Hall Of Fame

Lake Erie Tennis Legend Joins Athletic Hall of Fame

It was August when Virginia "Ginny" Hitt Thalman Kinney came to Lake Erie College to visit the new athletic building. She wasn't expecting to be greeted with news of her nomination to join the ranks of the College's finest athletes in the Lake Erie College Athletic Hall of Fame. Kinney happily accepted the nomination and was inducted during Alumni Weekend at a ceremony held in the Catherine F. Shaw Atrium of the Lake Erie College Health and Wellness Center. Ginny grew up in Glen Ellyn, Illinois where she was the local girl's tennis champion and winner of the Chicago girl's tennis singles championship. While in school, she also served as captain of her school's championship basketball team. However upon graduation in 1933, Ginny didn't have any plans for the future, except knowing that she wanted to go to college.

L to R Athletic Director, Ken Krsolovic, inductee Virginia Hitt Thalman Kinney, daughter Anne Thalman andInterim President Sue Dreitzler

Hall of Famer, Ruth Bartlett, Professor of Physical Education, contacted Ginny's high school in search of a tennis player for the LEC team. Ginny was offered the Mary K. Browne athletic scholarship, which paid full room and board during the height of the depression. She immediately accepted the offer to attend Lake Erie College without even seeing the campus!

During her career at Lake Erie, Ginny was a member of the basketball, hockey, swim, tack and tennis teams and also competed in varsity basketball as a freshman and varsity hockey during her sophomore and senior years. As a tennis player, she won the college tennis singles championship four times and traveled to collegiate tennis tournaments throughout the country.

After graduation, Ginny went on to teach tennis at Stevens College in Missouri and Ohio State University and continued to play tennis at the club level and recreationally for many years before "officially" retiring from the game during the late 1980's.

Story submitted by Nikki Clouse '09 with assistance from a biography provided by Anne Thalman.