William Partin's older brother introduced him to baseball. He took the youngster to a minor league game in Jacksonville, their hometown. From that moment on, he was hooked on the sport, said his son Dr. Clyde Partin Jr. of Atlanta.
"He couldn't get enough," he said. "He had trouble making the high school team, but he was persistent. He never made any money and never played semi-pro or professional baseball, but he became a much better player."
After graduating from Jacksonville's Andrew Jackson High, Mr. Partin served as a pharmacist's mate in the U.S. Navy during World War II. In 1946, he enrolled at Emory University on the GI Bill. It marked the start of a decades-long relationship with a school where he nurtured a passion for academics and athletics as a teacher and coach. He's considered an Emory icon.
William "Doc" Clyde Partin Sr., 84, of Decatur died Tuesday from complications of a hip fracture at Emory University Hospital. The memorial service will be at 3 p.m. today at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church on the Emory campus.
At Emory, Mr. Partin earned two degrees —- a bachelor's in social sciences and a master's in education. He taught briefly in the main campus' physical education department, followed by a similar three-year post at Oxford College of Emory. He returned to the main campus in 1956.
There, he was the athletics director from 1966 through 1986. From 1966 through 1986, he was chairman of the health and physical education department. Under his tenure, Emory athletics blossomed. Some highlights: Women's tennis was added in 1975; women's cross country and track in the early 1980s. He spearheaded the George W. Woodruff Physical Education Center, which opened in 1983.
"His great pride was the P.E. Center, a state-of-the-art facility," Dr. James T. Laney, a former Emory University president, wrote in an e-mail. "Clyde was one of the early icons of Emory life."
Mr. Partin served as an assistant coach with Emory's baseball and softball programs. The school retired his baseball number (No. 4). He was a physical education professor until his retirement in 2002.
Later, he wrote a book about the history of Emory athletics —- "Athletics for All." And in 2007, an endowment was established to name Emory's athletics director's position the Clyde Partin Sr. director of athletics.
"If you have to say anyone is vital to Emory athletics, he's that person," head baseball coach Mike Twardoski said. "From me, to my assistant to the equipment room manager to the bat boys —- Doc was loved by everyone. He was well-read and well-written, but he was very ordinary when he talked to you."
Mr. Partin played recreational baseball on various teams until he was 75. He liked to play catcher. That way, he told family and friends, you're in the game on every pitch. He held part-time jobs with the Atlanta Braves, including official scorer. His favorite baseball player? Lou Gehrig.
"His passions," said his son, "were Emory and baseball."
Survivors other than his son include his wife of 57 years, Betty Glass Partin of Decatur; a daughter, Betsy Vinson of Gainesville; another son, Keith Edward Partin of Huntersville, N.C.; and five grandchildren.
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