2018

Tom Smith, Georgia, 2018

Top Senior Player from Alpharetta, GA

Few Southern players have shown the devotion to playing high-level tennis at all ages as Tom Smith.

While Smith turned 65 this year, he keeps up an active playing schedule in adult tournaments and USTA League. A resident of Alpharetta, GA, a northern suburb of Atlanta, he also plays on Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association (ALTA) teams.

Among his long list of accomplishments are winning a World Individual Doubles Championship with Southern and Georgia Tennis Hall of Famer Hugh Thomson as well as 43 gold balls (emblematic of capturing USTA national championships). He has also collected 25 silver balls (which go to finalists) and 13 bronze balls (for third-place finishes). In addition, he was honored many times as Senior Player of the Year by USTA Southern, USTA Georgia and USPTA Southern section.

Smith was a member of the 2012 Men’s Super Seniors 9.0 combined USTA League national champion team that also featured two Southern Tennis Hall of Fame members (Steve Duffel and Thomson) as well as Marty Pearson, a Mississippi Tennis Hall of Famer.

A notable force on the world tennis stage, Smith has been selected by the USTA to represent the USA on the ITF Vets World Senior Davis Cup Team 10 times and served as the team captain six times. In 2013 they won the world championship in Austria.

“The first time I played on a national team was 2002. Playing for your country is the greatest feeling,” Smith said. “It was fantastic to be standing there with ‘USA’ on our backs at the (ITF World Championships) opening ceremonies.”

Smith has always enjoyed playing doubles more than singles. Even though he’s won five Gold Balls in singles, he explained, “I wouldn’t walk across the street to play singles. … I’ve always enjoyed the team aspect of doubles. I’ll always say yes when asked to play on a team, whether it be for the United States or a USTA League team.”

Smith has won national championships with 16 different partners, many of those being Hall of Famers in their own right. In fact, Phil Landauer, a Floridian who is in the Midwest Tennis Hall of Fame, has been Smith’s most frequent partner.

In 2008 Smith had a career year. Playing with Landauer, they won the “Golden Grand Slam” by taking four USTA national titles on four different surfaces: hard, clay, grass and indoor. That year Smith received USTA Southern’s Slew Hester Male Player of the Year award.

Landauer, who played at the University of Arkansas, remembered the last match to seal the 2008 slam, “A windstorm delayed all the matches that day by five hours which moved our match into the 20,000-seat stadium court (where we ended up playing our most important match) with only seven people watching.”

Smith grew up in Southern California and first started playing on asphalt courts in Buena Park. A self-taught tennis player, he never competed in the juniors but played on his junior high and high school teams. Smith attended the University of California at Long Beach on a tennis scholarship.

“I’ve never taken a tennis lesson,” said Smith, who was also the captain of his high school basketball team. He explained that in junior high and high school, none of his coaches were tennis players. “Even at Long Beach State, our coach just came out to run drills and make up the lineup.”

Smith was a policeman in Los Angeles County before moving to Atlanta, where he now resides with his wife, Debbie. They have five children between them.

Tom Smith, Georgia, 2018

Achieved the rare “Golden Grand Slam” by taking USTA national titles on four different surfaces with Phil Landauer in 2008
Won the World Individual Doubles Championship with Hugh Thomson
Winner of 43 gold balls (emblematic of capturing USTA national championships)
Collected 25 silver balls and 13 bronze balls in USTA championships
Honored with the 2008 USTA Southern Slew Hester Male Player of the Year award
Named Senior Player of the Year by USTA Georgia and USPTA Southern section
Member of the 2012 Men’s Super Seniors 9.0 combined USTA League national champions
Came in third or better in a USTA championship in every year since 1995

Tom Smith

Dan Santorum, South Carolina, 2018

CEO of Professional Tennis Registry

Most people who are cruising down I-95 and headed to the famed Florida – Georgia football game don’t have second thoughts about their destination.

Dan Santorum did.

Thirty-three years ago, he took exit 28 in South Carolina, changing his career and his path to induction into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame.

“I was going to a Florida-Georgia game to meet my buddies that I went to school with at Florida,” Santorum said. “I saw the sign for Hilton Head Island. I made a last second turn and got off the exit.”

When he arrived at the club of PTR founder and President Dennis van Der Meer and his wife, Pat, they were both there. Although Santorum had already expressed interest in a coaching job with the famed tennis coach, organizer and advocate, Santorum was thrilled with the reaction he received.

He remembers Pat saying, “I was just thinking of you.” Then he realized that his decision to create an impromptu, uninvited job interview showed more than the usual amount of interest. The year was 1984, and he took Pat’s job offer without blinking.

Santorum taught for two years traveling the world with Dennis and Pat. Van der Meer was looking for an executive director and his search was coming up dry. “I’ll give it a try,” said Santorum. The next day, the Butler, PA, native was in charge of the fledgling organization with a charge to make it grow . . . and grow it he did.

