ATHENS-----Former Georgia tennis standout Gordon Smith will be inducted into The Grady Fellowship at the Athens Classic Center Thursday. The Grady Fellowship is a tribute to Grady College alumni who are distinguished for their influence, achievements and service to media professions.

Smith is the executive director and chief operating officer of the United States Tennis Association (USTA). In this position, he leads USTA's effort to promote and develop the growth of tennis, and oversees USTA operations and the functioning of its national office. After attending law school at UGA, Smith clerked with the federal judiciary before joining the Atlanta-based international law firm of King and Spalding, where he was a senior partner in the 800-lawyer firm. Smith is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers and has been listed in the publication The Best Lawyers in America for many years.

He has long been connected to tennis as both a player and a volunteer, playing competitively at UGA and captaining a team that swept four straight Southeastern Conference titles from 1971 through 1975. He was the college roommate and doubles partner of current Georgia head coach Manuel Diaz.

Other inductees include Georgia associate athletic director Claude Felton, Brenda Hampton, Ray Jenkins and Ruth Trager.