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“IT’S
A SHAME”
By Charles
E. Vasoll
I
was devastated when I received the news that Stephen Frantz, President
of the Fox Meadow Tennis Club, had informed the Platform Tennis Museum
and Hall of Fame Foundation that “The Board decided tonight
to end discussions with the Hall of Fame regarding building the Hall
at Fox Meadow Tennis Club”. This was the second time in the
past three years that this was the final result of efforts by the
Foundation to build a museum at the club in Scarsdale, New York,
which calls itself “The Home of Platform Tennis”. It
would have been a building devoted to the exhibition of artifices
from the sport and a proper place to give recognition to the persons
awarded its highest honor. Earlier efforts to locate such a facility
at this location, several decades ago, had also failed.
I know that this will not rank high in the list of “denials” in
human history, like the Apostle Peter’s denial of knowing Jesus.
It will, however, be on the top of the list for those who have worked
so hard for so many hours to bring to fruition a place to exhibit the
memorabilia of the sport at this historic location.
Ties (neckwear) are one of my passions. A few years ago I purchased a club tie
from the Fox Meadow Tennis Club because of its special place in the history of
platform tennis. Along with several ties depicting the sport from the APTA, I
felt an attachment to this location where the first court was built at a club
in 1931. I have sent back that piece of neckwear to the Board of the club with
the following note:
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Dear
President Stephen Frantz and Board of Directors:
I
am returning to you, with this letter, the Fox Meadow Tennis
Club tie that I purchased a few years ago. Its return is a
symbol of my loss of respect of the Club’s Board for
its reversal of interest in the efforts by the Platform Tennis
Museum and Hall of Fame Foundation to build an addition to
your clubhouse for the purpose of honoring the sport that,
literally, preserved your Club in the 1930’s.
I
wonder if the current Directors have read the “Fox Meadow
Tennis Club 1883-1983 The First Hundred Years”. It is
one of my prized possessions. Hank Otto, a former President
of the Club, gave a copy to me in 1988 with the inscription, “Best
Wishes for a great year as President (of) APTA”.
It
is stated in the book, in no uncertain terms on page 25, that
the Club survived the great depression because, “Another
faction suggested a bold approach, the building of a second
paddle court to lure the growing legion of paddle players around
town to the Club”. Simply put, the Club owes its survival
of the economic depression to the sport of platform tennis,
which helped it to rebuild its membership.
I
have thought for a long time that it is appropriate for the
Club to repay that debt to the sport. Understandably there
would be many conditions and agreements that needed to be “ironed
out”. I expected that men and women of good will could
find a way.
Once
again your Board has dashed my hopes. They lifted us up in
June, expressing interest in reviving our discussions, and
drop us in October like a “hot potato”. I apologize
for taking this matter so personally, but I expected a better
response from the Club’s Board.
It’s
really sad that the current Board of Directors of the Fox Meadow
Tennis Club could not take a bold approach, like their predecessors,
so that the “Home of Platform Tennis” would really
be the home of the sport.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Vasoll
APTA President 1988-1992
Hall of Fame Inductee 2005
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In
conclusion I want to make it clear that my upset is with
the governing body of the Fox Meadow Tennis Club, not with its members.
The members were never able, as a group, to express their opinion in the matter.
There certainly was support for the project among the membership. This time
they were never even given the opportunity to hear the proposal.
It’s a shame!
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