Included in the Class of 2022: Midwestern Tennis Association (MID-TAC), Bernard A. Chavis, Bruce Stone, Sande French, Otis Smith III, Carl Hodge and Marion I. Rice
HONOR HIGHLY ACCOMPLISHED BLACK TENNIS ORGANIZATIONS, PIONEERS, PLAYERS, CONTRIBUTORS AND REGIONAL LEGENDS
Service 6
MAINTAIN ALL COLLECTIBLE ARTIFACTS AND MEDIA FOR BLACK TENNIS HISTORY MUSEUM
CLASS OF 2022 VIRTUAL 14TH ANNUAL INDUCTION CEREMONY
Again on the historic grounds of HBCU Virginia Union University, Black Tennis Hall of Fame Chief Executive Officer Shelia Curry and Founder Dr. Dale G. Caldwell and his daughter Ashley Caldwell hosted the 14th Annual Induction Ceremony of the Class of 2022
Parallax Image
*****CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2022*****
TOP ROW (L-R): Bernard Chavis, Contributor and Regional Legend; Sande French, Contributor; Midwestern Tennis Association, Organization MIDDLE ROW: Otis Smith, Player; Marion I. Rice, Contributor and Regional Legend; Bruce Stone, Regional Legend BOTTOM ROW: Carl Hodge, Regional Legend
When she was 8 years old, Sande French’s little brother Don gave her a
globe for Christmas. Every night, she would spin it, then dream about
the place where her finger would stop it.
“Who knew I would have a chance to experience some [of those
places],” said French. “From playing on the public courts of Nicholl
Park in Richmond, California, to my first grass court event, the public
park that becomes Eastbourne’s event on the English Channel, or a
sumptuous meal in Tallinn, Estonia or sushi in Tokyo, or witnessing the
longtail soaring and the crystal blue skies of Bermuda, traversing the
Great Wall of China, a stroll along the Huevo de Julio in Buenos Aires,
the grandeur of the Taj Mahal, stepping on the revered motherland of
Cameroon, to the low grass of Wimbledon.”
Had someone told French she would live this dream, “I would have laughed them into the next county.”
“Yet, here I am watching worldwide tennis from the best seat in the house,” French said.
On Saturday, Sept. 17, French, a Richmond native, Richmond High
graduate and the first and only Black female chair umpire in
professional tennis in the U.S., was formally inducted into the Black
Tennis Hall of Fame. She was among seven people inducted at the 14th annual ceremony at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Va.
We were tipped off to this Hall of Fame honor by Arto Rinteela,
president of the Fairmeade Hilltop Neighborhood Council, who was a
classmate of French’s in the graduating Class of 1974 at Richmond High.
Rinteela remembers another one of French’s talents that manifested in
the high school marching band.'
‘Everybody wanted to be around SandE.’
“She was a talented clarinet player,” Rinteela said. “She had a great
personality and was very smart. Everybody wanted to be around Sande.”
Rinteela also recalled French as “one of the few” tennis players at Richmond High in those days.
While accepting her latest honor (see the video
of the ceremony here), French reflected with deep gratitude on her 36
years of officiating professional tennis. Her resume speaks for itself.
In 1993, French became the only African-American in history to chair the
US Open Singles Final. She has chaired 10 U.S. Open Finals, worked
Wimbledon six times and the Australian Open three times. She also
chaired the Fed Cups internationally and the NCAA championship Final.
Photo courtesy of the Black Tennis Hall of Fame.
French also gives back to her profession, taking the initiative to
conceive, implement and teach chair clinics and training in Northern
California. She has volunteered as a referee for regional wheelchair
tournaments for 12 years, coached a wheelchair player, was a member of
USTA chair mentoring program in 2010, assisted coaching at Mendocino
High School in 2014, and was a USTA trainer and/or evaluator from 1995
to 2015.
Her awards and accolades are numerous, from 1991 Umpire of the Year
in Northern California to election into the Bay Area African-American
Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. Four years prior, she was honored
with the Multicultural Participation Committee Trailblazing Award.
Throughout her career, she has inspired others, including people of
color, to aspire to become tennis officials or to achieve higher levels
in their careers.
‘One never knows what life will bring. The endgame always is to improve from the previous day.’
During the Black Tennis Hall of Fame induction ceremony, French
thanked her college teammate, Karen Cook-Henderson, “who nudged me and
got me started in officiating 36 years ago.” She thanked various
“ohanas,” from her family to her colleagues over the years.
