 Patricia
Henry Yeomans
In a career spanning 70 years, Patricia
Henry Yeomans (b.1917) spearheaded many of the century's tennis
milestones. The daughter of California champion Corinne Stanton
and sportswriter Bill Henry, Yeomans was a tennis natural, winning
the national junior title in 1935. At Occidental College she
worked her way to No. 1 on the men's freshman team before being
banned from competition. She swept the College Girls' Invitational
in 1936 and 1937, the 'unofficial' intercollegiate tournament
of the era.
Involved in every level of tennis from
juniors to seniors, Yeomans helped Helen Lewis
organize the first sanctioned women's collegiate championship
in 1958 and pioneered tournament play for 50-and-over age groups.
With tennis official Joseph
Bixler and former champion
Jack Kramer, Yeomans began lobbying in 1972 to bring tennis
back to the Olympics. Her dream was achieved in 1984 when tennis
premiered at the L.A. Olympics and was approved as a full medal
sport for the '88 Games.
Career Highlights
U.S. Champion Girls' 18 Singles
1935
U.S. Hard Court Champion Girls'
18 Doubles 1935
College Girls' Invitational Singles
and Doubles Champion 1936, 1937 (tournament organized by Hazel
Wightman)
B.A. '38 Occidental College,
Phi Betta kappa; M.A.'41 California Graduate School of Design
Organized and directed youth
tennis program, Los Angeles Tennis Club (LATC) 1953-1973
Winner of the USTA Service Bowl
1956
Assisted Helen Lewsi in launching
women's national collegiate championships 1958; donated collegiate
doubles trophy
Chair, USTA Junior Wightman Cup
Committee 1956-1974
Led efforts for return of tennis
as an Olympic medal sport 1972-1988
Pioneered senior women's hard
court tennis for 50s, 60s, 65s, 70s, 75s, 80s from 1970-1992
U.S. Hard Court Champion Women's
50 Singles, Doubles 1970
U.S. Indoor Champion Women's
60 Singles, Doubles 1978, 1979
U.S. Hard Court Champion Women's
60 Doubles, 1979
Chair, U.S. Women's 65-70-75-80
hard court events, LATC 1979-1980
Founder, California Grand Jurors
Association 1982; President 1994-1996
Co-founder, SCTA 'Youth vs. Experience'
Tournament 1988
'Woman of the Year' Award 1988,
John Townsend Award 1999, First Baptist Church of Los Angeles
U.S. Hard Court Champion Women's
70 Doubles 1989
U.S. Hard Court Finalist Women's
80 Singles 1998
U.S. Hard Court Finalist Women's
80 Doubles 1999
Member, International Society
of Olympic Historians
Author of numerous books and
brochures, including Behind the Headlines with Bill Henry
(1972); Southern California Centennial Champions 1887-1987;
History and Heritage of Los Angeles Tennis Club 1920-1995
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