Henry Baughman Tennis Complex Dedicated

COLUMBIA, Ky. -- Lindsey Wilson College has sponsored a men's and women's tennis team since 1985. But it wasn't until Henry Baughman came along that Blue Raider tennis teams had a first-class place to call home.

On Friday afternoon, the LWC community dedicated the Henry Baughman Tennis Complex.

The Baughman Tennis Complex expands the number of courts available from three to six, and it gives the Blue Raiders "a first-class tennis facilty," Baughman said at Friday's dedication ceremony.

"I'm proud to have been a part of making this happen," said Baughman of Smithfield, Ky., who made the lead gift to fund the $425,000 complex.

Equipped with lights, the Baughman Tennis Complex allows LWC tennis players to practice in evenings and also host home matches on the A.P. White Campus.

LWC President William T. Luckey Jr. said without Baughman's support, the new tennis complex probably wouldn't have been built.

"As much as I knew these students needed new tennis courts and this program has grown into one of the five best NAIA programs in the country, it just didn't seem possible to fund this project in light of the explosive expansion that's been happening on campus," Luckey said during the ceremony. "Henry, I'm so grateful for your generous support of our students and for allowing us to name this beautiful facility in your honor."

Baughman said he hoped the tennis complex would help the Blue Raiders "win many more conference championships and soon an NAIA title."

He also hopes the LWC tennis program will provide academic opportunities to more students.

"Its my hope that playing tennis will enhance students' academic pursuits, like it did for me," he said.

Baughman, who was born and raised in Lincoln County, Ky., is a retired Western Kentucky University professor who taught health and safety, and he helped start the university's emergency medical technologist/training program.

Baughman grew up watching his late father play tennis. He has been an active tennis player for more than 60 years, and his tennis achievements are legendary. There were no tennis courts in Stanford until his father built an asphalt court in 1952, Baughman's sophomore year at Standford High School. 

Baughman has been ranked No. 1 in Kentucky more than 60 times, and 15 times he has been ranked No. 1 in the nine-state United States Tennis Association Southern, the largest association in the United States. He has also earned a No. 4 national ranking in 70 and over singles.

Baughman was chosen to the Southern All-Star team for the USTA National Inter-Sectional Championships, where he won three gold medals on the teams that were seven-time national champions. He has won 13 National Public Parks' tennis championships and five National Senior Olympic gold medals.

Baughman was inducted into the Kentucky Tennis Hall of Fame in 1996, and in 2007 he was honored with the fifth Kentucky Player of the Year award and first Southern Player of the Year award. Also in 1997, he received the Slew Hester Adult Achievement award for being ranked in the USTA Southern top five for 25 consecutive years. 

More ...
Click here to see scenes from the dedication ceremony.

Video ...
 

iPhone and iPad users click here:

Henry Baughman Tennis Complex Dedication from Lindsey Wilson College on Vimeo.