As CEO of PTR for the past 31 years, Dan leads the world’s largest global organization of tennis teachers/coaches. Santorum has conducted more than 400 PTR educational workshops on six continents, 45 countries & 200+ cities. He is proud that he is the first person to conduct tennis coaches’ workshops in all 50 US states and meeting so many wonderful and dedicated tennis professionals and coaches along the way.

Former USTA and USTA Southern President Lucy Garvin remarked, “Dan will quickly tell you it was a blessing beyond words to have had Dennis as his mentor and friend. He used many of the skills that he acquired from Dennis and developed his own talents to grow the organization into the wonderful organization that it is today.”

In the early 1990s, Santorum created the PTR ACE Program, whose first spokesperson was none other than the legendary Arthur Ashe. Today, the ACE program, which continues to excel, has led to thousands of coaches of color becoming educated and certified to teach tennis in the USA. In 2001, he developed a successful program aimed at increasing the number of young tennis teaching professionals in the United States — PTR on Campus. In 2010, he provided the vision for a new education and certification pathway that helped revolutionize the profession. During his tenure, PTR has grown from an organization of 2,500 members in 68 countries to an organization with more than 16,000 members in 125 countries.

Southern Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Roy Barth said, “In the past ten years since Dennis fell ill, Dan has been the face and the visionary of the PTR. He was ahead of the curve on implementing the 10 & under program as well as developing five educational pathways for pros to meet their individual educational goals.”

A dedicated USTA volunteer for the past 28 years, he has served on several USTA, USTA Southern and USTA South Carolina committees. He’s a member of the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame and the USTA Middle States Hall of Fame. Additionally, he is the recipient of the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Educational Merit Award and the ITF Service to the Game Award.

Santorum is one of two current USTA Southern presidential appointments and is a member of its Tennis Professionals Committee. He also sits on numerous non-profit tennis industry boards including the International Tennis Hall of Fame, National Public Parks Tennis Association and Tennis Industry Association.

Santorum holds a B.S. degree in Business Management from the University of Florida. He and his wife, Missy, live in Hilton Head Island where they raised their three children – Caroline, Allie, and Michael.

Dan Santorum, South Carolina, 2018

Served as PTR’s Executive Director since 1986
Also inducted into South Carolina Tennis and USTA Middle States halls of fame
Created the PTR ACE Program, which led to recruiting thousands of coaches of color
Serves as a USTA Southern Presidential Appointee and member of the Tennis Professional Committee
Recipient of the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Educational Merit
Board member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, National Public Parks Tennis Association and Tennis Industry Association
Recipient of the ITF Service to the Game Award.

Laura DuPont, North Carolina, 2018

By M. Marashall Happer, III, 1995 Southern Tennis Hall of Fame Inductee

Laura DuPont is arguably the finest female tennis player ever from North Carolina, having reached a world ranking of No. 9. She won the 1979 Canadian Open, the 1977 German Open and 1977 US Clay Courts. Additionally, she reached the finals of seven other WTA tournaments in singles or doubles.

She also was a star basketball player in high school and in college. DuPont was the first female All-American at UNC and won the first national championship for UNC. DuPont is being inducted into her fourth hall of fame: ITA Women’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame., North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame and the Charlotte Catholic High School Hall of Fame.

Her story and legacy is important for young girls everywhere who dream of success in sports.

DuPont was born on May 4, 1949, in Louisville, KY, lived in Chattanooga, TN, and moved to Charlotte, NC, in 1964. She graduated from Catholic High School excelling in basketball (38-point average), but there was no girls’ tennis program. However, DuPont became the North Carolina junior 16s and 18s state champion in 1965 and 1966 while in high school. In 1966, she was also the North Carolina state adult doubles champion with Julia Anne Holt. Next year, she was the North Carolina state adult singles champion and also doubles champion with Holt. In 1969, Laura was the state adult singles champion.

She attended Greensboro College for two years and then the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, graduating in 1972 with a B.A. degree in Physical Education. At UNC, Laura lettered in basketball with a 30-point scoring average. In tennis, she went undefeated in match play. UNC men’s tennis coach, Don Skakle, was unsuccessful in trying to obtain permission to have her play on the men’s team.

She captured the Mid-Atlantic Singles Collegiate Championships in 1968, 1970 and 1971. In 1970, she also won the doubles.

DuPont was the first woman at UNC to ever win a United States National Collegiate Championship, when on June 20, 1970, at New Mexico State in Las Cruces, NM, she defeated Linda Tuero of Tulane in the finals 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. Tuero is also a Southern Tennis Hall of Fame inductee.

She almost did not get the opportunity to compete in that National Championship. Frances Hogan, her Tar Heel tennis coach had to persuade the UNC athletic administrators to send her. She remembered that Hogan,“told them to send me because I was going to win the tournament. I didn’t know that at the time. I was probably seeded fourth or fifth, and the person (Linda Tuero) seeded first, I had never beaten her.”

