Ken Ward (1900- 1977): A founding father of the APTA

As President of the APTA from 1939-42, winner of one of the first Honor Awards in 1965, and inventor of the Scrambles tournament, Ken Ward’s contributions to platform tennis were many and various. He was a friend of all the pioneers of the game in the early days and maintained his interest throughout the years.

John Ware said, “Ken Ward was kind of a special man. He was a great advocator of platform tennis. He had, you might say, an acute case of the game. I remember him as being a presence at close to 40 Annual Meetings. Every year, he would get up and give the Board his personal vote of confidence and thanks. He had a graciousness and dry wit and a wonderful way of expressing himself.”

Ken Ward had this to say in a letter to Bob Brown, Chairman of the Presidents’ Council, after the last Annual Meeting:

“I thought the meeting went off very well. Everyone was well prepared. I was quite naturally disappointed that professionalism has caught up with our wonderful sport, but I am sure it was inevitable. I realize you are torn between the old nostalgia of the sport and the new generation of active players who are lured by a possible remuneration for their skill. I remember when Sidney Wood and I played together in 1948. I think it was then that we went to see Sears, Roebuck to manufacture the court on a wholesale basis for play on the roofs of apartment houses. They thought they would have to get the costs down to under $500 per court to make it successful. Imagine!”

Source: Paddle Talk, Vol. 2 No. 1 (October)