Tuesday, October 14, 2008

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Curtis Alexander, father of head baseball coach Terry Alexander, was honored for his dedication, hard work and support for JU baseball over the past 28 years by having the Dolphin locker room bear his name with a ceremony on Oct. 11 during the Dolphins' annual alumni gathering on Homecoming weekend. Alexander, who has been a key element in improvements to John Sessions Stadium, also had a baseball scholarship created in honor of him and his wife, Connie, who have been to every home baseball game since 1980. "The heart of a baseball team begins in the locker room and Curtis has been at the heart of this program for a long time," said JU director of athletics Alan Verlander. "The naming of the locker room and the creation of this scholarship will be around forever. It is a perfect tribute to a family who has meant a lot to JU Baseball." Alexander first became involved with the program as a groundskeeper when his son, Terry, became an assistant coach under Tom Bradley. In his spare time, he would do the little things at the ball park to make the field up to date and was heavily involved in the installation of the outfield wall, backstop, grandstands, dugouts, baseball offices and locker room. "I have known Curtis and Connie for several years and you can not mention JU Baseball without attaching their names to it," said longtime JU benefactor John Sessions. "I can not think of a better way for us to show our appreciation for everything they have done for this program."