Law School’s Budget Director Moonlights as Tennis Champion

To faculty, staff, and students at the School of Law, Lynn Stewart is the go-to guy for balancing the school budget and managing the building. Whether people are requesting funds to travel to conferences or letting him know about a burned-out light bulb in the library, Stewart keeps a smile on his face.

But behind the easy-going demeanor is a side of Stewart that most folks in the Law School community have not seen. It’s his fiercely competitive side, the one that has made him one of the top senior tennis players in the country.

Stewart, 51, recently won the Southern Senior Indoor Championships’ men’s 50 singles division in New Orleans, La. On his way to the championship, he defeated three of the top four seeds in the tournament, including the top two players in the South’s over 50 division. With his win at the Southern Seniors, Stewart moved up in ranking to 26th in the nation and fifth in the South.

“It’s satisfying to play well,” he says. “I wouldn’t say it’s fun to train, but it’s rewarding to stay in shape. You’re just striving to see how well you can do. Tennis is a good hobby to direct my time and energy to.”

Tennis excellence has come at a price. Stewart has undergone surgery on his knees four times, has had back surgery and has broken his wrist while playing. “And everything else hurts,” he says.

Stewart played competitively throughout college and into his thirties. Eventually, injuries took their toll on his body, and he took several years off after his back surgery. For the next 13 years, he concentrated on playing golf with his older son. It was only after his younger son showed an interest in tennis that Stewart picked up a racquet again.

“I was surprised after that long layoff by how much I still enjoyed playing,” he says. “Plus, I played much better than I expected.”

Some of Stewart’s competition has learned the hard way that he can be “much better than expected.” At the 2009 Spam Slam tournament in Bentonville, Stewart played in the men’s open division and beat Arkansas’ top-ranked 18-year-old. And at last year’s National Public Parks Championship, he made it all the way to the finals before losing to the overall top seed.

Stewart has a strategy for next tennis season. “I’m only playing hard court and indoor tourneys,” he says. “The national rankings are based on your five best results, and with my job I can only make it to five tournaments a year. I’m going to concentrate on playing on my best surfaces and hopefully I can keep my ranking up there near the top.”

Contact:

Andy Albertson, director of communications
School of Law
(479) 575-6111, aalbert@uark.edu