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By: Tony Callaio
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Lucy S. Garvin, Chairman of the Board and President of the USTA, was honored Friday morning at the Family Circle Cup. Four Quickstart tennis courts, recently constructed adjacent to Match Court 5, were dedicated in Mrs. Garvin’s name. Mrs. Garvin was again honored later in the afternoon on Family Circle Stadium.
“This was a total surprise to me,” said Garvin. “I’m so honored that this took place in my home state and at a world class tournament that I’ve loved for 30-plus years. It means so much to me. Absolutely wonder! The Family Circle Cup is truly special and South Carolina is fortunate to have the Cup here in Charleston.”
At the Quickstart Courts, Bob Moran, General Manager, Family Circle Cup, led the dedication thanking Mrs. Garvin for all her accomplishments in tennis, especially in South Carolina. Accompanying Moran was Rob Eppelsheimer, Director, Facilities and Tennis Development, Family Circle Tennis Center and event coordinator for the afternoon. Dignitaries included Kurt Kamperman, USTA, Kevin Clayton, USTA, Rex Maynard USTA Southern Section President, Paul Pittman, USTA, SC President, along with Dennis Van der Meer, founder USPTR, and Leslie Allen, former WTA Tour Pro and Executive Director, Leslie Allen Foundation.
Quickstart tennis is a new format for learning tennis, designed to bring children into the game utilizing smaller equipment, shorter court dimensions and modified scoring, all tailored to age and size. It is divided into two different levels – ages 8 and under and ages 10 and under.
Mrs. Garvin was elected president of the USTA in January in 2009. She has been on the USTA Board of Directors for the past nine years. Prior to serving as president, she served a two-year term as First Vice President, two consecutive two-year terms as Vice President and one term as Director at Large.
In addition to her USTA Board responsibilities, Garvin was elected to the Board of Directors of the International Tennis Federation, serving as a Vice President. She is Chair of the ITF Junior Competitions Committee and a member of the ITF Development Committee. She will also remain on the board of USTA Serves, the USTA’s philanthropic entity, as well as the board of the National Public Parks Tennis Association. Garvin was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame Board of Directors in 2008.
Garvin previously served as Board Liaison to the USTA Sections, to the Tennis in Public Parks Task Force and to the Administration Division. She has been a member of the Board’s Strategic Planning and Compensation Committees, the Budget Committee and the Diversity Guide Team. She also served as Council Co-Chair of the Community Development Division and chaired the USTA Section President and Adult/Senior Recreation Committees. She was the USTA Southern Section delegate and the chairwoman of the USTA Delegates Assembly.
A committed volunteer who has dedicated more than 30-years to growing the sport of tennis at every level around the country, Garvin has enjoyed a decorated career in the sport. A former president of the USTA Southern Section, she was inducted into the USTA Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in January 2005. She also received the USTA Southern Section’s Jacobs Bowl Award in 1999 and the South Carolina President’s Award in 1998. In 1996, the South Carolina Tennis Association established the Lucy Garvin Volunteer of the Year Award in her honor, and she was inducted into the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 1998.
After attaining her degree in Nursing, Garvin made a major career change in 1975 when she began working within the tennis industry at a facility in Greenville, S.C., and then established a consulting business for the management and marketing of tennis facilities throughout the South. During her esteemed career in tennis, Garvin has fostered a stronger working relationship between the USTA and its tennis industry partners. A certified tennis referee for the past 33-years, Garvin has officiated at national, sectional and district tournaments. She played sanctioned tournaments from 1976 to 1990 and won a number of doubles titles at the local, state and sectional levels.
Garvin and her husband, Bob, also an avid tennis player, have two children, both of whom were ranked junior and collegiate players. The Garvins reside in Greer, South Carolina, where they are members of the USTA Southern Section.
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