Word: pettitt
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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Died. Thomas ("Tom") Pettitt, 86, British-born, mustachioed grand old man of court tennis; in Newport, R. I. A onetime locker-boy for the first U.S. court-tennis court (in Boston), he taught himself the ancient, highly specialized game (played in large, complicated, enclosed courts, with pear-shaped racquets and complex rules), revolutionized classic court style with his smashing drives ("When I get a fair sight of the ball, I hit it, and I hit it damned hard"). Tom Pettitt made both court-tennis history and legend, in his heyday was reputed to have defeated many an opponent while using...
...Newport's famed Casino, newly installed racks hold a few bicycles, and a sign reads: "Officers Club. For members only." From one or two of the ten still playable courts comes the subdued pock of a quiet game. Ten other courts are overrun by rank grass. Old Tom Pettitt, the Superintendent of Tennis, straw hat on head, still sits on the clubhouse porch. The deserted Championship Court is kept inviolate, awaiting the return of champions...