HISTORY: Carol Pastor takes us back in time with the game of tennis in Coronado

Crown City History

IN COLLABORATION WITH CORONADO HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

Tenn s At

CORONADO’S LOCAL ONLINE NEWSPAPER The Del

BY CAROL PASTOR CORONADO HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEER

Published 24/7 at CoronadoTimes.com

Photo of Hotel Del Tennis Courts during a match c. 1960s

Babcock and Story had a vision. They saw a magni cent hotel sitting on our coast, here in Coronado. Not just a hotel, but a complex, bar none. Fit for kings and other elites. That dream came true as the last nail was pounded, construction was completed and the Hotel del Coronado opened its doors in 1888. It truly was a Victorian masterpiece. It would become legendary, bringing celebrities and dignitaries from around the world to our little bit of paradise. Like the few others of that era, it offered many sport options. Most of them were more suited to men; ladies of that day chose their days’ activities very carefully.

However, that all began to change for everyone when the construction of the tennis courts brought the sport to the Del. Men played, properly dressed, of course. That was seen in photos of the time. As time went on, women took up the sport as well. No one was allowed on the courts unless properly dressed. How that has all changed.

Tennis was played across the country, but it took Perry Jones of the Southern California Tennis Association to encourage its popularity, not only in Los Angeles but later in Coronado at the

Men and women dressed for tennis c. 1950s

Color photo of Hotel Del and Tennis Courts c. 1960s

Charlton Heston, Robert Stack and two other men stand on the Del Tennis Courts holding trophies. c. 1950s

Actor Johnny Downs holding a Hotel del Coronado tennis racket at the Del Tennis Courts c. 1950s

Hotel Del. He brought in some of the best players at that time for tournaments. Mixed doubles at the Del brought out the spectators. It was a great way to spend an afternoon, even if one did not play themselves. Without Perry Jones in our corner, who knows if Coronado would have become such a hub for the sport. From 1927 forward, we began to see more and more events taking place at the Hotel del Coronado. Exhibition matches were played by the likes of Pancho Gonzalez. He was one of many. However, Pancho always did it his way, his rules. Our family knew him personally, enjoying some Saturdays at his tennis ranch. He was always happy to have someone to practice with. That was where my husband, Mort Pastor, came in. One day as they played, Pancho stopped, came across the court and took Mort’s racquet from

CORONADO’S him. Not good enough, so Pancho handed Mort one of his own racquets. It remained Mort’s favorite for years until the arrival of the more popular metal racquets. His wood racquet LOCAL ONLINE NEWSPAPER from Pancho was then hung on the wall in our of ce. Others of note among the greats who played and stayed at the Del include Jack Kramer, who rst came to the Del in 1937 to play at an event, and Alex Olmeda. Alex Olmeda Published 24/7 at CoronadoTimes.com found his way here as a player from the USC team. His skills were soon recognized. In 1959 he was the Wimbledon champion. He went on to serve as captain of the Davis Cup teams. He ultimately became the tennis director at the Beverly Hills Hotel, remaining there for over 20 years. Then, in the 1970’s, there was one Bobby Riggs. He became famous for his matches against the likes of Billie Jean King. That is de nitely a story for another time, as it went down in tennis history. Ted Schroeder was another legend who later was inducted into the California Tennis Hall of Fame. We can’t forget the other Pancho, Segura, that is. He was a contemporary of Pancho Gonzalez, Bobby Riggs and Jack Kramer. One of the best during the 1940s and 1950s. Still enjoying competition with his friend, the other Pancho, in the 1960s. They were not only great sportsmen, but often came across as the comedy team. Another one you would all know was the great Andre Agassi, who began at the Del as a junior player. There were certainly women over these years who were both great tennis players and who frequented the courts at the Hotel del Coronado. Among those were Pam Shriver. She came here frequently, as she had family living in Coronado. We can’t forget Mo Connolly, from San Diego, who won the Grand Slam in 1953 when she was only 19. She played singles and doubles at the hotel for both exhibition matches and tournaments alike. Louise Brough was another woman from our area who went on to greatness in the tennis world, winning at not only 13 Wimbledons, but U.S. and Australia Former Hotel Del Tennis Director opens as well. There are many others too numerous to

Ben Press c. 2000s

Tennis Match at Hotel del Coronado c. 1940s

mention here, all of whom enjoyed tennis at the Del.

We also had our own Hollywood celebrities who came south to enjoy the hotel, the beach and of course, the tennis courts. Actor James Francisco not only played here, but also hosted a tennis/celebrity tournament for several years. Farrah Fawcett liked to sneak in for relaxation and tennis as well. Burt Bacharach took up the sport and worked hard to become an accomplished player. We also had our share of old-timers like Charles Farrell, dating back to the silent lms. Errol Flynn came, not only held court with the ladies but was also an accomplished tennis player. And yes, there was Charlton Heston on the courts, not to mention Walter Cronkite. Dustin Hoffman was good, but I remember he always wanted to take more lessons.

Through all of this, for over 28 years until the demise of the courts, Ben Press held it all together as tennis director, instructor, friend to many frequent visitors, and the guy you could always turn to. With all this history, how could we have lost the tennis from the Beach and Tennis Club? One can only assume, but it seemed to all change when Larry Lawrence and his partner took over ownership and management in the early 1970s. Larry was there to bring the hotel back to its earlier days and bring it to a pro table enterprise. He saw it as a convention center and corporate retreat where the money came, not only from a room rental but adding convention costs, food, drink and other charges to the mix. After Larry came corporate ownership, still allowing tennis as a hotel offering into the mid-1990s. Then the word was out, the owners wanted the courts GONE. Locals began writing letters of protest; committees were formed wanting meetings with management. Many of those letters remain in the archives at the Coronado Library today. And, so it continued until the hotel won. In the late 1990s, Ben Press was no longer the tennis director, the Beach and Tennis Club was canceled and the courts were demolished. Why? Well, the ownership saw a higher and better use of the land. The end of another moment in our history here in Coronado. Ben Press said it best when he described it as 100 YEARS OF TENNIS AT THE HOTEL DEL CORONADO, the title of his book. So raise your racquets, you tennis players, and offer thanks to all those who fought the good ght to save those courts.

• Carol Pastor and her family have lived in Coronado since the mid-1970s. Mother of seven girls, many of whom still live here in the village, Carol has been involved in the community over the years with the Friends of the Library, Historic Resource Commission, and most recently writing about Coronado history for the Coronado Historical Association. An avid history buff since her college days, exploring our local history is a perfect fi t.