Longtime referee David Williamson, a fixture in the game in Northern California, died late last week at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, Calif. 

Williamson was taken to the hospital Wednesday after he fell at his home - the fall causing serious bone fractures. According to an email sent to friends by his wife, Helen, Williamson was in the process of discussing treatment options with his doctor when his heart stopped.

A former Cal rower, Williamson earned a degree in Criminology at Berkeley, and then the UC Hasting Law School in San Francisco. In the middle of his law school tenure he served two years in the US Navy before finishing his degree. While at Hastings he took up rugby, in 1971. He embraced the game and it became a central part of his life. He met his wife, Helen, through rugby as she played for the San Francisco women's team.

Williamson through the 1970s and then took up refereeing, and there he became one of the most highly respected adjudicators in the game. He ultimately became a referee performance reviewer and mentor. Well-liked and well-respected, Williamson worked tirelessly to bring young referees into the game and help grow the sport of rugby that way. A scholarship has been formed in his name to develop young referees. See more here:

http://www.rugbynorcal.org/williamsonrefereescholarship

David Williamson left instructions that on his death a Rock n Roll party should be held at the Faculty Club at the University of California. Plans for exactly that are underway.