A former Douglas High School graduate has had the distinct honor of being one of the first women inducted into the Billie Jean King International Women’s Sports Center located in Manhattan, New York.

Submitted Photo Karen Kenyon, a 1959 DHS graduate, stands with Billie Jean King in front of her panel at the Billie Jean King International Women’s Sports Center in Manhattan, New York.

The induction took place May 7 in New York.

Karen Kenyon, a 1959 DHS graduate, was one of several women inducted into the sports museum which opened for the first time last month.

According to the letter Kenyon received from the organization, the goal of the Billie Jean King Center is to feature the major themes of inspiration, breaking barriers and expanding horizons by taking visitors on a journey that follows the development of an athlete. The gallery will feature a section on the role of coaches in the lives of female athletes.

The letter goes on to state that by coaching both mainstream and less-common sports Kenyon has shown that all sports belong on an even playing field.

Kenyon, who currently resides in Sun Lakes, AZ. where she works as a Red Cross volunteer and coaches an over 50 ladies softball team, coached at Maine West High School in Des Plaines, Ill. for over 30 years where she coached fencing, softball, gymnastics, badminton and tennis.  She achieved a career fencing record of 209 wins and 75 losses. Her teams captured the Midwest High School fencing championships six times from 1982 to 1989. Kenyon was inducted into the Illinois Girls Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1992.

Her dad, Frank Kenyon, currently resides in Douglas. She also has an aunt and uncle, Ed and Georgia Page, who still reside here. Her mother, Evelyn, passed away in 1992. Kenyon’s two brothers Mike and Tom reside in Florida and Phoenix.

While at DHS Kenyon played tennis and was very active in softball.

“There wasn’t organized softball when I was at DHS so we played in the summer,” she said.

Upon graduating from DHS Kenyon attended Arizona State University where she played softball for the Sun Devils. Upon graduating from ASU she began teaching and coaching in Illinois.

Initially 40 coaches were considered for the new sports museum but only five were selected and Kenyon was one of the five.

“I was overwhelmed when I was told I would be one of five coaches featured in this sports museum and I was even more overwhelmed when I came back from New York,” she said. “This is a Hall of Fame for women who have contributed to making the women’s sports foundation what it is.”

Kenyon had the opportunity to actually meet with tennis legend Billie Jean King.

At the grand opening not only did King speak but Martina Navratilova was there as well along with several other legends Kenyon said she had just seen on TV.

“It was such a thrill to be talking to Billie Jean King about women’s sports,” Kenyon said. “I’m just so proud – finally there’s a place for women’s sports “

The exhibit highlights special moments in sports such as the Title IX law for gender equality in 1972 to Nadia Comaneci's perfect 10 in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal and the 1997 launch of the WNBA. The sports museum also features a special section honoring its namesake. King won 39 Grand Slam singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles, including six Wimbledon singles crowns. King, however, she is best remembered for her 1973 Battle of the Sexes victory over Bobby Riggs. At center court of the display is a replica of the "Sugar Daddy" shirt Riggs wore that night at the Astrodome.  Other tributes to female athletes include the shoes Kerri Strug wore when she stuck the vault with a sprained ankle for U.S. team to seal the gold in the 1996 Olympics to the sports bra Brandi Chastain flashed in front of 90,000-plus in attendance at the Rose Bowl to celebrate the United States' Women's World Cup-clinching victory over China in 1999.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg was joined by New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, Carl Lewis, Walt Frazier, Tony Dorsett, Jim Craig, Bob Cousy, Mario Andretti and 30 other hall of fame athletes to celebrate the opening of the Sports Museum of America.

“I am very humbled by this honor,” Kenyon said. “It is truly a very special moment I will never forget.”