Down Memory Lane with the A. B. Davis Tennis Squad 1958

 

Reintroducing the A.B.Davis Tennis Team, Class of 1958. Pictured left to right are Harvey Sande, Les Moglen, Bob (Eder) Adrian, Norm Dayron and Dick Schwartz. We were a feisty, fearless  team led by our coach civics teacher Mr. Elwell. 

   Here are some memories. Though short, Harvey Sande was a steady 'dynamite' player at most times unbeatable. He reminded me of the outstanding Aussie tennis great Ken Rosewall.  He often picked me up in his vintage Volkswagen bug with stick shift and canvas top sunroof. He introduced me to the New Rochelle Tennis Club where I played the summer of 1963. I enjoyed watching Harvey beat some of the top club players by out rallying then on the  immaculately groomed red clay.  I hooked up with Harvey in California where he practiced Law in Berkely. Sadly he ran into his own legal problems. I called him  from Connecticut and Harvey told me in slow speech he was disabled unable to get around and basically homebound. Shortly thereafter, I learned he passed away. Harvey was soft spoken and showed grace under pressure when outplaying players stronger than him. Harvey, you will be missed. 

   Les Moglen was the star of our team: tall, strong and solidly built. The Moglen family, including older brother  Lloyd, Les, younger brother Leland and sister Mary Lou were all inspired to excel in tennis by their dad Maxwell  The family lived down the Esplanade, close to the Columbus Ave. New Haven Railroad stop. Their home was below a steep rise and they had engineered the construction of swimming into the rise. Maxwell would often drive his boys up the hill in his Chevy Impala convertible to practice   tennis at the clay court behind the home built by real estate magnate Joe Durst. He would always bring a tennis ball launcher machine and living across the street,  I would watch him train each of his four kids 

   Les played number one for us and was unbeatable. Both he and Lloyd were ranked New York State Players and Lloyd even made it to the qualifiers at Forest Hills. Les became a plastic surgeon in the Bay Area and sadly passed away in 2014. 

 Watch out tennis world: Norm Dayron could be unbeatable on the courts: he had a booming serve and when on, he could serve many a love game. I invited him to join me at the Durst 

Clay court and we often enjoyed pushing each other around. Off the courts Norm often invited me over to his home where we shared our passion for jazz and he particularly liked Shelly Manne. He married schoolmate Betty Zukernnick and I often wonder what happened to him.

Bob (Eder) Adrian was a fearsome player; he mastered the art of court strategy that made him a cagey player both in singles and doubles. He was close behind Les Moglen in court

dominance.

Dick Schwartz spent his High School years in the home built by the grandfather of classmate Richie Feist, Leo Feist, music publisher. He grew up in the Bronx two blocks from Crotona Park which today sports a beautiful tennis facility that hosts the annual Bronx open. He has written many articles showing his passion for tennis.