Three Decades of Fishing Fun

Three Decades of Fishing Fun

by PJ DelHomme

A Longtime Union member started a fishing derby to honor his late father, a union member as well. More than 30 years later, the derby continues to raise money for cancer research while putting smiles on kids’ faces and fishing rods in their hands.

When Steve Bateman was 27 years old, he lost his dad to lung cancer. His dad, Harry, was just 51. As a maintenance mechanic at General Electric, Harry was a member of IUE/CWA Local 255, who loved to hunt and fish and share those times with his kids. A month after his father’s death, Steve, a guidance inspector with General Dynamics and a member of Local 255, decided that he wanted to honor his dad’s memory with a fishing derby.

“His whole life consisted of hunting and fishing,” Steve says. “He was stubborn and would never go to Boston to get treatment. By the time I got him there, he was down to nothing, in really bad shape. And I said I don’t want this to happen to anyone, especially to kids. We tried to turn his passing into something good.”

In 1992, Steve organized the first annual Harry A. Bateman Memorial Jimmy Fund Fishing Derby to honor his father. All the proceeds would be donated to the Jimmy Fund to support cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Even though it poured rain much of the day, the first derby had around 52 anglers.

Over time, Steve reached out to his local unions and small businesses to help spread the word and drum up donations. He also reached out to local schools, offering to waive the $5 entry fee for low-income kids and provide poles and tackle for any kid who couldn’t afford one.

This year, on June 1, 2024, the 32nd Annual Harry A. Bateman Memorial Jimmy Fund Fishing Derby hosted a record 330 registered anglers at Onata Lake in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Anglers caught everything from pike to bullhead to bass, including a 16-pound carp.

Steve and his fellow derby organizers chose the first weekend in June because the state of Massachusetts offers a free fishing weekend for residents and non-residents—no license required.

With categories for both youth and adults, Steve says the event is really geared toward the kids and enjoying the outdoors. “Our main focus is on everyone having a good time,” he says. And, of course, raising money for cancer research.

Steve isn’t shy about asking his union brothers and sisters, local restaurants, and businesses for donations. He uses that money to buy raffle items like bikes for the kids and outdoor gear. Some of those he asked for donations turned out to be cancer survivors themselves.  Last month’s derby raised more than $13,000 for the Jimmy Fund.

What would Harry think of three decades’ worth of fishing derbies? “My dad was one of those guys who would do anything for anyone and not want any recognition for it,” Steve says. “I’m just glad I can do something for other people, especially the kids out there. My dad would say, “‘Don’t thank me—just go enjoy the outdoors.’”