75th Anniversary Fox Meadow’s Governors’ Tea

Helen Couch readies the candles for the Club's festive seventy-fifth anniversary tea
Helen Couch readies the candles for the Club’s festive seventy-fifth anniversary tea

The Governors, Tea is an annual event that takes place in April.

Tradition dictates that no recipe be printed for the punch served at the event and instructions for the punch are handed down from president to president; and theoretically, therefore, the only way to get the recipe is to work one’s way up through the Board of Governors.

However, presidents have been noted to be using bottles of champagne, Cointreau, and brandy in concocting the mixture. There is suspicion, too, that liberties are taken from time to time with the formula.

Ollie Kingsbury says every president uses what he wants in the recipe, but that his was the best, attributable to the classical caloric count of imported champagne.

Finalists in Men's Senior Nationals 1958, with Earle Gatchell and Walter Close, who officiated. Left to Right: Earle Gatchell, Jim Carlisle, Frank Pace, Jr., (former Secretary of War), Berk Johnson, Cliff Sutter and Walter Close. Carlisle and Johnson won in 1958, Pace and Sutter in 1959

National Championships

1958

APTA President Carlisle and Johnson repeated in the 45+ and Carlisle also captured the Men’s with partner Hebard when they made a great comeback after being two sets down against the previous year’s winners.

Elfie Carroll and Louise Ganzenmueller, the previous year’s finalists, captured their third title. From 1950-1960 they won three and were finalists four times.

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

Formal foot-fault rules developed

The 1958 Men’s Championships saw the introduction of the formal Foot Fault Rules.

The server shall throughout his delivery (moment of impact of paddle and ball) of his service:

A. Not change his position by walking or running
(1) The server shall not by the following movements of his feet be deemed “to change his position by walking or running”
(a) Slight movements of the feet that do not materially affect the location originally taken by him
(b) An unrestricted movement of one foot so long as the other foot maintains continuously its original contact with the ground. The moving foot cannot touch the baseline or touch inside the court.

B. Maintain contact with the ground (platform)

C. Keep both feet in such a manner so as not to touch the baseline nor touch inside the court.

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