Science Hill High School

Kenny Arrowood

Kenny Arrowood

Kenny Arrowood has been part of the fabric of Science Hill athletics for 40 years. He's worked sporting events in various roles for seven athletic directors: Sidney Smallwood, Cot Presnell, Elvin Little, Charlie Bailey, George Pitts, Mike Voitlein and Keith Turner.

He has done the PA for basketball, football and wrestling  -- "I didn't even know they had high school wrestling until I met Tony Farrace," he says -- and sold tickets for baseball. One night when Little had strep, he was even part of the basketball staff with Dennis Greenwell and Charlie Bailey.

"When it was time to go sit on that bench, golly, I went walking down through there like I was somebody," he says with a laugh. "It didn't matter that my role was to pick up the basketballs."

Arrowood can tell you about running "old-timey clocks" in the rain while Gary Scheuerman's junior high football team was romping somebody. It'd shock him each time he touched it.

Arrowood started with the Johnson City Parks and Rec in '67, began working with Johnson City Major Little League in the summer of '69 and worked as a security guard at Science Hill (1972-78).

"Kenny has always done whatever he could to help Science Hill," Pitts said. "Kenny's given a lot, even being big in the Little League down there at Spurrier Field. I respect his dedication."

One of Arrowood's favorites was Science Hill legend Gary Carter, who he knew from Little League. Carter became a 1,000-point scorer at Tennessee.

"I remember we had Gary one year and Unicoi had Doc Shelton," Arrowood said. "When Gary would score I'd boom it out. When Doc would score, they could probably barely hear me.

"I have so many good memories. Now, there are many times I feel like I should've spent more time with my family, but they say they know I was doing what I loved to do."

And to hear a lot of the Science Hill folks' appreciation, Arrowood really has two families. "It was four or five nights a week for a lot of those years," he said. "I've enjoyed every single night of it."