Alexander H (Zan) Carver, Jr.

Carver (1919-1982) was the number one tennis player at the University of North Carolina and from there went on the tennis circuit as an amateur. He played at the premier United States Tournament, the Nationals at Forest Hills, six times in 1940, 1944, 1946-1948, and 1952. In 1944, he played his way to the quarterfinals, disposing the eighth seed in the round of 16 to get there. He emerged from Forest Hills that year ranked 11 nationally.

Carver served as a Major in the US Army Air Forces and had a brilliant career as a bomber pilot

In tennis Zan won the club Singles eight times – 1952-1956 and 1963-1965, the Doubles seven time – 1954, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1969, and 1970-1971, and the Mixed once in 1958

In platform tennis he won the clubs’ Men’s ten times – 1959, 1965-1966, and 1968-1974, and the Mixed six times – 1959, and 1961-1965.

Zan also amassed an enviable APTA National Championship record; his win with Barbara Koegel in the Mixed in 1964 was one of the sweetest as Barbara was battling terminal cancer at the time.

Carver was inducted into the Platform Tennis Hall of Fame in 1970 (see Carver>)

National Championships

The 1953 winners all repeated.

Guernsey and McNeill staged a fine recovery against Hebard and Carlisle after being two sets down. The match, one of the longest on record, lasted 71 games.

For Madge Beck and sister, Maizie Moore, this was their fifth title and the fourth in a row. Madge had now won ten out of the last eleven events played from 1938-1954 (no events were held from 1943-1948 because of WW II and the aftermath).

Source: Fessenden S. Blanchard, Platform Paddle Tennis, 1959

Number of courts continues to grow despite losses to disrepair and Hurricane Carol

In the early days, courts often fell into disrepair as the original construction techniques and choice of materials were poor.

Often these courts were torn down, but the court at Riverside Yacht Club in Riverside, CT, was the first to be lost to an “Act of God.”

Despite the fact that courts were being lost, many more were being built and the number of operational courts was expanding rapidly.