Preface:

Recently I volunteered to gather information on the Tennis Club History and to put together a first draft. I am at a definite disadvantage, since I didn't join the club until the mid-70's, and have to rely on stories passed on to me by the real old-timers. This first draft is only a very brief first try, based on some earlier records and on the few responses I have received to my letter of July 10. Some of the responses I received had contradictory information, and some of the "facts" cited may be incorrect and may have to be revised by consensus.

I would like to thank the people who have shared their experiences with me. Special thanks belong to Jerry Duck, Mike Shapiro, Hank Yeagley, and Ed Knapp. I hope that this draft will encourage members to contribute their memories as well as their anecdotes, so that we ay end up with a booklet which will enlighten, inspire, and amuse the club members and any others who may care to read it.

Beginning of the Club:

The club was apparently formed in 1962 or 63. Members played on clay courts located South of the skating arena. The court had lighting, which was turned on by a key to which club members had access. The original annual dues were $18 for a single member and $35 for a couple. (Oh wouldn't you all love to go back to the good old times, in which a year's tuition was $200!). The dues were raised in 1967 to $35 and $70.

The foundings of the tennis club and the installation of the various facilities was undoubtedly aided by the tennis enthusiasm of such high-ranking university administrators as President Eric Walker and Larry Perez, Ossian McKenzie, Nelson McGary, Hank Yeagley, Ben Howell, and others, all vice presidents or college deans. Never since has the club had such a high ranking group of university mucky-mucks.

The six clay courts at the present site were built in 1968, placing the office and locker rooms over the first of the original courts, and expanding the roof to make space for three more courts. Even these were at first much more primitively equipped. The main lighting switches, for example, were located along the south wall of the building, behind courts 2 and 3. I still remember when my wifre Jean and I used ot play two evenings a week with Mac and Mary Emma Keith. Our boys were about 10 and 7, and we took them along to the courts, where they would entertain themselves by running around the perimeter, which may have contributed to a few of Mary Emma's unforced errors. At one time I looked over and saw tomy dismay how my younger one reached up to the switch. Too late came my call, "No Steve!" He pulled the switch, and the building became pitch dark. Luckily Jean knew about the small emergency light switch at the door entrance, and we were saved from a complete disaster. Later the main switches were moved to the office, and the lighting was also improved.

Early Management:

It seems that the club was originally managed by John Egli, who at that time was the University's basketball coach and handled the tennis club on the sideline. I never met John, but he was described to me as highly enthusiastic and imaginative. In addition to many club activities he organized programs to attract the young people from the community. Ed Knapp, in his memoirs, relates that he received a call from "towering John Egli," who informed him that Eric Walker's team was short a player and would he please get over to the courts as soon as possible. This may have been the only time that Ed came to a game on time.

In the early 1970's, Jerry Duck took over the management of the golf and tennis center. He stayed on as the club manager until late 1999, and was instrumental in making many improvements to the facilities. He lives next to me in Boalsburg, and I can attest that I have heard him almost regulary drive to the center at 5 am or earlier. This could present some difficulties on a snowy winter morning, when Jerry would have to clear a 200-foot long driveway before being able to drive to work. After Jerry retired, Eric Dove took the helm. From duck to dove. I wonder whether Lynn Swan will eventually replace Eric.

Holmes Cathrall, the Penn State tennis coach of the 80's, was a true gentleman and a strong supporter of the club. Occasionally he made arrangements for exhibition play by some players of national rank. According to Ed Knapp, one of them was Billy Trabert, the suave coach of our Davis Cup team. He gave a brief lecture to enthusiasts in the grandstand, where Ed was seated beside Bernie Oldsey. They noted Bill's natty attire including the top two inches of each of his athletic socks, neatly down above the ankly. Bernie remarked in low tones: "I see that I have been wearing my socks wrong."

Club Activities:

Since early on, the club has been active in organizing tournaments and training sessions for young and old. The sponsorship of Junior tournaments started in the early 1980's. At the beginning, members would volunteer to host the junior players, picking them up at the bus station, putting them up in their homes, and driving them to and from the tournaments. As the program increased in size, living space was rented in the graduate student quanset huts near the tennis courts. Even then, club members had to volunteer to live in the dorms and act as chaperons during the duration of the tournament. The toip participation in this tournament was 102 players.

In 1994, the first of the Pro-Am tournaments was organized, to benefit a chosen charitible organization. The event has been held in six of the last seven years. Club members would pay $100 for the privelege of being teamed up with any of the 8 female and 8 male club pros, invited from all over Pennsylvania and sometimes from out-of-state. The festivities would start on Friday evening with a banquet and the auction, at which time teams are announced and individuals would bid on their favorite team. Prize packages ranged from national tournament tickets, vacation and tennis training program certificates to art work and attire. Depending on the pissazz of the auctioneer, and sometimes of the team members, bids could go as high as $600. At the auction in the March 2000 tournament, one of the pros was incensed that the bidding for her team stopped at $350. After she stepped forward, raised her skirt and exposed her ankle, the bidding shot up to $550. The round-robin tournament would take place on Saturday and go on all day. Many thanks are due to our most faithful pro, Joe Ferry of All Sports Enterprises, who has not only participated in everyone one of the six tournaments, but has donated numerous prizes for the games. Joe has also been instrumental in the construction on the Sarni Center.

