USTA Names Recipients of Annual Awards

The United States Tennis Association today announced the five winners of its Annual Awards presented at the USTA Annual Meeting and Conference on March 24-27, at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, Fla. The honorees were recognized for their dedication to growing the game at an awards luncheon.

Below are the awards, descriptions and honorees:

Brad Parks Award: The Brad Parks Award was established in 2002 to honor an individual or organization that has been instrumental in the development of wheelchair tennis around the world through playing, coaching, sponsoring or promoting the game. The award was named after Brad Parks, a pioneer of wheelchair tennis and the first wheelchair tournament champion.

Presented to: Gene Orlando of Lansing, Michigan.

USTA NJTL Founders’ Service Award: The USTA NJTL Founders’ Service Award was created by USTA Diversity in 2011 and recognizes an individual NJTL chapter founder who is committed to positive youth development through tennis and education and provides free or low-cost tennis, education and life-skills programming to thousands of underserved children each year. The award is given to the recipient reflecting the values of NJTL founders Charles Pasarell, Sheridan Snyder and Arthur Ashe.

Presented to:Barbara Wynne of Indianapolis, Indiana.

USTA Organization Member of the Year: The award is given annually and recognizes the outstanding services of a USTA member organization through its commitment to the tennis community, the organization’s members and the game of tennis. The award was instituted in 1981.

Presented to: San Antonio Tennis Association (SATA), San Antonio, Texas

Ralph W. Westcott USTA Family of the Year Award: The Ralph W. Westcott USTA Family of the Year Award was created in 1965 by the USTA in honor of the late Ralph W. Westcott to emphasize the theme that “Tennis is a Family Game.” The award is given annually to the family that has done the most to promote amateur tennis, primarily on a volunteer basis. All members of the family should participate in tennis in some way, either as players or by offering their services in running programs or tournaments or in junior development activities.

Presented to: The Charles Norman family of Aurora, Ohio

Seniors’ Service Award: The Seniors’ Service Award was established in 1958 and is given annually to the person most deserving of the respect and honor of all senior players. It is awarded on the basis of the recipient’s willingness, cooperation and participation, either in play or organizational work, for the betterment and furtherance of senior competition. The award was first awarded to W. Dickson Cunningham of Rahway, N.J., for whom the trophy is named.

Presented to: Steve Solomon of Palm Springs, California.

The USTA Annual Meeting and Conference brings together USTA Leadership, national staff, national committee members and section volunteers and staff in pursuit of the USTA mission: To promote and develop the growth of tennis. Along with leadership and committee meetings, the USTA Annual Meeting provides education opportunities for all attendees to develop and enhance their personal and professional skills and learn new ways to promote the game of tennis.

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more than 715,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, the highest-attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking seven summer tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships and helps under-resourced youth and individuals with disabilities, and supports  wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans and their families. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com, “like” the official Facebook page, facebook.com/usta, or follow @usta on Twitter.