Tennis inaugurates Hall of Fame with 30 inductees

The Hall of Fame is located in the Levy Pavilion, and its dedication was highlighted by a gala held downtown. The 1997-98 school year represents the 100th year of tennis at Penn. That's 100 years of history, 100 years of tradition and above all, 100 years of champions. With such a milestone comes the challenge of finding a way to commemorate all of the pride and grandeur of the celebration. But lightning struck in the form of the Penn Tennis Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was conceived two years ago by Jayson Schwartz, a former Penn player. His goal: to recognize those players, coaches and benefactors who helped to make tennis at Penn what it is today through their contributions. From that point forward, the fledgling idea became a tangible reality through the persistence of Schwartz and the efforts of people within the tennis program such as men's coach Gene Miller, former women's coach Cissie Leary, former men's coach Al Molloy and benefactor Hunter Lott. The result was a weekend of festivities that honored the 30 initial inductees into the Hall of Fame. The weekend kicked off Friday night with the inaugural dinner at the Rittenhouse Hotel. Guest speaker Donald Dell, who was a member of the U.S. Davis Cup teams from 1961-1964 and co-founder of the National Junior Tennis Program with Arthur Ashe, highlighted the evening. Dell especially moved the audience with his recollection of the strength and courage exhibited by Ashe during his bout with AIDS, and his call to reach out to young children in keeping the game of tennis thriving. "Young children think about competition and championship, not money, race or creed," said Dell. "That is what makes a sport great." The evening climaxed as the 30 honorees were officially enshrined into Penn tennis immortality. Edward Bury Dewhurst, Wallace Ford Johnson and William Tatem "Big Bill" Tilden were the most prominent inductees among players. Dewhurst was Penn's first intercollegiate tennis champion, winning the singles title in 1903 and 1905, also adding a doubles title in 1905. Johnson, a member of the Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame, was a top-10 nationally ranked player for nine years. In 1929, he became the first of only three men to hold the position of Penn men's tennis coach in the last 68 years, running the program until 1959. Tilden was a dominant player on the international circuit during the 1920s, winning 11 Grand Slam titles, which ranks him second on the all-time list. During that decade, he was named the No. 1 player in the world 10 different times. Molloy was among the most notable of the coaches to be inducted. Also a member of the Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame, he complied 20 winning seasons as Johnson's successor, winning three Eastern Intercollegiate Tennis Association championships. He led Penn to four national titles in his dual role of men's squash coach. "The support I received from the alumni and the administration in my 30 years at Penn has just been fantastic," Molloy said. "All of the young people I have been associated with have gone on to have terrific careers in many different fields. The honor is the fact that I am in the Hall of Fame with so many great people." In one of the more sentimental moments of the dinner, Cissie Leary received a standing ovation as she was enshrined for her work as coach of the Penn women's team from 1977 until her untimely death last year of scleroderma, a skin disease. Leary had a career record of 229-119, which included capturing the Eastern Intercollegiate title in 1985. "We could talk about her for hours. She was a special woman," Quakers senior co-captain Lara Afanassiev said of her former coach. "It was great playing for her?. She touched us all." Saturday brought the unveiling of the Hall of Fame at the Levy Pavilion and allowed the opportunity for everyone who participated to reflect upon what the Hall of Fame meant for the present and future of Penn tennis. "When your team can see the history and tradition behind the greats of the program, it's really important to show them what it means to be a champion and strive for being the best," Miller said. Current players echoed Miller's sentiments. "It's really great learning about all of these people and now being able to put a face with the name," junior Corin Esterowitz said. "We were just lucky to be a part of the team during the 100th anniversary." "It was a great chance to see the history of Penn tennis and talk to inductees and relate to their experiences," added men's captain Marc Fisicaro. "It keeps the alumni involved and makes the University aware of the importance of the program." One hundred years of Penn tennis is a broad and difficult vision to place within the history of an entire university. With the establishment of the Penn Tennis Hall of Fame, though, students, faculty and alumni will be able to appreciate the vision for hundreds of years to come.