T. H. Owens elected FMTC President (1913). Club reorganizes and new constitution written.

In 1913 the Club reorganized completely, with 142 “charter members.” Membership was limited to twenty persons per tennis court, and any individual over sixteen years old was eligible.

After the 1913 reorganization, women were no longer elected to the Board of Governors, and they did not have a direct voice in managing the Club again until the 1970s.

The new Club constitution stated that “the objects for which this club is formed are to provide and maintain proper grounds and facilities for playing the game of tennis, the development of social life among its members, their physical improvement and enjoyment, the accommodation and entertainment of the members and guests of the Club, and the promotion of the welfare of the neighborhood.”

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

Club now obliged to vacate leased land immediately upon sale. Theodore C. Jessup elected FMTC President (1921); courts remain on leased land but pressure grows

Theodore C Jessup (1892-1955) was a graduate of Hamilton and served as an Army Captain in WWI.

After the war he had a short business career in New York City and then became head of the Ridgefield Boys School in Ridgefield, CT in 1922. Poor health forced him into early retirement.

SI April 23 1921
Scarsdale Inquirer April 23, 1921

Fox Meadow Tennis Club installs a new court that includes the Evan’s backstop, the improved deck surface and lights. The club now had four platform tennis courts

The Scarsdale Inquirer of October 10, 1936 carried the story:

“Last Saturday a new paddle tennis court of the latest design, constructed to give a perfect bounce was used for the first time. The other three courts have been repainted and sanded, making a surface which can be played on immediately after rain or dew has fallen. Many members are taking advantage of the artificially lighted court where the game may be played after dark with perfect vision.”

The game starts to catch on

The Scarsdale Inquirer of December 11, 1931 carried the story with the headline:

“Paddle Tennis for Grown-Ups Grows More and More Popular With This Community. Fame of Game Developed on Wooden Platforms by Two Local Residents Spreads to Other Parts of the Country”

A fine example of the early game

Over one hundred club members and their guests watched the finals match of the mixed doubles paddle-tennis tournament at the Fox Meadow Tennis Club.

Mrs. Rufus Brent and Clifford Couch defeated Mrs. Rolin Sawyer and Rufus Brent 9-7, 6-1, 6-8, 6-7, 6-4.

All four participants were excellent tennis players and the match was one of the finest examples of the game seen at that time.

Source: Scarsdale Inquirer April 21, 1933

SI Feb 10 1933
Scarsdale Inquirer February 10, 1933

Fessenden Blanchard Scrapbook (1928-1940)

Blanchard kept two valuable scrapbooks covering the development of the game in the early years. This one covered the years through 1940. The second one covered 1928 – 1963 (the year of his death).

There is some considerable overlap in material between the two and this one has a number of historical photographs that have been “borrowed” by others in writing about the sport and have been lost.

Nevertheless, there is a fascinating tale being told in both books for those interested in the very early days of the game.
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