Another annual activity is Team Tennis, in which four or more teams of club members are formed, chaired by a captain. On a chosen weekday, teams compete against each other, playing seven matches. The competition is keen, and the tension can be cut with a knife, especially if Joan Nessler happens to be your team captain.

A few years ago, one of our pros organized a "woody-white" evening tournament. As the name indicates, players have to be dressed in white and play with wooden racquets. The prize for elegance could have gone to Helen Magnuson, who showed up in an authentic long Helen Moody dress, even though Jack Rayman's outfit complete with red bow tie drew considerable admiration. The red bow tie might however gotten him disqualified at Wimbledon.

For his debut in 2000, Eric Dove has started the highly successful Grand Prix, played once a month on weekends. It can be a grueling tournament for those players unlucky enough to survive the first rounds and make it to the finals. On Tuesday mornings the ladies often meet to discuss the events of the weekend, and to get even in their grudge matches of the Petite Prix.

On the less formal side there are many organized competitive programs. For decades, the ladies have had their Tuesday morning program, usually starting at 9 am. Rumors have it that once in a blue moon they break down and allow a male player to join them, but the rumor may be just that, a rumor.

One of the long-lasting programs is the 15 week winter Sunrise League, started by Joe McKnett sometime around 1994. In order to increase the use of hte indoor facility, he negotiated a special fee if he could recruit 16 regular players for a morning play, starting at 7:30 am. A schedule was devised to guarantee that each player would get every other player once for a partner and twice for an opponent. Originally the Sunrise League played only on Wednesdays, but later it was expanded to Monday and Wednesday, even though we have not always managed to round up 16 players for each of the mornings. At the conclusion of the Sundrise League season, the season is celebrated by a breakfast, at which highly imaginative prizes have been devised and presented by Joe. For hte last three or four years, the winter sunrise league has been extended to a year-round affair, in sessions of eight to twelve weeks.

And last but not least, Ben Howell's super senior group must not be ignored. Until last year, it consisted of Ben, John George, John Morring, Bert Yood, and Ralph Fearing, among whom John Morring, at 86 years, is definitely the oldest active club member. On August 20, 1998 we had a special celebration, honoring their combined 410th birthday. We are all sorry that, with the passing away of John George, we cannot come back for the 420th birthday this coming fall.

Anecdotes and Malicious Rumors:

During chats about old memories, all kinds of stories can be heard about various players. There is the story of the outragious Joe Rubin, who used to lay down on the bleachers, sunning himself toplessly. This led to a vigorous protest by some of the ladies, and a shirt rule was instituted.

Eric Walker was authoritative but a pleasant partner or opponent. He played well into his 80's, pacing himself properly and fully knowing his physical limitations when a ball was played out of his reach. Eric would usually retreat to his home in Hilton Head for the winter, but in spring he would be back. John George confessed to slight consternation when he might get a call on a spring Saturday at 8 pm, from Eric, announcing, "I am back and ready to play tomorrow." Then John would have to call one of his lowly Sunday players, to tell him he was bumped due to rank-pulling. I joined the Eric Walker Sunday morning group sometime in the 1980's. Once I had a conflict and sent a young colleague, Art Miller, to take my place. Noticing that Eric, his partner, had difficulties retrieving a short drop shot, Art decided he would dart over to get to the ball. He got there on time but his return went wide. Eric just stood there and pronounced: "Young man, if you decide to poach, make sure your shot is good." To this day when a player on our Sunday group poaches and misses, our comment is, "Dr. Walker says..."

Ed Knapp, in his inexhaustible repertoire of stories, tells of a Sunday morning game to which they had invited Marylyn Shoboken to join them. After several vigorous sets, there were perhaps ten or more of the senior gentlemen assembled in the locker room, in various states of nudity, and Ed announced buoyantly, "Well, we are all here," at which point Eric piped up, "where is Marylyn?" When the lady herself got wind of that exchange she confronted Eric, saying, "I heard you have been talking about me in the locker room," at which point he blushed crimson.

Ed himself was not exactly a person easily overlooked. You always had to be careful not to prompt him to come up wiht one of his off-color stories. He truthfully acknowledges that he would, almost to the minute, be 15 minutes late. There was one exception though, when one Sunday, at the end of daylight savings time, he was 45 minutes early. He seldom failed to comment on the ominous smell coming from the chicken coup housed in the present Sarni Center. One day the wind had shifted, and there must have been a chicken barbeque going on somewhere near the skating arena. Ed raised his nose and remarked, " I must say, that chicken sh.. is beginning to smell better and better."

At a different time I was playing with John George's group when the court next to us was occupied by various high-level administrators, and Franco Harris. At one point I was racing to the right to return a wide ball, when I saw Franco heading my way, all 250 plus pounds of him. I just dove and hit the floor, while Franco jumped right over me. As I got up, I remarked, "I just ditched myself because I didn't want to wipe out Franco." He just said, "Thank you," and kept on playing.

We have quite a few remarkable players. It is Pietro Pelliciotta's undisputed unique claim to fame that he is the only player in the club capable of hitting a blistering overhead shot from 3 feet height. Gert Aron is probable the noisiest of the players, even though our rather undignified pastor, Joe Krabill can easily compete with his outbursts of laughter. At one time I accused Joe of having a mephistophelic laughter, upon which he replied, "How do you know, is he your personal acquaintance?"

I would love to hear a few more stories as well as corrections or additions to this chronicle.

Give us your opinion today! Contact:

Penn State Tennis Center
University Park, PA 16802
(814) 865-1351