PART I
A winning hand of Knights
Greenfield to induct 5 in first athletic hall of fame banquet
By Paul Durham paul@wilsontimes.com | 265-7808 | Twitter: @PDsports
Quite simply, the time was right for Greenfield School to recognize some of the many of the great athletes who have worn the green-and-white uniforms over the past five decades.
While the school recognized alumni, community members, staff and faculty members in its Order of the Roundtable since 2005, Saturday night Greenfield will hold its first athletic hall of fame induction ceremony as part of its 50th-year celebration.
“(The Order of the Roundtable) is an important part of our school but we’ve had so many great athletes and success in our athletic program, we thought it would be special to have it on our 50th anniversary,” Greenfield athletic director Rob Salter said.
And, as expected, the first induction class is a doozy. Starting with three of its most celebrated athletes — Anthony Atkinson Jr., Catherine Thomas Andrews and Badie T. Clark III — and joined by soccer coaching legend Ben Forbes and the late Janet Broadhurst Beaman, who served as the school’s headmaster for 25 years, the group is at the forefront of a long and storied athletic tradition at Greenfield.
“All three of those athletes are three of the best to ever come through here,” Salter said. “We wanted this class to set the tone, and they are, but there are some phenomenal classes ahead.”
In addition, the 1989 Knights who won the school’s first soccer state title will be inducted as a team.
The plan is to hold an athletic hall-of-fame induction ceremony every three years, but there’s no doubt this one is very special, starting with Beaman, who passed away in March.
“Janet was the face of Greenfield,” Salter said. “She absolutely and completely supported her coaches and athletes. It was a joy to work for her and she knew how important sports were to Greenfield.”
Beaman served on the NCISAA board of advisors for many years and was the president and vice president of the Coastal Plain Independents Conference at times. During her tenure as headmaster, Greenfield added sports such as baseball, volleyball, track and cross-country.
In addition, she and her husband, Tommy, were fixtures at Greenfield sporting events.
“Even after she retired she came to a lot of games,” Salter said. “She loved Greenfield.”
Forbes was as much a figurehead for Greenfield as Beaman, having spent 24 years as soccer coach. His association with the school began in the 1970s when his children, Tricia and Jack, started kindergarten there. He started coaching soccer when they played for Wilson Parks and Recreation Department teams and eventually found himself helping then Greenfield head coach Rick Helms. Forbes was the assistant coach on the 1989 Knights team that won the state title in Jack Forbes’ senior year. A couple of years later, semi-retired after getting out of the trucking business, Forbes got a call from Beaman asking if he would be interested in coaching both Greenfield soccer teams and heading up the school’s development and fundraising.
art
A winning hand of Knights
Greenfield to induct 5 in first athletic hall of fame banquet
By Paul Durham paul@wilsontimes.com | 265-7808 | Twitter: @PDsports
Quite simply, the time was right for Greenfield School to recognize some of the many of the great athletes who have worn the green-and-white uniforms over the past five decades.
While the school recognized alumni, community members, staff and faculty members in its Order of the Roundtable since 2005, Saturday night Greenfield will hold its first athletic hall of fame induction ceremony as part of its 50th-year celebration.
“(The Order of the Roundtable) is an important part of our school but we’ve had so many great athletes and success in our athletic program, we thought it would be special to have it on our 50th anniversary,” Greenfield athletic director Rob Salter said.
And, as expected, the first induction class is a doozy. Starting with three of its most celebrated athletes — Anthony Atkinson Jr., Catherine Thomas Andrews and Badie T. Clark III — and joined by soccer coaching legend Ben Forbes and the late Janet Broadhurst Beaman, who served as the school’s headmaster for 25 years, the group is at the forefront of a long and storied athletic tradition at Greenfield.
“All three of those athletes are three of the best to ever come through here,” Salter said. “We wanted this class to set the tone, and they are, but there are some phenomenal classes ahead.”
In addition, the 1989 Knights who won the school’s first soccer state title will be inducted as a team.
The plan is to hold an athletic hall-of-fame induction ceremony every three years, but there’s no doubt this one is very special, starting with Beaman, who passed away in March.
“Janet was the face of Greenfield,” Salter said. “She absolutely and completely supported her coaches and athletes. It was a joy to work for her and she knew how important sports were to Greenfield.”
Beaman served on the NCISAA board of advisors for many years and was the president and vice president of the Coastal Plain Independents Conference at times. During her tenure as headmaster, Greenfield added sports such as baseball, volleyball, track and cross-country.
In addition, she and her husband, Tommy, were fixtures at Greenfield sporting events.
“Even after she retired she came to a lot of games,” Salter said. “She loved Greenfield.”
Forbes was as much a figurehead for Greenfield as Beaman, having spent 24 years as soccer coach. His association with the school began in the 1970s when his children, Tricia and Jack, started kindergarten there. He started coaching soccer when they played for Wilson Parks and Recreation Department teams and eventually found himself helping then Greenfield head coach Rick Helms. Forbes was the assistant coach on the 1989 Knights team that won the state title in Jack Forbes’ senior year. A couple of years later, semi-retired after getting out of the trucking business, Forbes got a call from Beaman asking if he would be interested in coaching both Greenfield soccer teams and heading up the school’s development and fundraising.
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