Beulah Hester

Our history is intermingled with the history of Beulah Hester, seamstress, widow, mother of 3, owner and president of Custom Officials Wear LLC.

At 7 years of age, a tea kettle fell from her grandmother's potbellied stove and badly burned her back and shoulder. For therapy, a doctor told her parents the best thing to do was to throw a baseball. After many tosses with her Dad, Beulah developed a love for the game and played softball throughout most of her life.

Beulah also developed a penchant for sewing. After high school, she worked at a factory sewing men's sport coats. For over 22 years, she was taught tailoring by an Italian tailor and ultimately became a supervisor. 

In 1989 she began doing alterations out of her home after her husband, Don Hester, was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

The Umpire Bag that Started it All
One of Beulah's customers was Hugh Cantrell, CEO of the National Softball Association (NSA). After he complained he couldn't find an umpire's ball bag that suited him, Beulah developed a prototype bag that would eventually receive a patent in August 1998. The NSA has bought thousands of bags and umpires purchased more than a thousand each year.

Recent Product Innovations
Her dedication to quality has spilled over into more recent designs such as the breathable mesh umpire shirt and a new wicking material basketball referee shirt.

Where is Beulah Now?
Beulah continues to design and manufacturer products for sports officials for resale from her Stanford, Kentucky business. These products include our private label Ump Attire products.