Reagan Turner Ragsdale - 1990

Reagan Turner Ragsdale was born September 20, 1951 in Birmingham, Alabama.  Although proficient in many sports during his early years, he had ultimately settled on tennis and basketball upon graduation from Banks High School in 1969. 

Accepting a basketball scholarship to Jefferson State Junior College, he immediately became a standout guard on the varsity squad where he set the best free-throw percentage in the history of the school.  Some twenty-years later, his eighty-four percent average still ranks him second in this category. 

Turner also played the number one position on the varsity tennis team during his freshman year, winning the AJCC singles and doubles titles.  A few weeks later at the NJCAA Tennis Championships, he led his team to a seventh place national finish. 

During his sophomore tenure for Jefferson State, Turner gave up basketball to concentrate solely on tennis during the entire academic year.  An honor student, he was elected president of the Student Government Association, a post which would sow the seeds of future tenacity as an undergraduate and graduate student in English at several universities.  Following another sweep of the AJCC singles and doubles titles; he added yet another laurel by duplicating these titles in the NJCAA Region XVII (Alabama-Georgia) Tennis Championships. 

Jefferson State was to establish itself as a power in junior college tennis by 1971 chiefly due to the prowess of Turner Ragsdale.  Playing in his second National Junior College Tennis Championship in Ocala, Florida, Turner was selected to the first team All American singles squad.  He capped the season by winning the National Junior College Doubles title with Joe Kelly of Galveston, Texas.  Their 36-0 perfect 1971 season record earned Turner a first team All American doubles selection, and elevated the Jefferson State tennis team to number two in the nation. 

Shortly before graduating from Jefferson State Junior College in 1971, Turner accepted a tennis scholarship to Samford University, where his team was to finish as high as second in the NCAA Division II Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  Turner earned a bachelors degree in English from Samford University in 1973. 

During the next dozen years following his undergraduate degree, Turner traveled extensively through various Canadian provinces and European countries playing in major tennis championships.  Dove-tailed in were positions as a teaching professional at tennis clubs in Birmingham and New York. On numerous occasions during this era he was the top-ranked male single and doubles player in Alabama, and was ranked as high as fourth in the Southern Tennis Association. 

During the 1980’s Turner continued work toward his Ph.D in American Literature at the University of Alabama.  He interrupted his study joined the United States Navy where he served aboard naval vessels for four years.  When not at sea he docked at many major ports of the world, oftentimes reading the complete works of various American writers during his tour of duty.  While serving his country Turner continued his tennis accomplishments, winning several Navy and All-Armed Services Singles and Doubles Championships. 

Turner is presently teaching English to personnel aboard naval vessels in connection with a program affiliated with Central Texas College.  During the summers he continues to teach tennis to young people at a leading New York tennis club.