SPARTANBURG, SC -- The Southern Conference announced today the eleven recipients of the 2006 Distinguished Service Award. Each member institution selects an honoree based upon their overall contribution to the institution. These individuals will be honored on May 31, 2006, in Hilton Head, SC, at the league’s annual Honors Dinner.
The Distinguished Service Award program was started in 2002 as a way for the Southern Conference to recognize those individuals from its member institutions who have contributed to all aspects of the university. This year’s honorees include F.P. Bodenheimer (Appalachian State), Tap and Jean Johnson (College of Charleston), Tommy McQueeney (The Citadel), Jeff Frank (Davidson), Zac and Dot Walker (Elon), Sonny and Keeter Horton (Furman), Lamar Hennon (Georgia Southern), C. Thomas Martin (UNC Greensboro), Dr. Frank Trundle, Sr. (Chattanooga), Dale and Dianne Hollifield (Western Carolina) and Cleveland S. and Curtis R. Harley (Wofford).
"Whether it’s collegiate athletics or the corporate business world, organizations are only as successful as the people who support them," said Southern Conference Commissioner John Iamarino. "The Distinguished Service Award honors select individuals who have gone above and beyond the call to help Southern Conference institutions better achieve their goals to the benefit of thousands of student-athletes. We sincerely appreciate their efforts and are happy to recognize the award recipients with this honor."
Bodenheimer is a graduate of Appalachian State, having entered the university in 1949 after serving in the United States Navy. He started his professional career as a high school teacher and coach. In 1958, he began his career with First Citizens Bank and Trust, where he moved up the ranks to become President of the First Citizens Bank and Trust Company in Raleigh, NC. He serves on numerous boards on the ASU campus as well as on the Board of Governors of the University System in North Carolina. He is also the chair of the Early Childhood Development Center in Franklin and a board member of the Mountain Area Child and Family Center.
The Johnsons have been loyal supporters of the College of Charleston since moving to Charleston in 1989. While maintaining the highest level of membership in the Cougar Club, they are endowed athletic scholarship donors as well as major contributors to the new Carolina First (Athletic) Center, the business school facility and the School of Arts building. Tap serves on the College of Charleston Foundation Board, the Board of Directors for the School of Arts and the Board of Governors for the School of Business. Jean also serves on the Cougar Club Board of Directors.
McQueeney is a 1974 graduate of The Citadel and presently serves as the chairman of the Johnson Hagood Stadium Revitalization Committee. A native to Charleston, SC, McQueeney has been a State Farm agent since 1982. He also currently serves as the board chairman of the Charleston Metro Sports Council and is the past chairman of the Southern Conference Basketball Championships. He has served for the past 15 years as a class chairman for The Citadel Foundation and is a current board member. He also is a member of the board of the Memorial Fund of The Citadel Brigadier Foundation and is a past board member of The President’s Resource Council at The Citadel.
Frank has served as the Wildcats’ men’s tennis coach since 1973 and has won numerous awards in his career. In his first year coaching, he led Davidson to a 23-2 record and the SoCon title while being named the Coach of the Year. A 1966 graduate of Davidson, Frank has posted 20-win seasons nine times and was named the Coach of the Year on four occasions. He has coached the USTA Junior Team and has directed several USTA National Intersectional Team Championship squads. Frank has served on the NCAA Men’s Tennis Committee and was chair from 1987-89. He currently serves as the chair of the NCAA Legislative Issues Committee for the ITA. In November of 1996, Frank was also inducted into the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame.
The Walkers have been generous supporters of Elon and the Elon Athletics Foundation for over 25 years. Zac is a 1960 graduate and received Elon’s Distinguished Service Alumnus of the Year in 1989. The Walkers also received the Elon Athletics Distinguished Service award in 2005. He has served as a member of the Board of Trustees since 1991 and is the immediate past chair of the board. The Walkers endowed a football scholarship in 1979 in honor of Zac’s uncle, D.C. "Peahead" Walker, who is Elon’s legendary coach, and also endowed the Zachary T. Walker, Jr., Football Scholarship in 2001 in honor of Zac’s dad who played at Elon. The athletics director’s office in the Koury Athletics Center and the Walker Lounge of Rhodes Stadium are both named in honor of the Walkers. They have also been major benefactors of the Koury Business School, which will open in the fall of 2006.
