Bob Perry (1933- )

     A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Bob Perry started playing tennis in Los Angeles in 1944. For his eleventh birthday, his father gave him a racket and ten tennis lessons. It didn’t take Bob long to flourish in his new sport as he won the National 15 and under in singles and doubles, and was later finalist in singles and doubles in the 18 and under. Perry went on to lead his team to three NCAA championships as their number one. After graduating in 1955, Bob played in Europe and at Wimbledon and Forest Hills. Subsequently, he was selected by the State Department to participate in a Goodwill Tennis tour of Southeast Asia with Althea Gibson, Ham Richardson and Carol Fageros.  Perry and first-time partner Don Candy won the French Open doubles in 1956 over singles winner Lew Hoad and Ashley Cooper. Bob reached the round of sixteen at Wimbledon, the Australian and French Opens, results that earned him rankings of eighteen in the world and six in the United States in 1956. From 1960 to 1970, tennis played less of a role in Perry’s life as he worked in the brokerage field. That all changed when he moved to La Jolla in 1971 and began giving lessons at the La Jolla Recreation Center and becoming the tennis director of the La Jolla Tennis Club. In between lessons, his senior success included singles and doubles triumphs in the National 55 Hard courts in the late eighties. He and Eileen, his wife of forty years, ran the La Jolla Championships, from 1972 to 1999, no small feat with player lists of 1200.  For all his accomplishments on court, it is the community service which most makes Bob Perry a welcome addition to the hall.