Black History Month

Written by: Lovey on 18th February 2011

Black History Month

ca. 1931 --- Portrait of Mills Brothers Singing Group --- Image by Â© Bettmann/CORBIS |

How has tennis in my life or lifetime introduced me to so many wonderful individuals….? So many of them need mentioning this month…. February. Black history month. Let’s start with one of the true pied pipers of the sport. BILL BROWN. Bill’s indoor tennis in Harlem. The courts were an old armory. Wooden floors. Lines everywhere on gym type floor. Lines for tennis. Volleyball. Basketball. Courts were so fast. Bill ran a first class operation. I don’t know how great a player he was but he could sure dazzle anyone with his groundstrokes. He was a great guy. A great coach. I first met Bill back in the day when he had to work as a night watchman at a tennis facility in Rye, NY… So he could be by his passion and love. … TENNIS….
Ted Braithwaite. E.R.Braithwaite. (Author “To Sir With Love”) Yes. The real man. The professor and Cambridge graduate and physicist who wrote the book. The guy they made the film about it…. We became “hitting” friends. We never played sets. We just hit. Ted didn’t like to play sets. But he was competitive and I’m not, so a good hit was always our best choice. How lucky was I? Lucky for sure to have met him and been lifelong friends with the wonderful man… Ted has a wonderful laugh… Zest for life. Love for tennis. Not sure current fav. But guess Federer…..
Jason Smith. The kind, caring man who ran the junior development program for the eastern US section back in the sixties. You would cherish the invite from Mr. Smith to join his group. They met every Sat morning all winter long in precious indoor courts…. Midtown Tennis Club in New York City. Oh I almost forgot. What time on Sat morning? 6 to 9 a.m…. that’s the best they had going…. What a way to jump-start a weekend… Jason was a really great inspiration….
Faye Robinson. Kristina Robinson. A truly dynamic duo. Faye the opera singer. Faye and Kristina, two of everyone’s favorites… Mostly their contribution to tennis is as fans… All sports need super fans… But, in the world of opera, Diva Faye Robinson is world class! … World renown. Buy her DVDs on Amazon…. Not bad for a kid from Texas….
Donald Young Jr. D.Y. To those few of us blessed to know him. He is a great kid! Give him time everyone matures at a different rate….
Donald Mills of the world famous Mills Brothers. (Paper Doll) (First black group to go gold) … Donald played tennis with King Gustav of Sweden…. He and his brother Harry Mills loved playing tennis and golf. Donald loved watching Greg Rusedski practice in Los Angeles. He also enjoyed many day sessions at the Indian Wells event the last year it was at the Hyatt. Donald was performing in the Palm Springs follies at night and enjoying the tennis during the day. Charlie really took great care of him. As Louise would say as I ran out the door to play a match … “bring home the bacon”……

Topics: bill brown, Donald Mills, Donald Young, Faye Robinson, Jason Smith, Kristina Robinson, Ted Braithwaite

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