Old Army Athletes bring their spirit to Fox Meadow

With the completion of the first paddle court, the Old Army Athletes joined Fox Meadow almost en masse and transferred their camaraderie and sense of fun to the Club. They formed the core of the new Paddle Committee (Cogswell, Gatchell, Blanchard and W. C. Harrison) and posted a notice on the Club bulletin board explaining the game in simple terms.

Source: Adapted from Fessenden S. Blanchard, Platform Paddle Tennis, 1958, and Diana Reische, Fox Meadow Tennis Club – The First Hundred Years, 1983

The informal quality of the games stems from these beginnings and the influence of the Great Depression. As paddle drew more people on frigid days Blanchard, an enthusiastic skater, conceived the idea of flooding the unused tennis courts for ice-skating.

The unique ambience that still clings today to Fox Meadow evolved during winters of paddle and skating. It is captured in a frequently published photograph that first appeared in the Sunday New York Times in 1936. The picture shows a winter scene with ice skaters in the background and, in the foreground, a paddle match with Fess Blanchard and his daughter Ruth playing against Kitty Fuller and an unidentified partner.

Source: Adapted from Diana Reische, Fox Meadow Tennis Club – The First Hundred Years, 1983