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1997 Hall of Fame Inductions
People Who Changed The Game
In 1997, we inducted 4 incredible 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
Carole Caldwell Graebner
Carole Caldwell Graebner (1943 – 2008) was an inaugural member of the U.S. Federation Cup team and was a leading force in women’s tennis for more than three decades. Ranked among the top players just prior to the Open Era, Graebner developed her talents on California’s public courts. She attended California State University at Los Angeles with her friend and frequent competitor, Billie Jean King.
A finalist for the 1964 U.S. singles title, Graebner captured the U.S. and Australian doubles titles over the next two years. She is the only woman to participate as a player, captain and chairman for three premier international events: the Wightman, Federation and Bonne Bell Cups. A longtime Vice-President at Tennis Week, Graebner was a recipient of both the USTA Service Bowl and the Sarah Palfrey Danzig Award.
She died of cancer on November 11, 2008 in New York.
A finalist for the 1964 U.S. singles title, Graebner captured the U.S. and Australian doubles titles over the next two years. She is the only woman to participate as a player, captain and chairman for three premier international events: the Wightman, Federation and Bonne Bell Cups. A longtime Vice-President at Tennis Week, Graebner was a recipient of both the USTA Service Bowl and the Sarah Palfrey Danzig Award.
She died of cancer on November 11, 2008 in New York.
Darlene R. Hard
Winner of 21 Grand Slam titles, Darlene R. Hard (b.1936) was the last of the great amateur players. She learned the game on public courts in Southern California, coached by her mother, Ruth. Already a touring champion when she entered Pomona College in 1957, Hard played in the first national intercollegiate tournament for women the following year, claiming the singles title.
Hard’s aggressive serve-and-volley game made her nearly unstoppable in doubles. She won 19 major doubles championships with 10 different partners – including a rousing comeback with Francoise Durr at the 1969 U.S. Open.
A professional instructor and active volunteer until 1981 when she joined the administrative staff at USC, Hard never regretted her amateur playing status. “We played for the title and the glory of the game. I loved it. I love tennis.”
Hard’s aggressive serve-and-volley game made her nearly unstoppable in doubles. She won 19 major doubles championships with 10 different partners – including a rousing comeback with Francoise Durr at the 1969 U.S. Open.
A professional instructor and active volunteer until 1981 when she joined the administrative staff at USC, Hard never regretted her amateur playing status. “We played for the title and the glory of the game. I loved it. I love tennis.”
Donna Floyd Fales
A graduate of the College of William & Mary, Donna Floyd Fales (b.1940) was a highly gifted tennis student, winning her first national junior title at age 15. In 1959, at the second national collegiate tournament for women, she captured the singles crown. Fales ranked among the top international players in the last years of amateur tennis, and was admired for her keen intellect and the ‘faultlessness of her court craft.’
Competing on the U.S. Wightman Cup team in 1963, Fales went on to captain the Wightman and Federation Cup teams. Her decades of service to tennis include directorship of the Great Miami Tennis Foundation and a special commitment to the late Arthur Ashe’s National Junior Tennis League program. Fales has been honored with four top USTA service awards and was inducted into the Virginia All Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.
Competing on the U.S. Wightman Cup team in 1963, Fales went on to captain the Wightman and Federation Cup teams. Her decades of service to tennis include directorship of the Great Miami Tennis Foundation and a special commitment to the late Arthur Ashe’s National Junior Tennis League program. Fales has been honored with four top USTA service awards and was inducted into the Virginia All Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.
Lois Blackburn Bryan
Dedicated to her players and to her sport, Lois Blackburn Bryan (1923 – 1996) led Mary Baldwin College to 20 consecutive winning seasons, five of them undefeated. She was also instrumental in developing women’s intercollegiate competition, serving as court director of two national championships and directing the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships throughout her coaching career. In 1989, the ITA honored Blackburn as the Division III Coach of the Year.
Blackburn taught values, as well as tennis skills, and her team members were recognized with such honors as the ITA’s Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship Award. In 1990, upon her retirement as Associate Professor of Physical Education, Blackburn’s former students paid a tribute to the role she had played in their lives. As one student wrote, “Under your instructions, I not only became a better tennis player, but a better person, too.”
Blackburn taught values, as well as tennis skills, and her team members were recognized with such honors as the ITA’s Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship Award. In 1990, upon her retirement as Associate Professor of Physical Education, Blackburn’s former students paid a tribute to the role she had played in their lives. As one student wrote, “Under your instructions, I not only became a better tennis player, but a better person, too.”
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