Evening star., 1923-12-09

than any other man for the develop
ment OF tennis in Texas. He has or
ganiz@d clubs in various sections of
the safe, welded them into sec
tional association. and thus brought
all Texas players in touch with the
national association. OF which he has
long been member Of the executive
committee.
Dallas Has FIOurisbing Club.
Dallas has a large and flourishing
tennis club. where the game is played
tn" year round. The nefghboring city
of Fort Worth also numbers many en-
thusiasts. Now Waco, Houston. Au-
stin and San Antonio all have their
clubs and their local champions.
Whenever tournament is held at any
one o. these places. the champions of
the other cities never fan to coop
crate and, consequently. friendly
rivalry has grown up that acts as a
wholesome stimulus to the game.
The interest in tennis has grown
steadily from the first. Since the war
city authorities. have begun to recog-
nize ;he benefit of the game to com
munitv. and have put Gown a number
Of pUEiic courts. san Antonio. a city
as large 4 g Dallas. hes six new asphalt
courts in BTaciienridGe Park. and one
Of Austins commissioners recently
told me that six courts were soon to
be laid in two Of the city parks.
Austin, the site of the state univer-
sity, plays more tennis for its small
population of 10000 than any town OF
its size | have ever seen. The popu-
larity of the game in this community
is largely due to the continued efforts
OF DIR. Penick. head Of the university
athletics. who. himself a tennis fan
for many years. has popularized the
game among the students and fac
ultS.
Tennis is a .'majo sport in tho
curriculum or the university. and the
students attend classes of tennis just
as they go to classes of plathematfcS
or history.
Reaches Final in Doubles.
Two years ago Austin's tennis team
reached the final Of the national in
tGrCollegiate doubles championship al
the Merton Cricket Club of Philadel-
phia. This year Austin won the title
White and Thalheimer defeating Neel
and Davies Of Stanford and Williams
and Jones of Yale. This victory. by
such a small out-of-th the-way college
competing as it did against all the
great universities of the country. TO-
cused the eyes of the tennis world
upon the men who had wrought the
miracle.
It was conceded on all sides that
the victory of White and Tnalheimer
Was unique and remarked hie
achievement. and tina: their win was
not Il fiule. White and Tha alheimer
afterward played in the national dou-
ble& championship at Boston, and
once the- Cver2ame their stage fright
induced when they found themselves
opposed to such famous champions as
Johnston and Griffin, acquitted them
selves very creditably.
Thalheimer is essentially. a dou-
bles player, but Whites best game
is singles. The latter is considered
by the kinseys and Norton to have
great promise as any young player
in the country. and Tilden has re-
Gently written of him in terms OF
| high commentator. White is ovel
six feet tall, and he has at all time.
the deadly calm of the proverbia
, Texas .gunman. He never become,
nu&tered when the breaks 20 a"airsI
him. which is an asset to any player
Liks' Helen Wills. whose inScru-
table face has given her the sobri-
quet of the young sphinx. White con
tinueS calmly on his way regardless
of the closeneSS of the match. This
ability to mask ones feelings is con-
sidered by the eminent English au-
thority. Wallis Myers. to be q tre-
mendous asset to any player.
Has Fine Tennis Form.
White plays in such beautiful form
that when I first saw him two years
ago in Boston, where he reached the