On Saturday, October 6, Battle Ground Academy will induct new members into its Alumni, Sports and Faculty Hall of Fame. In addition, the school will honor its Distinguished Young Alumna in a ceremony to be held at the Marriott Cool Springs.
“It is a wonderful honor to be inducted into BGA’s Hall of Fame, and this year we have an incredibly deserving class. In the selection process, candidates are not only chosen for their outstanding achievement but also for their continued commitment to the school and its mission,” said Will Kesler, BGA Head of School. “They clearly connect their time at BGA with the success that they have experienced. We are delighted to welcome them in the Hall of Fame and look forward to a wonderful ceremony during Homecoming Weekend.”
Mike Keith, a 1986 BGA graduate, member of the independent school’s Hall of Fame and Voice of the Tennessee Titans, will serve as the presenter. More information and tickets are available at BattleGroundAcademy.org.
Being honored this year are:
Alumni Hall of Fame
Judge Robert E. Lee Davies, Class of 1975 – Davies was Senior Class President at BGA and a member of the Honor Council. He lettered in football and swimming. Davies was on the Latin Catapult Team and a member of Key Club. He graduated Cum Laude from Washington & Lee University and then received his Dr. of Jurisprudence from the University of Tennessee. A member of the Tennessee Bar Association, he has practiced law since 1982. Davies served as a Circuit Court Judge for the 21st Judicial District in Tennessee and currently is a Senior Judge appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Additionally, he is an instructor at the Nashville School of Law. Davies is married to Robin Denton Davies and has four children: Robert E. Lee Davies Jr. (BGA Class of 2007), Dawson Davies (BGA Class of 2010), Hannah Hampton and Jacob Hampton.
CAPT Thomas Sykes DeJarnette, Class of 1988 – DeJarnette lettered in cross country while at BGA but swimming was his forte. In high school, he was a state champion, High School All American and Junior Olympic qualifier in swimming. He attended the University of South Carolina where he was a Division I All American Swimmer, Academic All American and Senior National qualifier. At South Carolina, he received the Gamecock Award for outstanding dedication to USC athletics. Following this, he attended Naval Officer Candidate School, leading to a long and distinguished career in the Navy. He currently serves as the Chief Staff Officer for the Naval Special Warfare CENTER. He has served in a variety of leadership positions, including Director of NATO SOF School, Deputy Commander/Chief Staff Officer for Naval Special Warfare Group ONE, Deputy Commander for Naval Special Warfare Group THREE and Commanding Officer for SEAL Team ONE. During his career, he has been deployed to every continent in the world except Antarctica. He is married to Angela Westbrooks DeJarnette, BGA Class of 1988. They have two children: Sophia and Jack.
Sports Hall of Fame
Michael Trailov, Class of 1995 – Trailov is one of the most decorated golfers to come out of BGA. He was on the All Mid State Golf Team in 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade and was named to the Tennessean’s All State Golf Team in 10th, 11th and 12th grade. Trailov was District Champion in his junior and senior seasons, and finished State Runner Up as a senior. He also played varsity basketball and was a member of two state championship teams. At BGA, he was Class Treasurer and a member of National Honor Society and SADD. Following BGA, he attended Mississippi State University where continued his golf career. His teams were Southeast Conference champions in 1996 and 1997. Trailov was a NCAA Scholastic All American, nominated for the Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Award awarded to the Southeastern Conference Student Athlete of the Year and male recipient of the Mississippi Association of Colleges David M. Halbrook Award of Academic Achievement Among Athletes. He has been with Wolverine Worldwide in a variety of sales leadership positions since 2000, along with being a multiple winner of sales representative of the year for the Wolverine brand. He and his wife, Jacque, have four children: Lucy, Emilia, Christian and Mary
Faculty Hall of Fame
Stewart (Stew) Long – Long taught at BGA for 23 years, starting in 1985 until his retirement in 2007. At BGA, he was recognized for bringing the school into the age of computers. Upon joining BGA in 1985, he developed the entire computer department and curriculum for grades 7th through 12th. For the first 15 years of his career, he taught every student at the school in all grades. He physically built two computer labs at BGA’s old campus on Columbia Avenue and oversaw the development of the new computer lab when the school moved to its current campus. Prior to BGA, he taught at schools in New Jersey and New York for 13 years. Long holds a variety of degrees from Trenton State College, Julliard School of Music and Long Island University. He is also a renowned trumpet player, having played with the U.S. Air Force Band and as a freelance trumpeter in New York and Nashville. He and his wife, Jeanette, have one daughter: Christine Long Gabel, BGA Class of 1992. They are the proud grandparents of Maddie and Juliet Gabel.
BGA’s Hall of Fame Members are nominated and selected by BGA’s Alumni Board. In addition, the school recognizes a Distinguished Young Alumna:
Brittany Adkins Schaffer, Class of 2003 – Schaffer was highly decorated while at BGA receiving a range of awards including Helen & Ralph Brown School Spirit Award, Harvard Book Award, BGA Music Award and BGA Drama Award. She served on BGA’s Student Council, Artists Guild, Show Choir, Speech and Debate Team, Digamma and National Honor Society. After BGA, she received her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and her Dr. of Jurisprudence from Samford University. Upon graduation, she began her career in entertainment law at Loeb & Loeb from 2010 to 2017, where she worked with high profile talent clients, consumer brands and live event companies. In 2018, she was named Head of Artist & Label Marketing, Nashville for Spotify. She has been recognized with numerous civic, business and Nashville-area awards and accolades. She is married to T.J. Schaffer.
For more information on BGA’s Hall of Fame event on October 6 and to purchase tickets, visit BattleGroundAcademy.org.
Established in 1889, Battle Ground Academy is a coeducational, college preparatory school for grades kindergarten through 12th grade. More information on the school can be found at www.battlegroundacademy.org.
