Oral History Interview: Morley Pecker

Partial Transcript: PECKER: My first name is Morley, M-O-R-L-E-Y, and my surname is Pecker, rather like woodpecker but wi-without the wood. In fact, when I went to Belgium they called me Woody.

Segment Synopsis: Pecker states and spells his name for the record.

Keywords: Belgium

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: N--can you tell me how your interest in hockey first arose?

Segment Synopsis: Pecker recalls the hockey of his school days, joining a club as a goalkeeper and then playing in goal for the Army before transitioning to umpiring. He discusses his rise from club to county level umpiring.

Keywords: Army; Bognor--United Kingdom (UK); British Army; College; County Championship; England; Epsom College; Germany; Goalkeeper; Graham Nash; Hampstead Hockey Club; London League; National League; National Service; School; Southern Counties Hockey Umpires Association (SCHUA); Sussex (county); Umpire

Subjects: Associations--Umpiring; Recollection of Others--Umpire; Teams--Boys--School; Teams--Men--Armed Forces; Teams--Men--Club; Teams--Men--College & University; Tournaments--County; Umpiring--Armed Forces; Umpiring--Club; Umpiring--County

Partial Transcript: PECKER: Er...
SOMERVILLE: Tell me how you got involved with the FIH.

Segment Synopsis: Pecker recalls how he came to be involved in the FIH, rose to umpire internationally and was part of a committee that proposed rule changes to the Federation.

Keywords: Accountancy; Conference; Etienne Glichitch; International Hockey Federation (FIH); Mexico; Olympics/Olympic Games; Photography; Rules Research Committee; Translation

Subjects: Associations--International; Life Outside of Hockey--Career; Media; Olympic Games--1968 Mexico City; Recollection of Others--Administrator; Recreation; Rules; Umpiring--International

Partial Transcript: PECKER: Well, I was terribly lucky. As I say, I was a younger umpire and I went on to the Munich Olympics where I was sort of a mixture of an umpire and a judge.

Segment Synopsis: Pecker discusses his memories of umpiring, officiating and photographing various Olympic Games.

Keywords: British Olympic Association; Canada; Final; Germany; Judge; Margaret Thatcher; Official; Olympics/Olympic Games; Photography; Russia; Umpire

Subjects: Media; Olympic Games--1972 Munich; Olympic Games--1976 Montreal; Olympic Games--1980 Moscow; Politics; Teams--Women--International; Tournaments--International; Umpiring--International

Partial Transcript: PECKER: And then in 1987--I mention I'm a chartered accountant--I was asked to take over as Treasurer of the European Hockey Federation.

Segment Synopsis: Pecker discusses his honorary role with the EHF and recalls the changing face of European hockey at the time of the demise of the Soviet Union.

Keywords: Accountancy; Alain Danet; Azerbaijan; Conference; Estonia; European Hockey Federation (EHF); Georgia; Latvia; Lithuania; Robert Watson; Russia; Soviet Union (USSR); Treasurer; Vilnius--Lithuania

Subjects: Associations--International; Associations--National; Life Outside of Hockey--Career; Politics

Partial Transcript: PECKER: Again, I'm someone who's worn many hats. I'd stopped my hockey photography at that, when I became Treasurer but I still carried on, on the technical side.

Segment Synopsis: Pecker recalls two controversial experiences from his officiating career: one from a tournament in Dubai and the other from a Champions Trophy tournament in Perth.

Keywords: Australia; Champions Trophy; Dubai--United Arab Emirates (UAE); Egypt; Ekkhard Schmidt-Opper; Germany; Great Britain; India; Kuwait; Pakistan; Perth--Australia; Spain; Stefan Blocher; Technical Delegate; United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Subjects: Recollection of Others--Player; Rules; Tournaments--International; Umpiring--International

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: Talking of interesting ones, tell me about Munich.

Segment Synopsis: Pecker recalls his experience of the Munich 1972 Olympic Games.

