Fayette County High School hosted their sixth annual Athletic Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony last Saturday evening, welcoming five athletes into the hallowed halls and three former students as Distinguished Alumni honorees. This year’s class included Eric Addie, Keith Brownlee, Genie Leonard-Dzenis, Robert Lewis Jr. and Greg Woodward as athletic inductees and Mike Duke, Floy Farr and John “Doc” Lester as distinguished alumni.

Addie was a letterman basketball player for the Tigers. A graduate of the Class of 1996, Addie is second in all-time scoring at the school with over 1,900 points. He was named to the first team All State team and was a three-time Atlanta Tip-Off Club honoree. He earned a full scholarship to Eastern Kentucky University and earned a degree in sports management. Brownlee was a four year letterman in baseball and a graduate of the class of 1994. A pitcher, Brownlee had a career record of 25-9, while also playing at third base and in the outfield. Named to the Fayette/Coweta All Area baseball team in 1994, brownlee went on to the University of Georgia where he was a letterman for four years. He appeared in 53 games as a closer, posted a 5-1 record with a 4.70 career ERA.

“Gary Phillips (Brownlee’s former principal) called me up and told me I was being inducted and I was excited,” said Brownlee. “I never thought anything like that would happen. It is humbling.”

Leonard-Dzenis was a graduate of the Class of 1995 and a member of the Lady Tiger soccer team. She played sweeper all four years and was a member of the teams that made it to the state semi-finals and finals. After high school, she went on to play for the University of Florida and the team defeated the University of North Carolina for the national championship in her senior season. Her first year at Florida marked the program’s first year. Leonard-Dzenis still follows soccer in Fayette County and also plays on a local team, the Thunderbirds, out of Fayetteville. Lewis Jr. a graduate of the Class of 1990, lettered in football and baseball for three years. In his senior year, he batted .419 with two homeruns and 36 RBI. Lewis, Jr. was named to the All-State team and played for Team Georgia before attending Auburn University, where he started as catcher in the 1994 College World Series and hit the school’s first ever homerun in the series. He also played for two years in the Shenandoah Valley Baseball League and earned the Hugh Erwin Coaches Award from the Winchester Royals.

Woodward was a graduate of the Class of 1979 and was a letterman in football for two years and a letterman in baseball for three. He was the captain of the baseball team in his senior season and was named to the Atlanta Dugout Club Baseball Player of the Week twice. His biggest football memory was of kicking the winning field goal against the third ranked Newnan High School team and in the senior year of his baseball career, Woodward, a catcher, hit .420 with eight home runs. He received a full baseball scholarship to Georgia Tech, started and lettered for three years and was a co-captain for the squad for two years. He was also named ACC Baseball Player of the Week twice.

“One time in college I had a little run in with Bo Jackson,” Woodward recalled. “The pitcher knocked a guy down and I soon found myself in a Bo Jackson headlock. “

Duke was a football and basketball letterman at the school. He graduated with the Class of 1967 and was president of the senior class. Duke went on to graduate from Georgia Tech with a degree in industrial engineering and he is vice-chariman of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

“This honor means so much to me because there have been thousands of graduates from FCHS and to be selected from so many other deserving graduates is a great surprise. I still love Fayette County even though I moved some 28 years ago, and to get to come ‘home’ and receive this honor means more than I can express,” Duke said. “FCHS helped me to be a better husband, father, and grandfather, and to help me in my business career. I am deeply honored.”

Farr, a graduate of the Class of 1930, passed away in 2006. Among his many accomplishments in Fayette County are serving as the principal organizer for the Coweta-Fayette Electric Membership Corporation and serving them for 61 years. He was president of that organization from 1976-1995. Farr was also one of the first directors of the Fayette County Kiwanis Club, chartered in 1951, and being the original founder, developer and chief financier of Peachtree City. The main meeting room at the Peachtree City Library is named in his honor and a portion of Ga. Highway 74 was renamed the Floy Farr Parkway in 1989.

Lester, a graduate of the Class of 1931, lettered in baseball and basketball as a student. After high school, he served the United States Army during World War II, was employed as a farmer and entrepreneur and was active in the First Baptist Church of Fayetteville, where he served as a deacon, Sunday School teacher and on the pastoral search committee. He was the city manager of Fayetteville for 18 years (1963-1981).

During that time, the city’s population doubled, the budget grew from $72,000 a year to $822,000 and the number of employees in the city increased from 5-28.

Lester also oversaw the establishment of a closed sewer system, the construction of a water treatment plant and tank, a police and fire stattion and the purchasing of a new city hall.
“I am thankful to the board of directors for selecting me for this honor as there are many others much more deserving,” said Lester. “My contributions towards the growth of Fayetteville were based on my love of Fayetteville and Fayette County and to be recognized this way is very humbling.”

The Hall of Fame is the only organization of its kind in Fayette County at the high school level. Its goal is to honor the high ideals of sportsmanship, citizenship and loyalty in a rapidly changing community.

For additional information on the event please contact Len or Jane Gough at 770-716-8420.

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