The Hortons have been longtime contributors to both academics and athletics at Furman. Sonny is a 1952 graduate and a member of the Furman Athletic Hall of Fame. He was the student-body vice-president in 1951 and captain of the football team while also being a member of the Quarternion, a student leadership organization. Keeter is a graduate of Winthrop and is a former member of Furman’s Founders Circle gift society. They are both active leaders at the First Baptist Church and have served the community through their support of the Salvation Army Boys Club, Meals on Wheels and tutoring programs in low-income areas, just to name a few. Members of the Furman Heritage Society, they provide two football scholarships at Furman and are Wall of Honor donors to Timmons Basketball Arena. They have provided funding for the Furman Marching Band and are major contributors to the Bell Tower restoration project. In summer of 2003, the Hortons provided the lead gift in the implementation and construction of Paladin Plaza, which is the main entrance to Furman Football Stadium.
Hennon is no stranger to the Southern Conference as he has been a supporter at two SoCon institutions. He is the owner and founder of Carpets of Dalton, one of the nation’s largest carpet retailers. Hennon has been a dedicated supporter of local and collegiate baseball since his youth. He’s built a training center on his property for the youth leagues in Dalton compete with a regulation field and an indoor batting center. He has supported GSU baseball with contributions for the construction of batting ages, refurbishment of the Wiggins Building, field renovations and the construction of the new J.I. Clements Stadium in 2005. The baseball stadium at Western Carolina also bears his name, a tribute to donations to that program as well.
Martin is a 1970 graduate of UNCG where he played on the first men’s basketball team and men’s tennis team. A native of Burlington, NC, he has served both in athletic and academic roles at UNCG. He is currently a member of the Alumni House Steering Committee and served on the Alumni House Committee in 2004-05. He has also served on various other committees, including the Excellence Foundation from 1996-2004 and the UNCG Alumni Association and Board of Directors. He has also been active with the school’s alumni association since 1997. Martin also has assisted the athletics department in many capacities, including serving as the tournament director for the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship held at UNCG in 1997 and 1998.
Trundle served Chattanooga for over 50 years in various capacities. He played basketball and football at UTC from 1945-48 and was the school’s first scholarship athlete. After graduating from UTC and from UT’s Medical School in Memphis in 1952, Trundle began his dental career. He contributed his time and talents to the Mocs for 52 years and was a constant fixture on the football sidelines and in the basketball stands. Trundle was inducted into the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame and the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame and served on the boards of the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. An avid golfer, Trundle volunteered his time as club president of the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club and was a member of the Alhambra Shrine Jesters. A World War II veteran, he participated in the Pacific Theatre in Okinawa and Iwo Jima and the European Theatre in Normandy and Southern France. Trundle died July 6, 2005, at the age of 81. He and his wife, Ann, were married for 56 years.
The Hollifields are both graduates of Western Carolina, where Dale played football and received a BA in social science. Dianne received a BS in Grammar Grade Education. After working with the Red Cross, Dale worked for the United Parcel Service for 28 and a half years before retiring in 1995. Dianne has spent her entire career in education, teaching at various levels and in many areas. They have both been lifelong supporters of Western Carolina athletics, academics and the arts.
Harley and his wife Curtis R. Harley have been volunteers and supporters at Wofford for over 50 years. Cleveland is a 1950 Wofford graduate and established the Cleveland S. and Curtis R. Harley Endowed Scholarship Fund in 1998. Awards from this fund are designed for student-athletes, without restriction to a particular sport. The Harley Scholarship has been matched with funds from the Daniel Endowment to create the Daniel/Harley Endowed Scholarship Fund. A lifelong resident of Spartanburg, Cleveland served in the U.S. Navy during World War II in various areas of operation. Mr. Harley was honored in 1989 with the Honorary Letterman Award from the Wofford Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2005, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the Wofford Athletic Hall of Fame, thus becoming just the second individual to receive both special awards. He was one of the founding members of the Terrier Club in 1946 and served as the president from 1962-70. Harley is a past board member of the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Mary Black Hospital and the Welfare, Health, and Social Services for Spartanburg County. He is also the former president of the Wofford Alumni Association and the United Way.