Noteworthy Contributions

Richard (Dick) Savitt 1945--Graduate EPHS

Hall of Fame Professional Tennis Player. He was the victor at both the Wimbledon and Australian events in 1951 and earned the cover of Time Magazine on August 27th of that year. Born into a Jewish family, he was initially drawn to basketball, and following his family's relocation to El Paso, Texas, he achieved All-State honors. Following high school graduation, he enlisted and served with the United States Navy during the closing months of World War II and continued to play basketball on his Naval base team. He received a basketball scholarship from Cornell University, however, an injury led to his interest in tennis. This proved to be fortunate for Savitt, as he became one of the school's all-time tennis greats as he won the Eastern Collegiate Singles Championship in 1949 and 1950 and was champion at the New York State event (1950). Savitt made a name for himself in the sport on the world stage when he defeated top-ranked Australian tennis great Ken McGregor at both the Wimbledon and Australian events in 1951. His appearance in Time Magazine (1951) gave him the distinction of being the first Jewish athlete to appear on the publication's cover. In 1961, he earned gold medals in the Men's Singles and Double events at the Maccabiah Games in Israel. After retiring from tennis, he worked on Wall Street. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1976 and the International Jewish Hall of Fame in 1979.

Bio by: C.S.