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Alexander County Sports Hall of Fame inducts five, raises funds for teacher grants
Summary
The Alexander County Public Education Foundation inducted five local sports figures into its Hall of Fame and highlighted the foundation's support for teachers, including more than $5,000 in grants for the coming year. Inductees included longtime coaches, athletes and community sports organizers.
Harry Schrom, a member of the Alexander County Public Education Foundation, opened the induction ceremony and said the evening was both a celebration and a fundraiser: "We're very excited to be inducting 5 outstanding individuals into the Alexander County Sports Hall of Fame." The event honored five people with ties to local athletics and raised money to award teacher grants to Alexander County Schools.
Dr. Bill Griffin, superintendent of Alexander County Schools, told the audience the foundation began in 2009 and that the Hall of Fame started in 2012, and he noted the foundation's ongoing classroom support: "This year, we proudly look forward to awarding over $5,000 in grants to our educational community." Griffin said the grants help teachers bring new resources and experiences into their classrooms.
Jonathan Watts, chair of the Hall of Fame selection committee, outlined the committee’s criteria and thanked the Alexander County School System for long-standing corporate sponsorship. The nomination criteria he described require at least five years county residency, at least four years of active participation in the candidate’s sport and a high-school graduation at least 10 years before nomination.
The committee introduced the inductees and provided brief biographies and remarks from each. Nathan (identified in the program as the son of one inductee) spoke for Bill Glad, who served as Alexander County recreation director (1975–1981 and 1984–2000), helped start youth soccer locally and played baseball at NC State as a four-year starter and two-time captain. Nathan highlighted Glad's role building programs that created college opportunities for local athletes.
Kylie Cockrell Hamby, a two-time state champion in softball at Alexander Central and current Alexander Central head softball coach, reflected on her playing days under coach Cheryl and the team focus that shaped her coaching. "Playing under coach Cheryl is probably some of the best days of my life," she said.
Matt Payne, a 2004 Alexander Central graduate who later played at NC State and was selected in the 2008 MLB draft, recounted his college and minor-league experiences and said he now works as an area scout for the Detroit Tigers covering North and South Carolina.
Gene Price, honored for more than three decades in Alexander County Schools as a teacher, coach, assistant principal and athletic director, recounted coaching highlights including taking teams back to the state playoffs and helping grow the wrestling program. Sanford Tighe, a multi-sport Taylorsville High athlete from the late 1960s, described his post-high-school community contributions, including development of adult tennis opportunities and continued local sports involvement.
Schrom closed by thanking volunteers, sponsors and vendors, invited inductees and current members onstage for a group photo, and reminded attendees the evening supports continued teacher grants and programs for Alexander County Schools.
