APTA Annual Meeting Minutes

1964 Annual Meeting Minutes

William G. Nagle elected APTA President (1965-1967)

Richard J. Reilly, Jr. starts building courts

Dick Reilly had started building courts in 1965 and, by 1967, had built over sixty around the country. An enthusiastic player, Reilly developed many improvements in court construction that greatly enhanced durability and playability. In the early 1970s, he pioneered the aluminum deck, which has become the standard. Among the many improvements he made to court construction are: • The use of thirty-foot, kiln-dried deck members, joining under the net, making the playing surface as technically perfect as is possible. • A two-toned, green and red deck surface on which the white lines were two inches in width. This aided the players' vision and promoted greater accuracy in a fast-paced rally. • Hinged snow-boards which facilitated rapid clearing of the court. • Quartz-iodine lighting for night play. • The use of one-inch, hexangular, galvanized mesh with a gau[...]

The APTA Honor Award initiated: 10 pioneers honored

On February 18, 1965, the APTA gave out the inaugural Honor Awards to individuals who had made outstanding contributions to platform tennis. The awards were to be presented when the association's Executive Committee felt that one or more individuals merited inclusion in the group of men and women who had created the game, nurtured it, or played it as champions. The first APTA Honor Award Recipients were: Madeline (Madge) Childress Beck: Considered one of the outstanding women players of the game, Madeline (Madge) Childress Beck won 17 National Championships—12 Women’s, 4 Mixed, and 1 Singles—from 1936 to 1960 and likely would have won more except that the Women’s Nationals were not held from 1943-1948, and the Mixed Nationals were not held from 1943-1945 and in 1948. (Fox Meadow Tennis Club) When it comes to discussing the leading women players developed since the game b[...]

National Championships

Holmes and O’Hearn (son of Hall of Fame member Charles O’Hearn), the previous year’s finalists won a five-setter over Dick Squires and Ted Winnpenny, Jr.1 Hebard won his first 50+ with partner Sidney Sweet and Charlotte Lee won her fourth Mixed title, this time with Bill Pardoe. Do Cogswell Deland and Susan Beck Wasch won the Women’s; it was Wasch’s fourth Women’s title and the second one for the team. Note 1: Charley O’Hearn was seen anxiously walking back and forth around the court where the final was being played like an expectant father. He was overjoyed at the outcome. Source: Oliver H. Durrell The Official Guide to Platform Tennis, 1967; and APTA Platform Paddle Tennis 1963-1973: Rules and Records, 1973; Personal communication from Michael O’Hearn.

Oliver A. Kingsbury elected FMTC President (1965-1967); new club house wing become a reality during his term

Kingsbury (1902-2005) was born in Clifton, NJ and graduated from Paterson High School. For many years he was an officer of the advertising firm Donahue & Coe, Inc. in New York City where he handled one of the key accounts, Metro Goldwyn Mayer in the hay day of MGM musicals. During Kingsbury's tenure the board developed plans for a major addition to the clubhouse that would contain a new kitchen and clubroom. The undertaking created much controversy with neighbors and the new wing only became a reality in 1967 because of the perseverance of Walter Close and Kingsbury who were feted by the club for their achievement, at which time the addition was unofficially dubbed the Kingsbury Wing.

Rev Frank Beal, inventor of playground paddle tennis, dies

APTA Honor Award: 7 more pioneers honored

James M. Carlisle: Carlisle served as APTA Secretary from 1955-1957, and as President from 1957-1959. A winner in as many different kinds of tournaments as anyone else in the early years of the game, he won the Men’s Nationals in 1955 and 1958 with Richard K. Hebard. He also won the first and second annual National Men's 45+, in 1957 and 1958, a tournament that he is generally considered to have founded. (Fox Meadow Tennis Club). Donald K. Evans: Among his many accomplishments, Donald K. Evans is best known for the backstop that shares his name. In designing and producing the Evan Backstop, he solved the major impediment to the enjoyment and expansion of the game—the inconsistent bounces of the ball off the wires. He designed and built the freestanding taut wiring that is officially used today. The first installation was on Jimmy Cogswell’s court in Scarsdale, NY, during the wi[...]

National Championships

The previous year’s finalists, Dick Squires and Ted Winnpenny, Jr., prevailed over the new and rising team of Gordon Gray and Jesse Sammis. Charlotte Lee won her fourth Women’s title with yet another partner, Carolyn Nelson, and Gordon Gray and Anne Symmers won the first of their three straight Mixed titles. The dominance by Fox Meadow teams had begun to wane. Cogswell's grandson, Rawle Deland, Jr., was a finalist in the Junior Boy's for the second year in a row. Source: Oliver H. Durrell The Official Guide to Platform Tennis, 1967; and APTA Platform Paddle Tennis 1963-1973: Rules and Records, 1973

APTA Annual Meeting – Two Regional VPs added to Board to support growth

To support the growth of the game beyond the NYC metropolitan area the APTA Board elected two Regional VPS located in MA (New England) and MD (Mid Atlantic). 1965 Annual Meeting Minutes