Greater Charlotte Sports Hall of Fame will be honored at a dinner celebration and tribute on the evening of April 16, 2005, at the Panthers Den at Bank of America Stadium. Proceeds from the event will benefit Charlotte/Mecklenburg Senior Centers, Inc.
The four 2005 inductees are:
– Bobby Jones, collegiate and professional basketball player
– Bruton Smith, motorsports pioneer
– David Thompson, collegiate and professional basketball player
– Hoyt Wilhelm, professional baseball player (posthumous award)
John M. Belk, former Charlotte Mayor and recently retired chief executive of the Belk department store organization, is honorary chairman of the event. The gala event (formal business attire) will feature a cocktail reception with live music beginning at 7 p.m., followed by dinner at 8 p.m. The awards presentation ceremony will include video tributes to the inductees and introductions by friends and colleagues. A silent auction of sports memorabilia and other items will be held. Tickets to the charitable event are $150 each. For information or reservations, call 704-369-0383 or visit the charlottehalloffame.com website. The inaugural inductees of the Greater Charlotte Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 were: Jim Beatty, the late Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Mullins and Floyd “Chunk” Simmons. Members of the 2005 Greater Charlotte Sports Hall of Fame’s selection committee that chose the 2005 honorees include Jim Babb, Jim Beatty, Jeff Beaver, John M. Belk, Dell Curry, Ron Green, Sr., Bill Hensley, Max Muhleman, Judy Rose, Dick Thigpen, and H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler. The Greater Charlotte Sports Hall of Fame was established in the fall of 2003 as an entity to recognize and honor outstanding sports figures from the Charlotte region and to create greater public awareness of the area’s rich sports history and heritage.(carolinanewswire.com)(4-15-2005)
