It is with great sadness that I write this note about the well-respected Laurence Chalip. The first time I met him was in 1998 at a SMAANZ conference, I was an international PhD student then, who knew nobody there and to have had the chance to meet him made a whole difference in my professional development in the field of sport management. We communicated and met a couple of times, he followed the research I was conducting, and since that time, I considered him as a mentor. His supportive response showed that he did care for the newcomers in the field!

Once, he asked me why I was working with that topic, them, we shared our experiences in our background in sport, he from swimming and in my case from artistic gymnastics. We believed that with sport management we could make a difference.

In 2004 I invited him to Venezuela, he gave a series a talks! My family welcome him in our home for a dinner, he played my son’s guitar and we even had the chance to enjoy the beach, he was pleased to share and engage with others. It was precisely in that visit, in which he suggested me why not creating a sport management association for Latin America. Later we continued communicating and he was instrumental to find those who were working in the field and were living in Latin America. Without his support and push in the initial years, I doubt I would have engage in that quest. He once said, each organization will be at different levels of development, but they need to be created and serve to their region. The first bulletin of ALGEDE had his interview!

We met occasionally in some events and whenever I needed his advice, he was always willing to reply my emails. In those meetings, we updated ourselves about our activities. In 2012 we met at ICSEMIS in Glasgow, it was a quite long talk and a great chance for him to meet again some of the Venezuelan he met in 2004!

He will be missed by many …, my family and myself have a life-long respect for Laurence.

Thanks Laurence!

It was a true honour to receive the Chelladurai Award during the 2025 EASM conference. Yet, the moment felt bittersweet - filled with pride, but also with grief because of Laurence’s passing. Laurence was very close to my heart, and his loss is deeply felt across our global community.

As I shared in my acceptance speech, Laurence was not only a formidable scholar and mentor, but also a generous colleague and dear friend. He played an immeasurable role in my development as an academic, collaborating with me on major SSHRC grants and helping our team reach new heights. For this, I will always remain grateful.

Beyond his scholarly brilliance, however, it is Laurence’s warmth, kindness, and friendship that I will cherish most. We created wonderful memories together, and while I will miss him profoundly, I will carry him forever in my heart. For all these reasons, I dedicate this award to him.

I was saddened to hear of Uncle Laurence’s passing. Although I hadn’t seen him for many years, I have fond memories of the time we spent together when I was young.

Laurence was a natural mentor who truly enjoyed nurturing the potential in others. He always showed an interest in what I was doing and invested a lot of time into developing the things that mattered to me.

He encouraged my love of music, gifting me my first guitar, which my daughters still tinker on today.

He started my Olympic memorabilia collection, bringing me many mementos from across the world to add to my collection.

I’ll never forget when Laurence and Aunty Pam flew my cousin Ian and I from New Zealand to the United States when we were 16 years old – first to stay with Bernie and Alice in Alameda, San Francisco and then to Washington DC to stay with them.

Coming off farms and having never travelled overseas before, it was life-changing to suddenly find ourselves in large cities, attending plays, ice hockey games and celebrating Christmas and New Years away from home. Those adventures expanded my horizons and opened up possibilities that would have taken me much longer to find.

I’m grateful to both Laurence and Aunty Pam for their kindness, encouragement and generosity – which Aunty Pam continues to show to my daughters today.

It’s sad to think that Bernie, Alice and Laurence have all now passed – all three such interesting and influential people.

Much love to my Aunty Pam and everyone that cared for Laurence x

I am forever grateful to have had the privilege of being mentored by Dr. Chalip during my time at the University of Texas at Austin. He taught me not only to be a learner, but also to become a thinker. I remember the examples he used to help me grasp how to structure the logic in my papers. I remember how he taught me to provide constructive feedback. I also remember the encouragement and support he offered throughout my academic journey.

Dr. Chalip embodied the very best qualities of a great educator—wisdom, humor, patience, kindness, and a deep commitment to his students' growth. The wisdom he shared and the inspiration he provided continue to shape who I am today. His legacy will live on through the many students he influenced and the values he instilled in us. He will be deeply missed. My heartfelt condolences go out to Dr. Chalip's family and friends during this difficult time.