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Hugh Lamar wins silver medal in state Senior Olympics

By Diana Fedinec

Hugh Lamar wins silver medal in state Senior OlympicsCongratulations to Southwest Tennessee Community College adjunct Hugh Lamar on winning the Silver Medal in tennis singles at the 2023 Tennessee Senior Olympics. Lamar, at 86 years of age, competed in the category of Age Group 85-89. 

According to Prime Time, a magazine published by Central Church in Collierville, Tennessee, where Lamar is an active member, Lamar was a late bloomer to the world of tennis.  

“I did not play tennis until I was about 50 years old and I only played once a week,” Lamar said. “When I initially retired from Southwest in 2001, I joined a group of retired men who played tennis and started playing three times a week and have continued to play for about 36 years now.”

Lamar said he has competed in the state’s Senior Olympics for several years and in competitions at the National Senior Olympic Games in Birmingham, Alabama in 2017, and in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2019.   

Before picking up a tennis racket, Lamar scored a record of individual wins at Southwest. Since joining the College (formerly State Technical Institute) in 1970, he has moved from teaching business languages to becoming the department chair of computer science in 1985 and dean of computer technologies from 1986-1994. Along the way, he established an associate degree in Microcomputer Technology and a graphic arts program that still exists today. During his last year of employment in 2001 as an administrator, Lamar was in charge of all campus sites and helped start evening classes at local high schools. He came back the very same year to begin teaching accounting part-time as an adjunct. 

“Senior Olympics has 19 sports all based on age. The higher the age, the fewer the players. I’m hoping to continue playing tennis and competing well into my 90s. The key to life as I tell everyone, especially when they retire, is to keep moving and not sit around,” Lamar said. 

After 36 years of playing tennis and 53 years of teaching, Lamar has certainly found a winning formula for a well-lived life.