Arthur ashe used to say that
when he came to St. Louis for his final year of high school in the early 1960s, there were more quality players here than any other city outside greater Los Angeles.
He was thinking of the greats of that era—Buchholz, McKinley, Connors, Carol Hanks Aucamp, Justina Bricka and Mary Ann Eisel Beattie.
But the idea doesn’t stop there. From Dwight Davis, who founded the Davis Cup, to former ATP executive director Butch Buchholz and Wimbledon champions Chuck McKinley, Jimmy Connors and Ken Flach, St. Louis has left an indelible impression on the game.
It was that impression that, in 1990, inspired the founding of the St. Louis Tennis Hall of Fame.
The brainchild of tennis enthusiast Tom O’Neal, who partnered with Jack Eggmann and other people from the Triple A Club (now The Highlands Golf and Tennis Center), the Tennis Hall of Fame was born with two goals.
First, the Hall would recognize St. Louis region’s tennis superstars.
Second, the Hall would raise money for the Triple A Youth Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization that helps local juniors compete on the national and international stage.
The vehicle would be the annual Hall of Fame Festival.
Over the years, thanks in large part to Tom O’Neal, Butch Buchholz, Terry Ward and Maria Steinbach, the Festival has treated St. Louis to an eye-popping mix of current and former greats:
- Arthur Ashe
- Rod Laver
- Pancho Gonzales
- Billie Jean King
- Trey Waltke
- Doug and Ken Flach
- the Jensen brothers
- Alex Olmedo
- Jimmy Connors
- Mats Wilander
- Brad Gilbert