Keywords: "Munich Massacre"; Congress; Germany; International Hockey Federation (FIH); Israel; Munich--Germany; Olympics/Olympic Games; Palestine; Terrorism

Subjects: Associations--International; Olympic Games--1972 Munich; Politics; Tournaments--International

Partial Transcript: PECKER: Then we came to Montreal where, er, Roger may well have told you, I don't know, where Great Britain had to play off against Belgium to, to take the last p-place.

Segment Synopsis: Pecker recalls the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games.

Keywords: African Boycott; Amsterdam; Belgium; Canada; Germany; Great Britain; Kenya; Netherlands; Olympics/Olympic Games

Subjects: Olympic Games--1976 Montreal; Politics; Tournaments--International

Partial Transcript: PECKER: I was always keen on photography. I had done quite a lot of cricket photography.

Segment Synopsis: Pecker discusses his love of photography and the impact his hobby on the development of his international hockey career as an umpire and an official. He recounts his favourite hockey photographs and discusses his more recent photographic interests.

Keywords: Australia; Final; Gold Medal; Great Britain; Kuala Lumpar--Malaysia; Lords Cricket Ground; Malaysia; New Zealand; Official; Olympics/Olympic Games; Penalty Corner; Photography; Safari; Sean Kerly; Seoul--South Korea; Singapore; South Korea; The Oval Cricket Ground; Umpire

Subjects: Hockey Homes, Venues & Stadia; International Travel; Olympic Games--1968 Mexico City; Olympic Games--1976 Montreal; Olympic Games--1988 Seoul; Recollection of Others--Player; Recreation; Umpiring--International; World Cup--Men--1975 Kuala Lumpar

Partial Transcript: PECKER: Interesting sort of memory, erm, something I shouldn't be recording too much bu-but in 1968--and I mention the, er, Mexico Olympics--because I went to the Mexico Olympics only, it was only right at the very last moment. I wasn't expecting to go.

Segment Synopsis: Pecker recalls a trip to Rhodesia and South Africa in 1968 with a men and women's touring team called the Angels.

Keywords: Angels Hockey Club; Johannesburg--South Africa; Kruger National Park; Mexico; Olympics/Olympic Games; Photography; Rhodesia/Southern Rhodesia; Safari; South Africa; Tour; Transvaal--South Africa; Umpire; Zimbabwe

Subjects: International Travel; Media; Olympic Games--1968 Mexico City; Recreation; Teams--Men--Touring; Teams--Women--Touring; Umpiring--International

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: Do you still keep up with hockey apart from coming to tournaments?
Pecker: I do. I got involved, as I say, I ceased to be the Treasurer of the European Federation in 2003 but in 2002, er, there was a World Cup in Kuala Lumpar.

Segment Synopsis: Pecker recalls the founding of the World Grand Masters Association at the Kuala Lumpar World Cup in 2002 and discusses his role as an official for said organisation.

Keywords: Cape Town--South Africa; European Hockey Federation (EHF); European Masters Championship/EuroHockey Masters Championship; Germany; Kuala Lumpar--Malaysia; Malaysia; Neuss--Germany; South Africa; Southgate Hockey Club; Treasurer; Umpire; World Cup; World Grand Masters Association (WGMA)

Subjects: Associations--International; Associations--Masters & Veterans; Tournaments--International; Tournaments--Masters & Veterans; Umpiring--Club; Umpiring--International; Umpiring--Masters & Veterans; World Cup--Men--2002 Kuala Lumpar

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: Anything else in your hockey life that we haven't covered that you think we might...
PECKER: Probably [laughs] I'll tell you, yes, I mean I think I told you I got involved with the FIH.

Segment Synopsis: The interview concludes with Pecker recalling his voluntary work for the FIH translating tournament legislation and other administrative documents from French into English.

Keywords: Accountancy; Belgium; Brussels--Belgium; England; Etienne Glichitch; Great Britain; International Hockey Federation (FIH); Translation

Subjects: Administration & Finances--International; Administration & Finances--Tournaments; Associations--International; Life Outside of Hockey--Career; Rules; Tournaments--International