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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (Sept. 13, 2005) — To usher in a new era in its athletic history, Milligan College will dedicate a new six court tennis center this Saturday, Sept. 17, at a 9 a.m. ceremony and kickoff for the Milligan/Mathes Marathon Tennis Tournament. The center will be named in honor of local physician and Milligan graduate Dr. W. T. Mathes, who will hit the official first serve.
Mathes, who graduated from Milligan in 1942 and went on to medical school at The University of Tennessee, was one of the first players to compete on the college’s former courts when they were first paved in 1938. The original dirt courts were located near the current Anglin Softball Field and were moved to the center of campus in 1927, where they stood until this past summer.
The new Mathes Tennis Center is located on Governor Alf Taylor Road at the south edge of campus and contains six lighted courts, all conforming to collegiate tournament standards.
“The new courts are very nice and will really advance our tennis program,” said Milligan President Don Jeanes . “We thank all those who supported this project and continue to advance Milligan’s athletic program. We are especially grateful to Dr. Mathes for his leadership and commitment to this project.”
An ear, nose and throat specialist in Johnson City, Mathes has continued to play tennis over the years, achieving amateur rankings as high as first in the south and ninth in the men’s 1985 singles nationals. He and his daughter, Myra , also a Milligan graduate, ranked 11 th in the Super Senior Father/Daughter nationals. He continues to play in USTA tournaments.
Jeanes said that the new facility will be named the Mathes Tennis Center and the six individual courts will be named as follows:
Cruikshank Court is given by Bob and Jan Goodsell, of Unicoi, and their grandchildren, Shelby and Sydney Goodsell, and Dewey and Dillon Pendley. The court is named in memory of Jan’s parents, Max and BlancheCruikshank. Jan Goodsell is a graduate of Milligan College and former employee.
Mynatt Court is named in honor of Dr. Connie Mynatt, Johnson City , who taught and coached at Milligan College from 1946 to 1956. She helped to resurrect the tennis program at Milligan during the post-war years and built it into a competitive modern program.
Perry Court is named in honor of Cameron and Jane Perry of Johnson City . Cameron is a retired bank executive and has served on the boards of the Johnson City Medical Center and Milligan College.
Walker Court is named in honor of Duard Walker, Johnson City , who earned varsity letters in nearly every sport while a student at Milligan in the 1940s. He then taught and coached at Milligan for 50 years, retiring in 2001. He is a member of the Northeast Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, Milligan College Athletics Hall of Fame, and was named the NAIA National Athletics Director of the Year in 2001.
Wiggins Court is named in honor of John and Cindy Wiggins of Plainfield , Ind. Wiggins is a 1961 graduate and is president of Havens Wiggins Insurance in Plainfield . He has served on both the board of trustees and the executive committee at Milligan College and is a longtime supporter of the college.
Wilson Court is named in honor of Cal and Brenda Wilson of Johnson City . Wilson is a 1970 graduate of Milligan College and is senior vice president of investments for UBS/PaineWebber in Johnson City . He has served on the board of Mountain States Health Alliance Foundation, has been a trustee and financial advisor at Milligan College , and has been instrumental in the success of Appalachian Christian Camp in Unicoi.
The Milligan/Mathes Marathon Tennis Tournament will follow the dedication ceremony and feature 100 games of doubles play throughout the day. The tournament is open to alumni and friends of the college and is sponsored by Blackburn , Childers & Steagall and Suntrust Bank.
Tennis is one of 14 varsity sports at Milligan, which competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Appalachian Athletic Association (AAC). Since 1996 both men’s and women’s tennis teams have made three trips to the national championships and produced several All-Conference performers.
For more information about the Milligan/Mathes Tennis Tournament or Milligan’s tennis program, please contact Coach Rich Aubrey at 423.975.8029 or Coach Marvin Glover at 423.641.8904.