Featured Photo: A Basic Law Enforcement Training vehicle is parked at the Broadmoor Golf Links as part of the 2026 Ryan Hendrix Memorial Golf Tournament. (Photo: Blue Ridge Community College.)
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A team of four Blue Ridge Community College employees honored a local law enforcement hero and Blue Ridge alum on Sept. 2, 2026, by participating in the annual Ryan Hendrix Memorial Golf Tournament. While the team claimed first place, the real reward was honoring the memory of Deputy Ryan P. Hendrix of the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, who was killed in the line of duty on Sept. 10, 2020.
Deputy Hendrix graduated from Blue Ridge’s Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program in 2015. In Fall 2020, the College’s Educational Foundation established a scholarship in his honor. The tournament’s inaugural event in 2023 helped raise funds to support the scholarship.
Proceeds from this year’s tournament supported Henderson County Heroes, a nonprofit supporting first responders and public safety organizations throughout Henderson County.
“As our program establishes a culture of leadership and character through the BLET program, Ryan’s life and service remain the core of what we want to instill in future law enforcement officers,” explained Blue Ridge’s Dean of Public Safety Training Christopher Wiliams. “Thanks to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, the Hendrix family, and the Buchanan Construction team, we have established a memorial plaque and shadow box dedicated to Ryan’s memory and heroism.”
The plaque and shadow box are displayed in the College’s BLET classroom, where they serve as a lasting reminder of Hendrix’s life, service, and sacrifice for each class of future officers.
Blue Ridge’s team included Christopher Williams; Chris White, chief of police; Robert Vaughn, facility technician; and Rich Olsen, Basic Law Enforcement Training school director.
Chief White knew Deputy Hendrix since childhood, and the tournament held personal meaning for him and his family.
“Ryan and I grew up playing baseball together from the time we were 8 years old,” he said. “Just two years ago, our sons were on the same little league team, playing on the very same field where Ryan and I had played as kids. This tournament meant so much more than playing golf—it was about honoring Ryan and the memories we shared over the past 30 years.”
“It was an honor to play this tournament in memory of Ryan while representing the College,” Chief White added.
At the tournament, Blue Ridge’s team had the opportunity to participate alongside basketball hall-of-famer Roy Williams, who coached the North Carolina Tar Heels for 18 seasons and the Kansas Jayhawks for 15 seasons.
Last month, Blue Ridge Community College announced that the next Basic Law Enforcement Training program is planned for January 2027, following renewed accreditation and extensive efforts to rebuild its law enforcement program and procedures.
Information about the annual Ryan Hendrix Golf Tournament is available on the Buchanan Construction website. Information about law enforcement education is available at www.blueridge.edu/law-enforcement.
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