Here's a tribute to the remarkable E. Victor Seixas, Jr. US Tennis Stalwart --the oldest living grand slam player now 100 hundred years old-- who I had the pleasure of watching beat Rex Hartwig in the US Open final of 1954 at the West Side Tennis club at Forest Hills, NY
What follows is a snapshot and tribute to one of the many significant timelines of my evolving peripatetic life- moving from the midwest (where I taught English at Wisconsin State Univ.) to San Francisco and settling in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood - (42 Baker Street) just a 10- minute walk to a Tennis mecca, Golden Gate Park (GGP). It was a Camelot Life for me for many reasons. But here is just a freeze frame of that special time.
GGP is where I hung out when I wasn't studying the Law. Here is where I fast made friends and enriched my academic life with lasting social relationships. Here is where I was in the process of getting in great shape-- 'working my way up' the tennis ladder.' Here is where I achieved a major personal victory.
Here are just a few of the friends and tennis greats I include in my anthology and panoply of memorable icons.
Dan Lucey: master instructor and strategist who taught me the art of focused tennis. He was ranked number three in the 45's in California.
Henry Pon was one of the most steady players I have ever had the privilege of playing against. Short, thin and soft spoken and a master of defensive retrieval, he would never miss a shot. He played a backcourt game and thrived there in the process of beating most players.
Howard Lee, how can I ever forget the strategy that you taught me? You are and were a master strategist and you plied me with many printed articles you had written on the fundamentals of the game forehand, backhand, serve, etc. Essential in your tips was mastering wrist control. Memorable are the times we would meet at the neighborhood courts near Chinatown and practice technique. What is awesome was your passion for the sport and your eagerness to share without expecting financial remuneration. You will always be a friend.
Bill Small: was a solid B player at GGP and thanks to the great preparation from Dan Lucey, a ranked California Netman, I played a nearly flawless match in the No. California Open Tournament winning in two sets. I had an early taste of the mindfulness--the focus and near total concentration necessary for playing within the zone ('zone tennis') to play at the top of one's game. This mindfulness followed me back to the East Coast where I enjoyed doubles play in Connecticut's hard courts in Scalzi Park in Stamford and on the Har-Tru clay courts at Oak Hills Tennis club courts in Norwalk.
Lowell Barnhart, your were a solid B player. You often played with the Louie sisters and we played many matches together. You always had a smile and a great attitude winning or losing.
Among, the many notable tennis regulars included Tom Brown (lost to Jack Kamer in the 1947 Wimbledon final) Whitney Reed, 1951 Wimbledon champ Art "Tappy" Larsen, Greg Shepard, Rosey Casals, Arlene Cohen, Dan Lucey, Marcie Louie and Peanut Louie Harper.
