by special report to The Chattanoogan
posted January 31, 2008
) Photo by GPS. Left to right: Billy, Sue and Claire Bartlett. |
Also inducted Saturday night were Bonnie Dondeville Farley and Ben Testerman.
The 2008 Inductees:
Susan (Sue) T. Bartlett- Sue Bartlett grew up just north of London, England and gained a National UK Ranking of No. 17 as a junior.
Recruited by coach Alice Tym, Sue came to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on a tennis scholarship in the fall of 1977. Sue was an All-American member of the 1978 and 1979 AIAW National Championship Team.
After college, Sue became the head professional at the Lookout Mountain Fairyland Club for nine years and also the UTC Assistant Women’s Tennis Coach.
Since 1988, she has been the Varsity Tennis Coach and Director of Tennis at Girls Preparatory School (GPS) in Chattanooga. Under her direction GPS teams have won several state championships and runner-up awards.
Sue has also served on the Chattanooga Tennis Association Board, the Southern USPTA Board, and the Association of Chattanooga Tennis Professionals. She has coached Tennessee Teams in the Junior Davis Cup and Southern Teams in the Mills Redgrave Challenge and National Team Championships.
As a senior player Sue won the USTA National 35 Hard-court Championships and also was National Mother/Daughter Champion with her daughter, Claire. She still competes and plays for Tennessee and the South in the Southern Senior Cup and the Intersectionals.
Bonnie Dondeville Farley- Bonnie Dondeville Farley grew up playing tennis on the public courts in Memphis, Tennessee.
At a very young age, Bonnie developed into an ambidextrous athlete. Her first tournament win was at age 12, in the 15 and under of the Memphis Public Parks Tournament in 1957.
In 1958 she ventured to other tournaments around the south and even several national level tournaments. Bonnie had state, southern and national rankings in the 15’s and 18’s.
At the age of 17 she made the men’s collegiate tennis team at Memphis State where she earned two letters. In 1997 the University of Memphis (Memphis State) inducted her into the M Club Hall of Fame.
Bonnie’s parents both played tennis and supported her by attending matches, serving as practice partners, and acting as a doubles partner from time to time. She gave free tennis lessons at John Rodgers Tennis Center in Memphis, and played in several charity events through the years. She also gave tennis lessons at various country clubs in Memphis. At age 20, Bonnie began teaching school.
She continued playing tournaments, teaching tennis, and earned a mater’s degree in education along the way. She still lives in Memphis, and just recently retired from the school system in May. Now, Bonnie hopes to have more time to squeeze in some good points with some old friends.
Ben Testerman- Ben Testerman, a resident of Knoxville, Tenn., has long been hailed as the greatest junior player in Knoxville history. During his distinguished junior tennis career, Testerman won 21 national titles.
He was ranked #1 in the 12s, 14s and 16s, and ranked #2 in the 18s. Testerman won national singles and doubles titles in the 12s, 14s, 16s, and 18s, and he was the only player to ever make the finals of Kalamazoo four years in a row.
Testerman reached the finals of the Junior Italian and French Open and the semi-finals of Wimbledon. Testerman was ranked as high as #1 in the world ITF for most of 1978-79 and finished the year ranked #3. In 1979 and 1980Testerman won the Sunshine Cup and a doubles grand slam with Scott Davis. Testerman and Davis were also awarded a wildcard into the US Open in 1980 where they reached the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Testerman’s achievements in his professional career rival those of his junior career. Professionally, Testerman has been ranked as high as #19. He was a semifinalist in the Australian Open, US Indoor Memphis and Sydney Indoor. He has also reached the quarterfinals of the US Pro Indoor Philadelphia, Sydney Grass Courts and Tokyo Indoor, as well as making it to the third round of both Wimbledon and the French Open.
Throughout his professional career, Testerman has boasted wins over Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, Pat Cash, Kevin Curren, Tim Mayotte, Gene Mayer, Tim Wilkison, Henrick Sundstrom, and Joakim Nystrom.
Other accomplishments include:
Winner, Livingston NJ Doubles with Scott Davis
Winner, Belgium Indoor Doubles with Duke Odizor
Finalist, Houston Doubles with Hank Pfister (lost to McEnroe and Flemming)
Finalist, Tampa Indoor Doubles with Tim Wilkison
Quarterfinalist, Wimbledon Mixed Doubles with Billie Jean King
Quarterfinalist, US Open Doubles with Scott Davis
(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)
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