News from

Michael D. Chason Director of Public Relations ABAC 30, 2802 Moore Hwy Tifton, GA 31793-2601 Phone 229-391-5055 Fax 229-391-5051 mchason@abac.edu

For IMMEDIATE Release January 11, 2010

ABAC SELECTS 2010 ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

TIFTON—Professional golfer Thomas “Boo” Weekley headlines the list of inductees to be honored at the 2010 Athletics Hall of Fame luncheon on March 6 at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

Weekley, a member of the ABAC golf team in 1992-93, plays on the PGA tour and was a member of the United States victorious Ryder Cup Team in 2008. A native of Milton, Fla., Weekley won the Verizon Heritage Classic in 2007 and 2008.

Through the Play Golf America Foundation, Weekley designated $30,000 for ABAC in 2008 through his participation in the Ryder Cup matches. His nickname came from Yogi Bear’s sidekick, “Boo Boo.”

Other inductees include the 1991ABAC national championship softball team, which was the first women’s team from ABAC to win a national title; Joseph Grist, who led the 1949 Stallion basketball team to the national tournament; Harley Klepfer, an avid booster of the ABAC tennis team; and Jim Sparks, who was the number one golfer for ABAC from 1981-1983.

Tickets are now available at a cost of $30 per person for the luncheon on March 6, which is a part of the Celebrate ABAC alumni weekend. Tickets can be purchased from the ABAC Athletics Office by calling Shirley Wilson at (229) 391-4930.

Coach Ellen Vickers and the Fillies Softball Team started the 1991season on a rocky note. Injuries and illnesses kept the Fillies on shaky ground. In fact, the team had a record of only 8-7 after the Pete Austin and Gulf Coast tournaments. After shuffling the lineup and getting some players healthy, the Fillies won 23 of their last 24 games to finish the regular season 35-9.

At the national tournament played at the E.B. Hamilton Complex in Tifton, the Fillies lost the first game 8-2 in the title round to Lake City Community College but rallied in the final, defeating Lake City 9-3 to win the title. Five Fillies were named to the All-National Tournament Team.

Grist grew up in Rabun Gap and attended ABAC from 1947-1949. He played for the Stallions under Coach Bob Gressette, who was inducted into ABAC’s inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008. In Grist’s sophomore year, the Stallions became state and regional basketball champs and made it to the national tournament in Hutchinson, Kans. He was voted Best Male Athlete at ABAC.

Grist then attended the University of Miami on a basketball scholarship where he had a great career, once scoring 28 points against national power Western Kentucky. After serving in the Army, he also played basketball for Piedmont College and scored 50 points against North Georgia. He also played basketball for the legendary House of David professional team in 1954 and 1955. They won 124 of the 127 games they played. Grist retired in 1999 as supervisor and director of the athletic department of Washington and Lee University.

Klepfer, an auto dealer originally from Buffalo, N.Y., came to Tifton in 1991when he was 71 years old. He introduced himself to Coach Norman “Red” Hill and asked him if he knew of any 71-year-olds who would like to play tennis.

Klepfer found a partner and played almost every Saturday and Sunday at the ABAC courts for the next 12 years. During that time he became a faithful supporter of the Stallions’ tennis program under the direction of Coach Hill and Coach Alan Kramer. He has been a staple on the courts of ABAC ever since.

He is more commonly known to the tennis players as “Grandpa Harley.” He has dedicated time and energy to tutoring and drilling the tennis team. He has been the man behind the scenes for the ABAC tennis teams, always on the lookout for new recruits. He joined the ABAC Foundation’s President’s Club in 1996 and reached the prestigious Silver Level in giving in 2007.

Sparks was the top player on the ABAC golf team from 1981-1983. A year after his eligibility ended, he was the student assistant coach for Coach Wayne Cooper. In 1982, he and the ABAC team finished 10^th in their first trip ever to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) tournament. In 1983, the team finished eighth in the national tournament, and Sparks was selected for NJCAA All-America honors.

Sparks has been very successful in the business world since he left ABAC. He has been the owner of Highland Lake Golf Club in Hendersonville, N.C., since 1994. He also owns the Course Doctors Golf Course Construction Company in Flat Rock, N.C. Sparks has often visited ABAC to make presentations to students in the turfgrass program.

On May 7, 2009, Sparks returned to ABAC to be the spring commencement speaker. He also received his associate’s degree in Turf Management from ABAC in the same ceremony. Sparks helped to sponsor the ABAC Turf Team’s trip to China and the ABAC Ag Classic Golf Tournament in 2009.

ABAC initiated the Athletics Hall of Fame during the 100^th birthday celebration in 2008. This year represents the third class to be inducted. The first class included Orion Mitchell, Bruce Gressette, Thomas Cheney, Philip Simpson, Norman “Red” Hill, and Milena Stanoytcheva.

The 2009 class included the 1984 national championship men’s tennis team, Ellen Vickers, Cook Holliday, P.W. Bryan, Jr., Dorsey Brooks, and Newell “Sarge” Dorsey.

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