PC alumnus and Blue Hose standout Chuck Waldron (right) was inducted into the S.C. Tennis Hall of Fame on Nov. 18. He was awarded his green jacket by James McKissick, chair of the S.C. Tennis Patrons Foundation.

The distinguished contribution of a former Blue Hose was recognized and immortalized this fall.

Chuck Waldron ’80 of Clinton was inducted this month into the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame at a ceremony held Nov. 18 at the Wild Dunes Resort on the Isle of Palms.

Waldron played competitively for Presbyterian College and dedicated his entire career to the sport he loves.

“Coach Waldron’s contributions to tennis and even more importantly to young people in our community cannot be measured,” said PC president Dr. Anita Gustafson. “I am grateful for his continued work to bring honor to his alma mater and congratulate him for creating such an enduring legacy.”

PC athletic director Dee Nichols thanked Waldron for being a great ambassador for the Blue Hose.

“On behalf of the entire Blue Hose family, we thank Coach Waldron for representing us in the S.C. Tennis Hall of Fame,” she said. “Chuck’s prowess on the court and his coaching wisdom will never be forgotten.”

Waldron discovered tennis at PC’s legendary Callaway Courts when the Blue Hose program was a national powerhouse under the leadership of legendary coach and former player Jim Shakespeare ’59. At five years old, Waldron rode his bike to see some of the best NAIA players in the country play in his hometown and discovered the passion that would redirect his entire life.

Chuck Waldron ’80
S.C. Tennis Hall of Fame

“They were giving lessons on the Callaway Courts, and when the lesson was over, I was really interested,” Waldron said. “I don’t know when it was, but they hit a few balls to me, and I’ll never forget the first time I hit one. Instantly, I fell in love with it.

“There’s a quote that I love that says, ‘if you can see it, you can dream it.’ I had a vision when I was at a very, very young age that I wanted to play like those guys. I was watching the best in the world.”

At age 10, Waldron delivered papers and collected deposits on glass bottles to save enough money for a 30-minute lesson from Shakespeare himself.

“God put these things together,” he said. “I didn’t plan this. He put these things together in a Jim Shakespeare tennis lesson. It was a 30-minute lesson, but he stayed with me for an hour and he worked on my backhand, which is by far my best shot. It was unbelievable. I don’t know how but it was a gift from God.”

Waldron paired his gifts with determination and hard work to build a great amateur career. At Clinton High School, he was a member of four state championships and, by his senior year, was the number one player on the school’s third-ranked team in South Carolina. He earned a scholarship to play tennis for the Blue Hose on teams that finished nationally in the top four each year he played collegiately.

Waldron played professionally for three years after graduating from PC, winning eight doubles titles in statewide adult tournaments.

However, Waldron’s first and best destiny in tennis started at age 15 when he began coaching others alongside former PC great George Amaya. In more than 50 years of coaching and instruction, Waldron has touched the lives of countless players – including greats like Gigi Fernandez at Clemson University and former PC standout Kimberly Hampton, who died in Iraq while piloting an Apache helicopter in the U.S. Army.

His ongoing Clinton Junior Tennis Program has helped more than a hundred players earn college scholarships to play tennis. Waldron also held several assistant coaching positions at PC and Clemson University and was also the head coach at Thornwell School, and the girl’s coach at his high school alma mater. In 12 years at Thornwell, Waldron’s teams won 11 regional titles. At CHS, his teams earned two top-five state rankings.

But as Waldron points out, none of his accolades came without help.

“This honor doesn’t happen without friends,” he said. “It doesn’t happen without wonderful, wonderful people being involved in your life – and a lot of those people came from PC.”

Waldron also credits the hard work of the many players he has coached and helped along the way.

“Great players make good coaches,” he said. “Notice I’m not saying great coaches because we learn from these players – they make us better.”

They also include tennis-playing members of his family. His daughter Virginia ’10 played at PC for Waldron’s old doubles partner, the late Bobby McKee. She and her sister, Gracie, were recipients of the Mark Hodgin Jr. Sportsmanship Awards. His son, Ike, earned the Belton Sportsmanship Award.

As Waldron continues to mentor young players in the coming years, he also hopes to put his history degree from PC to good work restoring the Callaway Courts to its former glory and making it and the tennis program’s story a part of South Carolina’s historical past.

As a Hall of Famer, Waldron’s career is also part of the state’s history. His portrait is now displayed at the S.C. Tennis Hall of Fame in Belton’s historic old train station.

Chuck Waldron with his family at the S.C. Tennis Hall of Fame Induction Banquet in Isle of Palms.