Hogan said “when it was over, tears were rolling down my face. I was just thinking that it almost didn’t happen. She almost wasn’t there. From that point on, Laura realized she could compete against the best. She was quick, but I think she was a good thinker on the court.”

DuPont always considered being the first female national champion at UNC to be her most memorable accomplishment. In 1998, she told the Raleigh News & Observer as Tar Heel of the Week. In 100 years or 200 years, no one will know I won the Canadian Open, but I will still be the first at UNC.”

In 1970 she was named the North Carolina AAU Athlete of the Year. In 1971, she won the Southern Championships and was ranked No. 1 by USTA Southern.

In 1977, she was ranked No. 10 in the United States. In 1980, the USTA ranked Laura and Pam Shriver No. 4 in doubles in the United States. The USTA ranked Laura and Barbara Jordan No. 8 in doubles in 1981 and No. 11 in doubles in 1982.

In recommending DuPont for induction, Shriver wrote, “We won tournaments, played against the best in the world and even qualified for the Tour Championships. … I remember losing to Laura in singles, when she beat me with her smart tactics and patience. I recall many doubles matches together when she was the level-headed team captain helping u think our way to win.”

Others who wrote in their support for Dupont were Billie Jean King, USTA President & CEO Katrina Adams, Southern Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Mildred Southern and other notables.

Famous tennis journalist and International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Steve Flink described her as “a formidable clay-court player known to her friends as ‘Flash’.”

She earned the respect of her peers on the international world tour and was elected to serve the Women’s Tennis Association for 10 of the formative years for women’s professional tennis:

1974-1983 WTA Board of Directors
1975-1979 WTA Treasurer.
1979-1981 WTA Vice President.
1981-1984 WTA Executive Committee.

In 1974, she was a leader in the development of the first computer rankings system for women’s professional tennis.

Some of the highlights of DuPont’s professional career are:

1971 US Open Quarterfinalist while at UNC. Lost to Billie Jean King 6-3, 7-5.
1974 World Team Tennis Cleveland Nets and Pittsburg Triangles.
1975 Auckland NZ, New Zealand Open Doubles Finalist with Cecie Martinez.
1975 Toronto CA, Canadian Open, Singles Finalist. DuPont lost to Marcie Louie 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
1976 Johannesburg ZA, South African Breweries Singles Finalist losing to Brigitte Cuypers 6-7, 6-4, 6-1.
1976 Hamburg DE, German Open Doubles Finalist with Wendy Turnbull.
1977 Indianapolis IN, US Clay National Championships Singles Champion. DuPont defeated Nancy Richey, 6-4, 6-3.
1977 Hamburg DE, German Open Singles Champion. DuPont defeated Heidi Eisterlehner 6-1, 6-4.
1977 Rome IT, Italian Open Semifinalist. DuPont lost to Renata Tomanova 6-1, 4-6, 6-2.
1977 #11 Colgate International Series Professional Final Year-End Point Standings behind Chris Evert (1), Billie Jean King (3), Martina Navratilova (4), etc.
1978 Buenos Aires AR, Rio de La Plata Championships Doubles Finalist with Regina Marsikova .
1978 Beckenham GB, Kent Grass Court Championships. DuPont lost to Evonne Goolagong in singles final 6-4, 6-2, and was also a doubles finalist.
1978 #14 Colgate International Series Professional Final Year-End Point Standings behind Chris Evert (1), Martina Navratilova (4), etc.
1979 #27 in WTA Points and Prize Money at end of year.
1979 Toronto CA, Canadian Open Singles Champion. DuPont defeated Brigitte Cuypers 6-4, 6-7, 6-1.
1982 World Team Tennis Chicago Aces.
1984 US 35s Singles Champion.
1985 US 35s Doubles Champion.

After retiring from the international tour, DuPont became the manager and teaching pro at Shriver’s Orchard Indoor Tennis Club in Baltimore until the club was sold in 1996. In 1997, she moved back to Chapel Hill to manage and teach tennis at the Chapel Hill Tennis Club.

Sadly, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and considered her fight against her cancer to be “the greatest match of my life.” She passed away on February 20, 2002, at Duke Hospital in Durham, NC at age 52.

Laura DuPont is survived by her mother, Pauline DuPont, who remarkably at age 101 still lives alone in Charlotte, sister, Suzette Wright of Georgetown SC, and brothers, Mark C. DuPont, Paul Y. DuPont and Greg C. DuPont, all of Charlotte.

Laura DuPont, North Carolina, 2018

Reached a world ranking of No. 9
She won the 1979 Canadian Open, the 1977 German Open and 1977 US Clay Courts
Played in the finals of seven other WTA tournaments in singles or doubles
Served on the WTA Board of Directors for 10 years and as vice president and treasurer
First female All-American at University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Won the first national championship for University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Previously inducted into three other halls of fame: ITA Women’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame., North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame and the Charlotte Catholic High School Hall of Fame