Bio

Earl George Beemon II

Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College (1965-1967) / Tennis
Gulfport, Mississippi

George Beemon was already a solid tennis player when he came to Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College in 1965.

"I started playing tennis when I was 7 years old," Beemon says. "I learned how to play in the Gulfport Recreation Department's program. They had individual parks, and once a week a tennis instructor would come by and teach us the game.''

But with the direction of tennis coach Sue Ross, his game really took shape once he got to Perk. Beemon, a Gulfport native, played men's tennis at Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College (Perkinston Campus) for both the 1965-66 and 1966-67 seasons.

"My roommate was the No. 1 player, and I was No. 2," Beemon says. ''We finished 1-2 in the state that year."

Ross took Beemon and another player to the National Junior College Athletic Association National Tennis Tournament held at Central Florida Junior College in Ocala, Florida, where they placed eighth in the nation. As a member of the 1966-67 team, Beemon won the state junior college singles championship and was undefeated in singles play. He says although his time on the court was special, it was the time off the court at Perk that he remembers most.

"Even if you threw out the tennis, those were the best two years of my life," he says. "Just from the people I met and the people I still know. It's incredible to see what the people I knew back then have accomplished in their lives."

Beemon continued his successful tennis career after leaving Gulf Coast, He's won numerous state and regional championships as a tennis player and coach. He says despite some aches and pains that come with age, he still enjoys playing … and reminiscing about his days at Perk.

"I wasn't an introvert when I got to Perk," Beemon adds, "but I developed as a person while I was there. Being there helped me grow and gain a lot of confidence. I was a pre-engineering major, so we had a lot of math to study and learn. I had so many instructors who were willing to go the extra mile to help me anytime I needed it.” Like the time Beemon needed help with calculus.

“My instructor was L.D. 'Buster' Stringfellow (in 2009 a member of the college's Board of Trustees). At that time, (Stringfellow) lived in one of the dorms. I was struggling with calculus, and I went over and knocked on his door at 10:30 at night. He came to the door in his pajamas and we sat at his kitchen table, and he helped me with calculus. I’m pretty sure you can't do that any place else.”

Beemon, in 2009, was a member of the Mississippi Tennis Association, Jackson County Community Tennis Association, Mississippi Tennis Foundation, and United States Tennis Association.  He retired from the Travelers Insurance Company and in 2009 worked part-time at The Peoples Bank of Biloxi.