Parks & Recreation

Hall of Fame: 2011 Inductees
The People who have been nominated for the Hall of Fame are people who changed the face of their community for the better through the efforts of volunteerism and the vision of Recreation to better serve the citizens of Henry County.
Doug Holder
Mr. Holder coached 23 years in Henry County from 1967 thru 1996. Mr. Holder coached 29 different teams; 14 as head coach and 15 as assistant coach. Mr. Holder also served as District I Representative on the Henry County Recreation Board for 11 years from the original board in 1974 thru 1985. He served as the Locust Grove Representative on the Henry County Little League Board 1967 – 1969. He also served as Henry County Warhawk Dugout Club President in 1992 and 1993. Mr. Holder was also head coach six times and assistant coach 3 times for Men’s Church Softball League.
Steve Manders
Mr. Manders began his umpiring career with the Henry County Umpiring Association when he began college and continued to umpire for the next 12 years. In 1986, Mr. Manders began working for the Southern Collegiate Umpiring Association and by 1992, he had to stop umpiring for the Henry County Umpiring Association and continue for the next 19 years in the college level. Mr. Manders umpired 20 years in the ACC Conference with 12 Conference Tournaments, 18 years on the SEC Staff with 3 conference Tournaments, 11 NCAA Regionals, 9 NCAA Super-Regionals and 2 NCAA College World Series in 2005 and 2009.
Glenn Moseley
In 1971 Mr. Moseley began coaching football behind the Stockbridge State Bank on Mays Field. When football season was over all of the football parents and coaches would prepare both ends of the field for the baseball season. Once Cochran Park was opened; all baseball and softball games were played there and football was still played at Mays Field. Mr. Moseley coached baseball, football and softball from 1971 – 1996 and umpired for 5 years.
Clinton Smith (Posthumous)
Mr. Smith moved his family to Stockbridge in 1972. In 1973 he had 7 of his 8 kids playing ball. Since he was always at the ball field he decided he might as well get involved so in 1976 he became an assistant coach. By the next year he was a head coach. He coached football, baseball and a women’s league softball team. He also helped coach a basketball team. His wife (Virginia) was team mom for many of his teams. He spent many years on the Stockbridge Athletic Association board. Mr. Smith saw sports as a good way of keeping kids out of trouble and a way to build self-confidence.
Lawrence Turner (Deceased)
Lawrence Turner is thought of as the first Director for Recreation from the early 1930’s up to the Second World War. Mr. Turner fielded many great teams during that time and made it his business to form and provide a baseball field on The Gin House property. He provided uniforms, bats and balls for his teams. Mr. Turner loved the game and his players and he was the one that made it possible for the community and surrounding counties to attend games every Saturday at the Ola Field.
Rodney Whaley
Mr. Whaley was a baseball coach briefly in McDonough during the early 70’s. He spent the remainder of the 70’s coaching Little League football in Hampton. His football teams won several league championships. Mr. Whaley also coached the Hampton 17 – 18 year old baseball teams for several years winning the American Amateur Baseball Congress League Championships from 1977 – 1979. In 1975, Mr. Whaley, along with several concerned parents helped form the Henry County Warhawk Booster Club. He considers the life-long friendships made and the fund-raising efforts and accomplishments of the small group to be among his proudest moments.
Jim Wilson
Mr. Wilson served as President of the Ola Athletic Association and Henry County Softball for a number of years. He coached numerous girls’ softball teams and had one of the first traveling girls’ softball teams in Henry County. Mr. Wilson helped organize the fundraising effort that bought new lights at Franklin Rape Park and won several State and National Softball Tournaments in girls’ softball. He was awarded Coach of the Year in 1997 by USSSA and was awarded the #1 softball team in the State by USSSA and ISA National.
Previous Inductees
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