Tennis Talk
By Betty Olsen
I was getting a jump on my New Year’s resolutions by cleaning out a file drawer. There I found a 1989 newspaper article describing my tennis coach and friend who changed the trajectory of my life. The article was his obituary and a tribute to his many accomplishments.
His name is Nolan McQown and he grew up in Los Angeles with tennis legends Jack Kramer and Poncho Gonzales. According to Kramer, McQuown was one of the brightest young prospects in the 30’s. As juniors, McQuown and Kramer were chosen as a doubles team to travel to boy’s nationals in Indiana. They won the doubles title and McQuown made it to the quarter finals in singles. McQuown was a freshman at Franklin high school when Bobbie Riggs was a senior. Riggs played #1 and McQuown played #2 After high school, McQuown attended LA City College before he and Kramer entered WW II.
In 1947 McQuown returned to civilian life and tennis. He won the southern CA championships beating Herbie Flan, # 10 in the US. When Gonzoles was still an amateur, McQuown beat him in 3 sets. He also claims 7 national titles and played at Wimbledon when it was amateurs only. However, there was no money in tennis in the 1940s and 50s, so he joined the LA Police Department for 21 years. Upon retirement in 1968, he bought the N. Hollywood Tennis Shop and started coaching. One of his students, Bruce Manson, was #30 in the US.
And in 1969, Lon and I became his students and started playing competitive tennis in tournaments (at least I did.) In 1977, I volunteered as the Girl’s high school tennis coach that lasted for 8 years. And in 2001, I became the Executive Director of the AMTA known as the American Medical Tennis Association, in charge of planning and running 2 tournaments a year stateside and 1 international. I retired from that position in 2011 when I moved to the Villages.
I am so grateful to Nolan McQuown who passed on to me his passion and love of tennis that has shaped the last 50 years of my life. It is a lifetime sport. Just as Art Lind.