Lester John Biederman [1] (June 7, 1907 – November 30, 1981) [2] was an American sports writer and columnist, writing exclusively for The Pittsburgh Press, from 1930 until his retirement in 1969.
Career
From 1938, Biederman covered the Pittsburgh Pirates, becoming the Press' sports editor in 1966; excluding his military service in World War II, he served in both capacities until his retirement in 1969. [3] For the final 20 of those years, Biederman was also a correspondent for The Sporting News. [4] [5] [6]
In 1953, Biederman was elected to the Board of Directors of the Baseball Writers' Association of America; [7] in 1959, he served as its president. [8] That same year, Biederman was named Pennsylvania Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. [9] In 1956, he initiated the Scoreboard Fund, under the umbrella of the Press Old Newsboys; [10] over the next 14 years, under Biederman's direction, the fund raised approximately half a million dollars for the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. [11]
In a 2015 New York Times article, historian Michael Beschloss criticized Biederman for mockingly portraying, in exaggerated " Spanglish", the speech of Roberto Clemente. [12]
References
- ^ "Verna Hocker Becomes Bride". The Harrisburg Telegraph. Wednesday, December 4, 1946. p. 18. Retrieved 2015-09-11. "The marriage of Miss Verna M. Hocker, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph E. Hocker, 3428 Old Orchard Road, Progress, and Lester John Biederman, son of the late Mr. and Mrs. L. J. Biederman of Wilkinsburg, took place at noon today."
- ^ "Florida Death Index, 1877-1998: Lester J. Biederman". Family Search. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
- ^ "Ex-Press Sports Editor Les Biederman Dies". The Pittsburgh Press. November 30, 1981. pp. A-1, A-12. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
- ^ "Les Biederman 1950 Citations"[ permanent dead link]. The Baseball Index. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
- ^ "Les Biederman 1969 Citations"[ dead link]. The Baseball Index. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
- ^ "Obituaries: Lester Biederman". The Sporting News. December 19, 1981. p. 53. Retrieved 2015-09-11. "Lester Biederman, retired sports editor of the Pittsburgh Press who covered the Pirates for 31 years and was a correspondent for the Sporting News during much of that period, died of cancer in Fort Myers, Fla., November 30. He was 74."
- ^ United Press. "Biederman Elected to Writers' Board". The Pittsburgh Press. October 1, 1953. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
- ^ "Baseball Writers' Association of America Constitution: Addendum B (BBWA Presidents)". BBWAA. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
- ^ "NSSA State Winners: Pennsylvania" Archived 2015-09-13 at the Wayback Machine. NSSA. Retrieved 2015-09-12.
- ^ "Palmers Newsboy Santa". The Pittsburgh Press. December 3, 1971. Retrieved 2015-09-11. "The 'modest beginning' came in 1956 and was initiated by Lester J. Biederman, former Press sports editor who was director of the Scoreboard, an arm of the Old Newsboys which was taken over by Press sports director Pat Livingston when Biederman retired."
- ^ Schneider, Dick (December 1, 1981). "Baseball Writer Biederman Dies". The Fort Myers News-Press. p. C1. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ Beschloss, Michael (June 19, 2015). "Clemente, the Double Outsider". The New York Times.
Further reading
- Biederman, Les. "The Scoreboard: 30-Year Span With Pirates Revives Thrills". The Pittsburgh Press. February 19, 1967