French also expressed “immense gratitude” to Jay Snyder, who as
chairman of officials saw her potential by giving her a shot. She
acknowledged her “first bestie umpire Joy Gay, who regularly stood up
for us when we were treated unjustly, pushing back on the
archaic practices.”
“When she passed in 1996, I took over her mantle, which is where my trouble began,” French said.
Along with Cecil Holland, French sued the USTA and ITF for
discrimination, alleging officials of conspiring to keep Blacks and
women from officiating important matches. It’s a stand “that cost us
both of our careers,” French said. “Twenty-nine years later nothing has
changed, we all know why.”
Photo courtesy of the Black Tennis Hall of Fame.
French says the inner workings of professional tennis will be revealed in her upcoming book.
“McEnroe deserves a whole chapter,” she quipped. “It will be fun.”
As a Black, gay woman who achieved great things in tennis
officiating, French said she’s benefited from generations of
barrier-breakers.
“I stand on their shoulders,” she said. “I embrace their excellence and am forever indebted for their sacrifices.”
She added, “One never knows what life will bring. The endgame always is to improve from the previous day."
Dr.
Odera is a major contributor to Black tennis globally, as a successful
coach, administrator and business owner, and a non-profit director. She
has risen to the height of the profession as a tennis professional and
sports administrator.
Her
extraordinary ability won national and international acclaim as
demonstrated by the results from the over 16,000 Black children who have
passed through her hands as a tennis coach. To date, her influence has
grown, and graduates from her tennis program are successfully playing
their trade in every continent in the world, including the USA, where
many of her proteges played NCAA, NAIA and JC, while others have played
ITF, Junior Grand Slams and Davis Cup.
Dr.
Odera is an incredibly experienced practitioner in education,
recreation and health, and worked in leadership positions for the last
27 years in various capacities, including as Senior Research Officer in a
medical institution, Principal at a high school, a non-profit CEO,
Director at an award winning sports academy, Head of Department at a
junior college and an adjunct university lecturer.
She is a speaker,
published in international peer reviewed scientific journals, an author
and an avid blogger on personal and organizational development issues,
especially in non-profits. It is Liz's aspiration to help develop
structure and long and short-term strategic plans, design programs, and
frameworks within which staff successfully operate, and provide support
towards functioning Boards.
She
also believes in the power of sports in changing lives, and is honored
to represent many fine individuals and organizations that have
influenced their communities positively around the world. "I enjoy
mentoring and have experience leading individuals and large teams in
change-making sports environments in business and non-profits, including
high profile soccer, rugby, basketball professional clubs, WTA players,
college teams and country clubs."
Dr. Odera was inducted into the Black Tennis Hall of Fame with the Class of 2021.
Longtime
Washington, DC-area resident passed away on March 28, 2022, of
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Johnson, an avid tennis player and
golfer, lived in Fairfax, VA, at the time of his death. He graduated
from The Potomac School, Woodrow Wilson High School, and University of
the District of Columbia.Born December 27, 1961, in Washington, DC,
Lange was the son of Robert W. and Nerissa L. Johnson. He was the
grandson of Dr. Robert W. Johnson, credited with coaching tennis greats
Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson. Lange and his siblings were all ranked
tennis players in the United States Tennis Association (USTA). He
continued to compete in tournaments until shortly before his ALS
diagnosis.In 2015, Lange created the Whirlwind Johnson Foundation, a
non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the legacy of his
grandfather and restoring Dr. Johnson's historic residence and tennis
court in Lynchburg, VA.Lange had successful careers as a Vice President
at Time Life and at Universal Music Group. He is survived by his wife
Elizabeth, daughter Zoe, sisters Jolynn J. Smith (Jeffery), Eileen J.
Williams, and brother Robert W. Johnson III (Daisy). He is also survived
by nieces Alexis and Dylan Williams, NoraJane Conway, and nephew Evan
Smith. Lange's loving in-laws, Francis and Virginia Burk, sisters-in-law
Alison Shipman (Hunt) Abigail Burk, and Emily Smith (Jason) also mourn
his loss. Lange was preceded in death by his brother Julian.Funeral
service will be scheduled for a later date. To honor Lange's life and
legacy, please consider donating to: whirlwindjohnson.org/donate
Social Footer