Calvert Distillers Company, the producer of Passport Scotch, agreed to sponsor the Passport Platform Tennis Playoffs, which consisted of six men’s events and five women’s events, all leading up to the $50,000 Passport Platform Tennis Classic in March 1978 at the Orange Lawn Tennis Club, South Orange, NJ.
The Platform Tennis Playoffs were announced at a series of exhibitions at the Seagram Building on Park Avenue in New York City to start the 50th anniversary celebration of Platform Tennis.
Charles Millard of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York approached the APTA with the idea of Tribuno Vermouth becoming the title sponsor of the professional circuit for the 1977-78 season. This idea was an enormous success and brought platform tennis to an even wider audience.
Hicks started playing platform tennis at the Manursing Island Club in Rye back in the 1930’s and in 1940 he captured the APTA National Men's doubles title with Witherbee Black. He had been featured in a 1940 Life Magazine article of the game that had been arranged for by Ken Ward. The photographs for the article were by the noted Albanian-American photographer Gjon Mili who was a pioneer in the use of stroboscopic instruments to capture a sequence of actions in one image.
Hicks died suddenly at his home in Rye, NY, on September 24, 1977. The 74-year old insurance executive, a paddle pioneer, was a member of the Class of 1926 at Princeton and had enjoyed many tennis triumphs. He captained his college team in his senior year when his doubles partner was sophomore John Van Ryn ('28). Van Ryn gained later fame on the courts by winning both the Wimbledon and U.S. Open doubles champions[...]
The Manhattan Platform Tennis Club on East 48th Street in New York City was the venue. Eight teams competed for $4,000 in prize money.
Tournament Brochure
The APTA established the relationship with Hertz to stimulate interest in the “Amateur” regional circuit of tournaments that had been conceived as competitive opportunities for the “weekend player.” The Hertz Corporation, the largest vehicle rental and leasing company in the world, agreed with the APTA that these players deserve support.
The agreement called for Hertz sponsorship of the four Regional Championships and the Presidents' Cup. Prize money was not a part of this tour, but the cost of the trophies for the Regional Championships was to be underwritten by the Hertz Corporation. In addition, travel expenses for the regional teams to the Presidents' Cup, as well as a reception honoring all former APTA Presidents, would also be paid for by Hertz.
Former paddle champion and Hall of Fame member Bill Pardoe died on February 10 at his home in Stratton, VT, at the age of 62.
A graduate of Brigham Young University and Fordham Law School, he was senior vice president and senior financial officer for the Union Carbide Corporation.
Bill Pardoe and his partner, George Harrison, won the National Men's Doubles championship in 1956 and again in 1960. He won the National Mixed Doubles with Charlotte Lee in 1965. In the Senior Men's Doubles, he and his partner George Lowman won the championship three years in a row - 1966, '67 and '68.
In 1969, William Pardoe received the APTA Honor Award given to those individuals who have made significant contributions to the game of platform tennis.
Source: Paddle Talk, Vol. 3 No. 5 (April-May)
British Open International Platform Tennis Tournament - February 3, 4, 5.
An invitation International Tournament under the joint auspices of the International Platform Tennis Association and the BPTA, to be held at Silvermere Country Club, Redhill Road, Cobham, Surrey. Sponsored by Racquet Sports International Limited. Teams from the United States, Holland and the United Kingdom.
The First European Open Championships - February 10, 11, 12.
Hapert, Holland, the site of last year's Dutch Open Championships. Sponsored by Bellfires Corporation and its President, Nico de Wal. Teams from the United States, United Kingdom and Holland.
Program and Drawsheets
British National Platform Tennis Championships
Sponsored by En-tout-cas Limited, it involved regional competitions at a number of centers for all entrants, culminating in a National Final for regional winners. Men's, women'[...]
Orange Lawn Tennis Club in New Jersey hosted the $50,000 Passport Scotch Platform Tennis Classic event. [Official Program]
The first-year team of Clark Graebner and Doug Russell won the biggest money prize in platform tennis history by capturing the men's division. They defeated the Baird brothers, Chip and Steve, and split a prize of $8,000.
The 1978 national champions, Louise Gengler and Hilary Hilton, took the women's title, and a record $8,000. They defeated the second-seeded team of Wendy Chase and Linda Wolf.
Source: Paddle Talk, Vol. 3 No. 6 (June-July)
Thanks to creative marketing, ample prize money, and the foresight of the APTA Board, platform tennis continued to grow. By 1978, it was estimated that four hundred thousand enthusiasts played platform tennis across the United States.
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