A crowd gathered on the roof of the new Allen Arena west parking garage Saturday, April 17, for the dedication of the Huston-Marsh-Griffith Tennis Center.
The beautiful 2,200-square-foot facility, which promises to be one of the nicest in the Atlantic Sun Conference, offers six state of the art tennis courts, a pro shop, common area, restrooms, and soon to be completed locker rooms for the men’s and women’s tennis teams.
The facility also provides two stadium courts located at ground level on the south end.
The Huston-Marsh-Griffith Tennis Center is the new home of the men’s and women’s tennis teams. In addition to hosting many collegiate tennis matches, the facility also houses the Lipscomb Racquet Club.
The Racquet Club offers annual memberships for unlimited use of the courts, a pay-as-you-play option for walk-ins, and junior and adult instructional programs. The Lipscomb Racquet Club has also established a partnership with the Green Hills YMCA, offering special membership discounts for YMCA members.
This long-awaited tennis center was generously funded by lead donors, Bill and Myra Huston.
Bill Huston, CFO of Southern Care Inc., was a member of the men’s tennis team during his time at Lipscomb. Huston’s hope for the facility is that it would expand Lipscomb’s NCAA tennis program, bringing more competition to the school and adding a new sense of pride in the program.
As the dedication ceremony began, Joe Ivey, Senior Vice President of Advancement, gave a welcome to the guests. Everyone was then lead in prayer by Bennie Harris, Vice President of Development.
Scott McDowell, Vice President of Student Development, and Phillip Hutcheson, Director of Athletics, offered several words of gratitude on behalf of Lipscomb University.
Kara Jackson, a member of the women’s tennis team, represented the men’s and women’s tennis teams and thanked the Huston’s for their generous donation.
“We are forever thankful and appreciative of our new facility, a place that we can now call home,” said Jackson.
Robbie Davis, a member on the Board of Trustees, gave a short speech, particularly honoring ‘Fessor Boyce and the dedication of the ‘Fessor Boyce Championship Stadium, which consists of the two stadium courts located directly at the corner of Granny White and Shackleford.
“He was a gentle, Christian man respected by all,” said Davis of Boyce.
President Randy Lowry presented the dedication of the new Huston-Marsh-Griffith Tennis Center. Following the dedication, Bill Huston gave a response.
During his response, Huston reflected on his days on the Bison tennis team. Huston, showing his whit and sarcasm, expressed to the current men’s and women’s teams his lack of success as a collegiate tennis player.
Huston said he hoped that by having his name on the building when one of Lipscomb’s players was having a hard match or was simply discouraged, they could look at his name and find a sense of inspiration.
“They can look at my name and think, ‘You’re never going to be as bad as that guy,’” said Huston.
After directing a few words to the current tennis teams, Huston spoke on the late Stephen Marsh, his close friend and college roommate.
Huston made his donation in honor of his late companion. Stephen Marsh was represented by several members of his family.
“He was the best friend I’ve ever had,” said Huston. “He was truly the best man I have ever known.”
““Even though he is not with us anymore, he is someone I look to for guidance in the way he lived his life. I wanted to honor him in a symbolic way.”
As Huston concluded his response, he left the audience with a final word of gratitude.
“Thank you for allowing us to do this and thank you so much for Lipscomb and what it means to us,” said Huston.
Photo Credit: Hailey Waldron
Also being honored in the naming of the tennis facility is Lynn Griffith, professor of health and physical education and former head coach of the men’s and women’s tennis teams.
Griffith has served Lipscomb for thirty years, coaching tennis for twenty-one of them. Griffith is a family friend of the Huston’s, making him a perfect choice for the Huston’s to honor in the dedication of the facility.
“Lynn has done more than anyone else to build a quality first-rate tennis program at Lipscomb,” Huston said. “He has such a passion for tennis; it leaks over to everyone around him.”
In his speech at the ceremony, Griffith expressed his thanks to both the Hustons and Lipscomb for this honor.
“The Griffith family is very honored and humbled to be included in the naming of this building,” said Griffith.
Griffith expressed his hopes for the facility as a place for relationships.
The new Huston-Marsh-Griffith facility, named for three men who had a wonderful relationship, will surely be just that, a place for relationships.
As the ceremony came to a close, head coaches of the men’s and women’s teams, Andrew Harris and Kristin Lusk, offered their words of thanks and made a presentation to all three honorees.
Following the dedication, Griffith and Huston took part in the inaugural first serve. Huston opted to serve first and with a winner on the return Griffith won the first point played on the dedicated facility.
Several capital improvement naming opportunities still exist for a variety of prices, including individual tennis courts, a meeting room, locker rooms, bench panels, lockers, and individual seats.
For more information regarding naming opportunities, please contact Brent High at Brent.High@Lipscomb.edu.
This story was posted courtesy of LipscombSports.com.