“A locker room is more than a place to go to change or go to in between games to rest,” senior softball player Brittany Mumford told the crowd gathered before a doubleheader at the John and Donna Hall Field this past Saturday. “This is a place where memories are made and bonds are developed.”
Mumford and the rest of the Pioneer softball team joined in the celebration as Transylvania dedicated the Ronald and Frances Holley Players Lounge. Named in honor of Pioneer Hall of Fame athlete Sherry Holley’s parents, the new state-of-the-art locker room, as Mumford shared, is a “top notch” space where the team can not only get ready for games, but can also relax afterward.
Sherry Holley ’88 was a three-sport athlete at Transy in field hockey, basketball and softball. She was the 1988 Pioneer Athlete of the Year and currently serves on the university’s Board of Trustees.
“I could go on and on about the success of Sherry Holley,” said Vice President for Enrollment and Student Life Holly Sheilley. “But today really isn’t about Sherry. I have no doubt that if asked she would say her path to growth and success began with her parents. Generosity is love in action, and Sherry wanting to honor her parents with this naming opportunity certainly encapsulates that notion.”
“Recently, I had a friend say ‘I love how you love Transy so much!'” Sherry Holley shared. “When I began my freshman year, I was nervous, wasn’t sure I belonged nor confident I would succeed, but that changed pretty quickly. As I melded into this campus and community, I was accepted, nurtured and encouraged to be my best self, and granted the opportunity to succeed.”
She continued, “I am so grateful that I will forever get to share this bond with my parents, Ronald and Frances Holley, as we dedicate the players lounge in their names. They are unassuming, and I am sure they don’t realize how responsible they are for this gift. Their life lessons, mentoring, and support have helped create my values and beliefs. I have watched them sacrifice and serve for the betterment of our family and country and I am so happy to be able to honor them.”
Ronald Holley was born in Paducah, Kentucky, and served in the National Guard, U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, retiring in 1980 as an Air Force master sergeant. He is a Vietnam Veteran and Tet Offensive survivor. Frances Holley is from Henderson, Kentucky, and, as a military spouse, she raised four children while moving all over the world, including assignments from France to Germany to bases in Alaska, Florida and California.
“The generosity of their time, intelligence and care to our country and to their family has led to their daughter’s generosity in honoring her parents,” Sheilley said.
“From the bottom of our hearts, you don’t know how thankful we are that we get to spend our last couple weeks in this brand-new locker room,” Mumford added. “When we look back on our four years as Transy softball players, this locker room is where many of our memories will be made.”
