The seventh annual Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet was held at the Fannin County High School cafeteria on Saturday, April 6, 2019. A crowd in excess of 150 was on hand. The event was catered for the sixth consecutive year by Shane’s Rib Shack of Ellijay.
The 2019 induction class includes seven individual athletes or athletic contributors and one team. The individuals honored were Travis Guthrie, Ron Hartness, Jackie Ledford Gilliam, Randall Beavers, Ron Beavers, Tommy Jones and Roxie Reed Trovato. The 1963-64 West Fannin High School boys basketball team was also inducted. The members of the team were Steve Cheatham, Johnny Corn, Jerry Guthrie, Malcolm Holden, David Key, B.J. Taylor, Robert Guthrie, Sam Ledford, Norman Pope, Donnie Arp, Jimmy Key, Ray Arp, Steve Fry, Tom Bowling and Coach Tom Foster.
Several inductees are deceased or were unable to attend and were represented by their spouses or other family members. Those accepting the plaques for deceased inductees were Carlton and Jerry Guthrie for their father Travis Guthrie, Becky Guthrie for her husband Robert Guthrie, Sarah Arp for her husband Donnie Arp and Sonja Key for her husband Jimmy Key. Accepting for inductees unable to attend were Jackie Ledford Gilliam for Sam Ledford and Debbie Arp Pfitzer for her brother Ray Arp.
A five to eight minute video devoted to the lives and careers of the inductees was shown after which the inductees, or their representatives, were presented with a plaque that includes a picture and summary of the accomplishments of each inductee. An identical plaque will be added to the FCSHOF exhibit on the second floor (walking track floor) of the Fannin County Recreation Center.
The program included a tribute to Coach Tom Foster who, along with his wife Joyce, was killed in an automobile accident in February. The tribute included remarks by Tom’s former players Steve Fry and Glenn Patterson as well as a short video displaying photos of the life and career of Coach Foster with appropriate background music.
Special guests introduced were FCSHOF founder and first president Denson Hamby, 1947-1951 Epworth High School basketball standout William Young Querry, noted local historian, author and newspaper columnist Dale Dyer and local author Joe Cobb Crawford.