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1996 Hall of Fame Inductions
People Who Changed The Game
In 1996, we inducted 6 impactful women into the Hall of Fame. Each of their legacies has created a lasting impact on the sport of tennis and will for the rest of time.
Inductees
E. Marguerite Chesney
A self-taught tennis player who became a champion, Marguerite Chesney (1893 - 1971) pioneered women’s intercollegiate competition during her 36-year career at the University of Arizona. In the 1930’s, Chesney began to organize regional Play Days for college women; and in 1947 she initiated the co-educational Arizona Intercollegiate Invitational Tournament, which she directed for the next decade.
Chesney’s career includes many milestones such as the most singles titles in the Southwestern and Arizona Opens, the first woman sectional delegate to the USTA, and the first woman to be inducted into her university’s Sports Hall of Fame. Beloved by her students, she coached many champions including the 1946 national winner in junior doubles, Mary Cunningham. Another student, Laura Morgan Stubbs, wrote in tribute, “Any memory of Miss Chesney is a happy one.”
Chesney’s career includes many milestones such as the most singles titles in the Southwestern and Arizona Opens, the first woman sectional delegate to the USTA, and the first woman to be inducted into her university’s Sports Hall of Fame. Beloved by her students, she coached many champions including the 1946 national winner in junior doubles, Mary Cunningham. Another student, Laura Morgan Stubbs, wrote in tribute, “Any memory of Miss Chesney is a happy one.”
Eve F. Kraft
Eve Kraft (b.1926), a lifelong champion of recreational tennis, introduced thousands of young people to the rewards and challenges of the game. Kraft developed her own love of tennis as a ‘street kid’ in Philadelphia and, after graduating from Antioch College and working as a journalist, she began a model community tennis program for families in Princeton, New Jersey.
In the years following, Kraft took her cause to the national level, writing the highly successful Tennis Workbook instructional series, founding and directing the USTA’s Center for Education and Recreational Tennis, and consulting with such sports organizations as the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Among many honors, this ‘grande dame of grassroots tennis’ received the USTA/Middle States Tennis Association’s highest honor, the Mangan Award, in 1990.
In the years following, Kraft took her cause to the national level, writing the highly successful Tennis Workbook instructional series, founding and directing the USTA’s Center for Education and Recreational Tennis, and consulting with such sports organizations as the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Among many honors, this ‘grande dame of grassroots tennis’ received the USTA/Middle States Tennis Association’s highest honor, the Mangan Award, in 1990.
Helen Hull Jacobs
A gutsy competitor with a powerful backhand, Helen Hull Jacobs (b.1908) was the first tennis player to be voted Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year. Like her greatest rival, Helen Wills, Jacobs attended the University of California at Berkeley and worked with coaches William ‘Pop’ Fuller and Hazel Wightman. Mrs. Wightman called Jacobs “the most satisfying pupil I’ve ever taught.”
Popular among players and fans alike, Jacob’s determination and skill led her to four straight U.S. singles championships. Her last match with Wills in the 1938 Wimbledon finals showcased her fighting spirit: she refused to default despite a severe foot injury. During World War II, Jacobs took courses at the College of William & Mary in preparation for training as a U.S. Navy WAVE. She attained the rank of Commander in the Naval Reserve.
Popular among players and fans alike, Jacob’s determination and skill led her to four straight U.S. singles championships. Her last match with Wills in the 1938 Wimbledon finals showcased her fighting spirit: she refused to default despite a severe foot injury. During World War II, Jacobs took courses at the College of William & Mary in preparation for training as a U.S. Navy WAVE. She attained the rank of Commander in the Naval Reserve.
Helen Wills Moody Roark
Helen Wills (b.1905) dominated women’s tennis in the 1920’s and 1930’s with her unrivaled concentration and driving attack from the baseline, which netted her 31 Grand Slam titles. Wills began her tennis career at age 13, developing her skills playing against men. In 1924, she earned two Olympic gold medals. Several years later, she earned a Phi Beta Kappa key as a student at the University of California at Berkeley.
Wills became an international sensation after her 1926 match against French champion Suzanne Lenglen, with Lenglen barely defeating the younger player. Returning from an illness the next year, Wills won every set she played from 1927 to 1933. With her distinctive eyeshade and inscrutable game face, Wills was often regarded as cold and aloof. Yet as she explained, “I had one thought, and that was to put the ball across the net.”
Wills became an international sensation after her 1926 match against French champion Suzanne Lenglen, with Lenglen barely defeating the younger player. Returning from an illness the next year, Wills won every set she played from 1927 to 1933. With her distinctive eyeshade and inscrutable game face, Wills was often regarded as cold and aloof. Yet as she explained, “I had one thought, and that was to put the ball across the net.”
Margaret Osbourne duPont
Admired for her incomparable sportsmanship, as well as for her unforgettable volleys, Margaret Osborne duPont (b.1918) ranks among the top Grand Slam champions with 37 titles. Beginning in 1942, duPont joined forces with Louise Brough to form ‘the greatest of the great’ in doubles pairings. The two friends also treated fans to the longest women’s singles match in the history of the U.S. Championship, a 4-6, 6-4, 15-13 marathon in 1948 which was finally won by duPont.
For her longtime contributions to the game of tennis as a volunteer, coach, teacher and writer, duPont was honored with both the USTA’s Service Bowl and the Educational Merit Award. In 1966, duPont moved to El Paso, Texas where she attended college and joined former doubles partner, Margaret Varner Bloss, in a highly successful second career raising thoroughbred racehorses.
For her longtime contributions to the game of tennis as a volunteer, coach, teacher and writer, duPont was honored with both the USTA’s Service Bowl and the Educational Merit Award. In 1966, duPont moved to El Paso, Texas where she attended college and joined former doubles partner, Margaret Varner Bloss, in a highly successful second career raising thoroughbred racehorses.
Margaret Varner Bloss
Margaret Varner Bloss (b.1927), a three-sport champion, led a remarkable career as a player, educator and international goodwill ambassador. Varner started winning tournaments at an early age; she was a five-time Texas State champion and earned three national junior titles. An outstanding student, Varner attended the University of Southern California and received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from Texas Women’s University in 1950.
Varner could win with any racket, becoming the first person to represent the U.S. in the world competition in three racket sports: tennis, squash and badminton. At the same time, she pursued a 20-year college teaching career, retiring to join her former doubles partner, Margaret duPont, in raising thoroughbred racehorses, including such aptly-named winners as ‘Super Set’ and ‘Tie-Breaker.’
Varner could win with any racket, becoming the first person to represent the U.S. in the world competition in three racket sports: tennis, squash and badminton. At the same time, she pursued a 20-year college teaching career, retiring to join her former doubles partner, Margaret duPont, in raising thoroughbred racehorses, including such aptly-named winners as ‘Super Set’ and ‘Tie-Breaker.’
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