim’s Twilight Throwers worked to host the USA Masters Throws Championships. The event was held at the College of the Holy Cross. It was a huge success, attracting a record number of entries (97) and setting 19 American Records
over the two days. With Jim’s leadership, this event put the Twilight Throwers on the map as one of the premier Throws Clubs in the Nation.All this could not have been possible without Jim Chamberas. In addition to the Twilight Throwers, Jim is an active Coach and both a USATF and MTOFA Official, which just increases the ways he helps the Throwing Community.
Oh, he actually gets to compete once in a while!
I also was sent this background:
He founded the Twilight Throwers years ago as a throwing only club. He convinced the local high school where he lived, to build his field of dreams — an area behind the school, where he built throwing circles for each of the throwing events.
A legal hammer throw/discus circle and cage was built, as well as new shot put and heavy weight throw areas. The Twilight Throwers hosted local and regional Throws Pentathlon championships, and Ultra Weight Pentathlon championships, as well as weekly all comers throwing meets.
Last year the club stepped up when no one submitted a bid for the Masters National Throws meet. Jim made arrangements with Holy Cross to hold the event on its campus, and I believe even built and extra weight throw cage/circle to help expedite the meet. It was the best run event of its kind that I’ve ever been to.
Our deepest condolences to his family and friends. He’ll never be replaced.
7 Responses
As one of the “original six” Twilight Throwers, this is a particularly sad day for me, as it is for the entire throwing community.
Since moving away from the Boston area in 2001, I’ve stayed in touch with Jim, and have missed not only the meets, but the camaraderie of the throwers there. I’ve also missed getting together with him for workouts, whether at Chelmsford or at my “home” track in Bedford, two towns away. Jim truly was the engine that made the meets hum and he will be sorely missed. I know that many of us would not have had the opportunities to compete that he provided were it not for Jim’s vision and the energy and dedication he brought to making that vision a reality. He was one of the few people who really “make a difference” in this world.
A couple of things that haven’t been mentioned:
When Jim’s nephew was senselessly killed in a robbery before turning 30 in the mid-1990s, Jim started a scholarship fund in his memory by asking friends to contribute based on his distances in the discus at the Massachusetts Senior Games. That initial effort has grown into a $100,000 endowed scholarship at his nephew’s alma mater, UMass Lowell.
Whenever anyone asked Jim to pitch in and contribute to similar efforts, even if the ask wasn’t direct, he and Barb not only did so, they made large commitments and followed up to see how it went, posting on Facebook, and even trying to come down to encourage the fund raisers in their “athletic” endeavors. I know this because my daughter’s efforts on behalf of MS benefited greatly from Jim and Barb’s support.
Jim was a very special person and my deepest sympathies and condolences go out to Barb and the rest of his wonderful family.
Also one of the original 6. A very sad day. When I moved out to Las Vegas in 2003, I really missed the
opportunity to practice, especially with throwers
like Jim and Jerry.
My sympathies and condolences to the family.
Jim will be greatly missed. He continually kept offering opportunities to throw and meet other throwers, and expand the range of implements to include the Ultra Weights.
I currently live in Poughkeepsie, New York, so when I first attended a Twilight Throwers meet in Chelmsford and he found out where I was from, he was particularly intrigued.
Thank you Jim, for all you did. Barbara and family, I am sorry for your loss.
Jim and Barbara Chamberas, and the Twilight Throwers Club, provided many wonderful competition opportunities for me in the past 4 years. Always inviting, always positive, Jim built community through his personal touch and by emphasizing post-meet award ceremonies and photos. These post-meet ceremonies always featured some kind of award, a handshake, and usually a hug from one of the warmest people you could hope to meet.
Jim was a doer and will remain a model for us all. Thanks Jim. Thanks to Barbara and his family for sharing Jim with us.
I was not one of the “Original Six” like Jerry Bookin-Weiner and Neil Rich, but was probably in the next wave of throwers to join the ranks of the Twilight Throwers. At the time I first met Jim, I was a member of a very large track club headquartered in the Greater Boston area, but was drawn to the camaraderie (one of Jim’s favorite expressions!) of the Twilight Throwers.
As his club grew and took on more and more members, so did the sense of responsibility of the Twilight Throwers to grow the sport in new and different ways. From sponsoring the Massachusetts and Vermont Scholastic Weight Throw Championships awards, to assisting at the Junior Olympics, to hosting USATF Regional Masters Championship events both Indoors and Outdoors, to helping grow the Ultraweight Pentathlon and Throw-a-Thon events started by others but adopted by the Twilight Throwers, and culminating in the meet directorship of the 2014 USA Masters Throws Championships meet last August at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, Jim’s Twilight Throwers club has always been on the cutting edge in promoting the throws events.
As Hartley has so eloquently expressed in his posting, Jim was always positive, inviting, and encouraging to all those with whom he came in contact. I think his most endearing quality was that he was genuinely interested in helping people achieve their best.
I am deeply saddened to lose a friend like Jim Chamberas, but optimistic in the hope that his legacy will continue long after his passing. The Twilight Throwers will continue to operate under the same philosophy that Jim started with – to perpetuate and promote the throwing events by hosting throwing competitions for regional, national and international fields of athletic competitors.
The deepest condolences of the throws community are extended to his wife Barbara, son Michael, daughter Christina and her husband Robb Bundrett, Jim’s grand-daughter Alexandra and the rest of the Chamberas family. Please be comforted in the knowledge that he was loved dearly and that he made a huge impact in the lives of all those he met and befriended.
May God take you in His loving embrace and rest your soul, Jim.
The Northeast track and field community has lost one of it’s best friends. I’ve known Jim and Barbara for many years. I’m not one to join organizations but Jim’s special way of including everyone at a Twilight Throwers competition was truly amazing to me. This was a family of throwers because of Jim. Everyone was welcome, always with a smile or a pat on the back. Jim was the glue that bonded us all together. I will miss his smile, his sense of humor and his wholehearted sense of commitment to the Field Events. We have all lost a really “good Man”. My prayers go out to Barbara and the family. Thank you so much for sharing Jim with us all for all these years.
Throw Far, Jim !
To honor Jim Chamberas, I will be bringing black ribbons to Jacksonville for anyone who wants one to wear during our competitions. I will be at the M55 hammer on Thursday at 11 AM, and I will hand the ribbons out to anyone else who can help me further distribute them.
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