USTA Eastern Inducts 2021 Eastern Hall of Fame Class

August 27, 2021 | By Press Release
Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss speech by Christine Ashburn
Credit all photos to Christine Ashburn

 

USTA Eastern and the Junior Tennis Foundation (JTF) will induct tennis icons and trailblazers Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss, esteemed entrepreneur Freddie Botur, tennis historian and former USTA Eastern president Dr. Dale Caldwell, former Eastern Men’s No. 6 player Dr. Harold German, and youth tennis advocate and activist Dr. Emily Moore into its Tennis Hall of Fame at the 34th Annual Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame Ceremony, to be held August 27 at The River Club in New York City. Emmy-winning sports commentator and fellow Eastern Tennis Hall of Famer Mary Carillo will host the celebration.

“These six inductees have dedicated much of their lives to growing the game at the grassroots level and represent the best of what our sport has to offer,” said Junior Tennis Foundation CEO Mark McIntyre. “Their service has enriched our community over decades. Beyond a tennis court, these six individuals are exemplary citizens whose advocacy and activism has transformed our world. We are thrilled to formally recognize each of them for their remarkable achievements and lifetime of service with USTA Eastern’s highest honor.”
 
More about the six 2021 Eastern Hall of Fame inductees:
 
►Billie Jean King & Ilana Kloss: 39-time Grand Slam Champion King led the “Original 9” tennis players to form what would eventually become the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) in reaction to unequal pay and opportunities compared to their male counterparts. For over 40 years she has been partners with fellow former player Kloss, who captured two major doubles titles and was ranked as high as No. 1 in the world in doubles and No. 19 in singles. Together, King and Kloss have dedicated much of their lives to championing gender equality and LGBTQ rights. As a co-founder of World TeamTennis (WTT) over 40 years ago, King helped develop the first-ever professional tennis league in which male and female players contributed equally to achieve a team result. Kloss carried on the WTT’s cornerstone mission, serving as the CEO and Commissioner of the revolutionary league—which was headquartered for many years in New York City—from 2001 until 2018. In 2014, King and Kloss launched the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative to address equality and inclusion issues in the workplace. The pair is also actively involved with the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF), an organization. King founded in 1974 to help girls and women all over the world achieve their full potential in sports. Both King and Kloss currently sit on the WSF board, and Kloss previously served as the governing body’s chair. The couple—who recently announced their marriage— currently resides in New York City.
 
►Freddie Botur: Born Vratislav Botur to a butcher and a violinist in 1922 in Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic), Botur survived both German and Russian occupation during and after World War II. When he was 26 years old, he fled the country to escape an oppressive Communist regime, seeking refuge in Germany and Australia before eventually arriving in New York in 1952. In New York, he found work as a tennis pro and went on to live out a true American dream, establishing five facilities in New York City at the height of the tennis boom in the 1960s and 1970s. The longest-running of these clubs, the Long Island City-based Tennisport, served an eclectic clientele of business VIPs, USTA members and pro players and was still in operation as recently as 2009.
 
►Dr. Dale Caldwell: A graduate of Princeton University, Caldwell has tirelessly promoted Black tennis history in the United States. In 2006, he conceived of and curated Breaking the Barriers–an exhibit at the International Tennis Hall of Fame–which honors the American Tennis Association and the Black pioneers of tennis. Following the success of Breaking the Barriers, Caldwell founded the Black Tennis Hall of Fame so that an official body could further recognize athletes in the sport who were for so long overlooked. Caldwell was elected the first Black president of USTA Eastern in 2006, and later became the first Black Section President to serve on the USTA National Board.
 
►Dr. Harold German: A standout athlete with a top-notch forehand, German was ranked as high as No. 6 in the Eastern Men’s division. German led his high school team to the finals of the New Jersey State Championships, and then captained a Princeton University team that was ranked No. 8 in the country. From 1963-1967, he was a major contender on the Eastern Men’s Clay Court Circuit, reaching the final stages of multiple tournaments and winning the Park Lakes Invitational. During this period, he played Arthur Ashe three times and captured wins over future Grand Slam semifinalists Sandy Mayer and Dick Stockton. He later served as a Navy physician during the Vietnam War and was awarded the Bronze Star for his service.
 
►Dr. Emily Moore: Moore has spent over five decades introducing tennis to children through the Long Island- based Alliance Junior Tennis Development Program, which she established in 1975. Through her efforts, many of her students went on to compete in tournaments across the country as well as obtain tennis scholarships for college. A lot of these kids may not have discovered the joys of the game were it not for Moore’s programming. Beyond her accomplishments in the sport, Moore is a lifelong activist who stood on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement. While attending Morgan State University in the 1960s, Moore was arrested with other students for refusing to leave a segregated theater and spent a week in jail. The protest gained national attention and the support of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Moore also served in the Peace Corps in Nigeria, where she lived through three coups.
 
With their induction, the 2021 class joins fellow tennis trailblazers and notables Arthur Ashe, Mary Carillo, David Dinkins, Althea Gibson, “Original 9” member Julie Heldman, John McEnroe, Patrick McEnroe, Renee Richards, Bob Ryland, Dick Savitt and former USTA President Katrina Adams in the Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame.
 
Proceeds from the induction ceremony will benefit the JTF, which provides grants and other financial assistance to hundreds of worthy tennis programs and organizations that focus on underserved and at-risk youth and people with disabilities. Since its incorporation in 1982, JTF has provided more than $2 million for programs and scholarships in the Eastern Section.

 

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