APTA Honor Award: Harrison and Pardoe

George R. Harrison won the Men's Nationals in 1956 and 1960 and the Men's 45+ in 1963. He was active in the APTA as chairman of the Rules and Equipment Committee and, during his tenure and through his efforts, the yellow-orange ball that replaced the original white ball was introduced and became the ball standard until the modern yellow ball was adopted. (Fox Meadow Tennis Club). William E. Pardoe won the Men's Nationals in 1956 and 1960, the Mixed Nationals in 1965. and the Men’s 50+ three straight times (1966-1968). He had one of the all-time best serves in the game, and brought the American twist service to platform tennis. (Fox Meadow Tennis Club).

James M. Carlisle elected FMTC President (1969-1970)

APTA Boy’s Doubles- FMTC juniors make it to the finals but lose to the Baird brothers

No one from Fox Meadow had won the Boys' Doubles yet, but in 1969 the Club's Clay Auxford, son of Sally Childress Auxford, and partner Hi Lankenau of Chappaqua made it to the finals. They lost 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 to Chip and Steve Baird, brothers from Chevy Chase, Maryland, who won the Men’s National Championship in 1976. Steve Baird and partner Rich Maier dominated the game in the 1980s and early 1990s Source: Adapted from Diana Reische, Fox Meadow Tennis Club – The First Hundred Years, 1983

APTA policy on use of racquets and balls

The APTA Paddle Newsletter reported on the policy that stated that only officially approved rackets and balls would be sanctioned for play at APTA Tournaments. The only rackets approved for play at the time were manufactured by the Dalton Company, Marcraft and Craig & Simplex Co. Official balls used at APTA Tournaments were those produced by the Barr Rubber Company. The APTA told manufacturers, interested in getting their equipment approved, to contact the APTA concerning submission requirements. Source: First edition of The APTA Paddle Newsletter

APTA Annual Meeting Minutes

The Annual Meeting Minutes covered the results of tournaments including the new Senior Veteran's (60+) which was contested for the Ken Ward Trophy, the financial health of the APTA, and the Honor Award presentations to George Harrison and William Pardoe. [See]

APTA studies the history and formats used in the Presidents Cup in order to provide guideline for future events – Gary Horvath chairs the committee

Purpose of the study: At the May 1988 meeting of the APTA Board of Directors Gary Horvath was asked to chair a committee to work with Fran Sennas to study the Presidents' Cup. This study will be conducted in several phases. Phase I is the compilation of the history of the APTA Men's and Women's President Cup. This event has developed a tradition as rich as that of the National Championships. The event has had a number of formats, a wide variety of sponsors and at times its share of controversy - primarily in administrative matters. Throughout it all, the events have been characterized by an unparalleled amount of camaraderie, sportsmanship and fun. Hopefully an accurate record of these happenings can be compiled while the individuals who made this event so great are still interested in the great sport of platform tennis. The purpose of establishing an accurate record of [...]