Luis Paredes starred for ABAC’s Golden Stallions in tennis from 1974-76. Newly selected for the Athletics Hall of Fame, he attributes life lessons learned at ABAC for his successes.

TIFTON — Luis Paredes knew there was something special about Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College when he was living on campus as a 12-year-old in the home of ABAC President Clyde Driggers.

That feeling of being special intensified when ABAC tennis coach Norman “Red” Hill taught Paredes how to play tennis and then allowed him to become the ball boy for the team. After returning to his home country of Panama and refining his tennis skills, Paredes returned to ABAC as a member of the Golden Stallions.

And now Paredes will join five other individuals and one team on April 6 in ABAC’s Museum of Agriculture Conference Room when they are inducted into the 2018 class of the ABAC Athletics Hall of Fame.

“My very first experience in Tifton was with the Reinhardt family and the Driggers family when I first came to Georgia when I was 12 years old,” Paredes said. “They both taught me about conviction, discipline and drive.”

Paredes used those principles when he became the No. 1 player for his Balboa High School team in Panama and then became the top player in Panama for the Junior League. When Hill recruited him to return to ABAC to play for the Golden Stallions, he never hesitated.

“Coach Hill taught me all about discipline and hard work,” Paredes said. “Thanks to him, I learned to never give up in life. Thanks to him, I built up my character. He helped me to become the strong individual I am to this day.”

Paredes was a standout player for the ABAC tennis team from 1974-76 who later played for Florida International University. The Golden Stallions finished second in the state tournament in both 1975 and 1976.

In 1976, Paredes helped ABAC to a 10th place finish in the national tournament. But it was the life skills that he learned on the tennis court that shaped his career after college.

Paredes achieved tremendous success in the business world, at one time representing his country as Director of Tourism for the government of Panama and serving as vice president and general manager of Aero Costa Rica Airlines for North America.

Today, Paredes is the President and CEO of AEH Group S.A./Aeroexpress leader companies in representation of famous worldwide air cargo airlines in Central America, Panama and Colombia. Also, Paredes now serves on the board of Hermes Aviation-Mexico and is an investor in various industries including Globelink-Aeroceano, Oceanica and real estate in many parts of the world.

“I am certain that ABAC was the foundation of everything I am today,” Paredes said. “My journey through ABAC forged me into becoming an independent person. I have achieved much thanks to hard work and a strong work ethic, both everlasting values that I learned at ABAC.”

ABAC athletics director Alan Kramer said the 2018 class also includes the 1982 state championship men’s basketball team, Teresa Cromer Walker from the 1993-95 softball teams, Jorge Novoa, a friend of the tennis program since 1972, Jenni Collins Smith from the 1980-82 women’s basketball teams, Chuck DeVane from the 1980-82 baseball teams and Andy Vaughn from the 1981-83 golf teams.

As an extra added attraction to the Hall of Fame ceremony this year, Polly Huff, assistant director and curator at the Museum, will feature an entire exhibit based on ABAC athletics titled “The Glory Days” in the Museum Gallery. Hall of Fame members can visit the exhibit at a 5 p.m. reception prior to dinner. The exhibit will then open to all ABAC alumni and the public on April 7 as a part of the homecoming weekend.

Tickets to the reception and dinner are $40 per person. Tickets can be purchased from the ABAC athletics office at (229) 391-4930. The deadline to purchase tickets is March 26. There will be no tickets sold at the event.

For more information on the 2018 Homecoming Week, interested persons can visit the web site at www.abac.edu/homecoming.