Gary Lee - Volunteer
Selfless service leads to phenomenal change, as was experienced by Gary Lee of Lincoln CA, a USTA volunteer for over 25 years. “There was very little diversity in tennis when I started; it was primarily a white person’s game but now people of all colors are playing – I’m very proud of that.”
The hard work and determination of Lee and the others that worked along with him, led to the formation of the Multicultural Participation Committee (MPC). Having started in NorCal and eventually spread to National, the MPC’s revolutionary activities have reached thousands of underserved populations and youth by helping to create tennis programs at community centers, providing college scholarships for young adults and making it possible for all to enjoy participating in leagues and tournaments. “That’s why I have been a volunteer for so long,” says Lee, “seeing the improvement and diversity throughout the years.”
Now a retired dentist, Lee has been playing tennis since he was a teenager, “The neighborhood kids would go play tennis; it’s just what we did.” Lee played on his high school team and as a freshman at UC Berkeley, before academics got in the way. He was brought back into the game when his three daughters, Trina, Tisha and Tiffany started playing. “You get involved with what your children are involved with – that’s how I got started with NorCal.” Another significant improvement that Lee was involved with on the local level was the cultivation of NorCal’s adult leagues. “That project started as almost nothing, now our participation is one of the top in the country.”
Lee’s volunteer accolades run vast and long. At the USTA National level he was the Men’s Senior International Team Coordinator, Brittania Cup Team Captain, Men’s 65-captain (as a non playing captain), the vice chair of the Senior International Team Committee, the Federation Cup Committee Chair and the USTA Nominating Committee in 1999 and 2000. And Lee has held a past USTA Board position – the Pacific Region Vice President from 1991-1992. Serving under the late Bob Cookson, Lee was also part of the initiation to build the new Arthur Ashe Tennis Stadium in Flushing Meadows.
Lee has also been a member of “many, many USTA committees; too many to remember,” he proudly jokes. Some of the committee’s Lee served on are the Budget and Finance, Minority Participation, Sanctions and Scheduling, Sport Science, Olympic, Leagues, Player Development, and Governance/Planning. And he has served as the Tournament Chair for the USTA Boys and Girls 18s Hardcourt Championships. He currently serves on the Olympic committee.
At the local NorCal level, Lee was the Section President, Section Delegate, Section Vice-President, Parliamentarian and has been a Board Member since 1983. He has served on several NorCal committees, including Budget and Finance (chair), Leagues (chair), Long Range Planning (chair), Jr. Tennis Council, Senior Council, Sportsmanship, Grievance, Sports Science and the Executive Committee. He has also been the Tournament Chair for Junior Team Exchange.
Not surprisingly, Lee has been the recipient of many awards for his hard work and service. A few include the Multicultural Participation Committee Icon Award in 2002, the NorCal Family of the Year Award in 1995 and the NorCal Service to Tennis Award. He has also served on the Board of Directors at the Peninsula Tennis Club, since 1982.
Lee and his wife Pauline are very proud of their three daughters, who were all highly ranked NorCal Juniors players and who all received tennis scholarships to the University of the Pacific. “Tennis has been great to us, and as a family; I’ve gotten so much more than I put in.”
Graydon Nichols - Senior Player
Super Senior Player Graydon Nichols is a true testament that tennis is a sport for a lifetime! From a small farm in Fresno to the world stage, at 84 years old Nichols holds the #1 ranking in singles for men’s 80’s in the United States and the #4 on the international circuit.
Tennis is a passion for Nichols that started when he was 8 years old, along with his 7 brothers and sisters. His oldest sister, Lucille was the first to play on the local team at Clovis High School but the entire Nichols family soon followed. “Lucille talked our father into getting the posts and net; we didn’t have any coaching or anything, just homemade strokes. We took a piece of the farm and made a court out of it. It was too muddy to play in the winter but in the spring and summer we would chop the weeds off the court and use the ashes from the fireplace and string to make singles and doubles lines.”
Nichols record proves that pristine courts and expensive equipment are not needed to become a champion; along with his top US and World ranking, Nichols international achievements include playing on ten Senior International Cup Teams from 2005-2008 and playing captain in 2006, 07 and 08 for the Gardner Mulloy Cup (New Zealand 07, Turkey 06, 08). His 2008 record was 13-1and he made it to the finals of all entered tournaments. Plus, Nichols played for the Bitsy Grant Cup from 2001-2004 (men’s 75), the Crawford Cup in 1997 and 1998 (men’s70), and his Nichols ITF World Singles titles consist of one 75s doubles, two 80s singles and two 80s doubles. European Championships comprise one 75s singles, one 75s doubles and one 80s doubles.
Nichols USTA achievements are just as impressive; 12 Gold balls in singles and 19 Gold balls in doubles, 15 Silver balls and six Bronze balls. Singles titles comprise two 70s, two 75s and eight 80s. Just as impressive in doubles, where he earned two 70s; five 75s and twelve 80s doubles. Nichols also participated in three Father-Daughter hard court events with daughter Carolyn, in 03, 06 and 08. 
A consistently top ranked senior player, nationally Nichols made it to #1 in 70s, 1996; stayed in the top 5 for 2000-06 and has remained in the top 10 since the mid 1990s. Internationally Nichols hit the #1 spot in 2007 and currently remains in the top 5.
Nichols spent his freshman year of college playing tennis at Fresno State before transferring to UC Berkeley, where he majored in engineering. Unfortunately his studies didn’t leave much time for the court. After UC Berkeley, Nichols earned a graduate degree in agriculture and plant science from UC Davis and has been involved in agriculture for over 50 years.
Nichols introduced tennis to his three children and six grandchildren. His oldest daughter, Carolyn, played for Stanford, his second daughter, Eileen is also a Stanford alumni and his son, Chuck, followed his footsteps to UC Davis where he was a member of the very first Davis crew team.
Nichols wife of almost 55 years, Virginia, is an accomplished senior player in her own right. She won a world championship in Perth, Australia, women’s 75s doubles in the late 1990’s – which was also her very first time playing on grass. The Nichols’ are currently members of the Visalia Racquet Club in Visalia, CA.
Tennis has always played an important part of Nichols life, as he says, “Tennis has been a pleasure. My life is all the better for it; I’m certainly a lot fitter than if I had not played all these years. I enjoy it for the competition and the fun. It’s such a wonderful sport, truly a sport for a lifetime.”
Linda Gates - Stanford All-American; WTA Pro Player
The World begins at Stanford; “The opportunity that Frank Brennan gave me to play at Stanford can’t be taken lightly,” exclaims former pro tennis player Linda Gates. Brennan, the legendary Stanford women’s tennis coach, had such a profound affect on Gates’ game that she jumped from a world ranking of 364 to 55 in her first full year on the WTA Tour.
Those aspirations began when Gates was 7 years old, in her Northern California hometown of Hillsborough. Tennis was a family activity so when her older brother started taking lessons and playing tournaments, Gates naturally followed along. It helped that girls were allowed, as she explains, “I had always liked sports, but at that time there weren’t many opportunities for girls. Tennis was one that was organized and I really enjoyed it.”
Gates reached the #1ranking in Juniors national doubles, was ranked #16 singles, in the nation, Northern California #1 in 16 singles and #1 in 18 singles and doubles. As a teenager she also won several sportsmanship awards, which she views as her greatest Juniors accomplishments.
Her achievements caught the eye of several prominent California schools; in a decision that would be surprising to most, Gates turned down offers of full scholarships to both UCLA and UC Berkeley for the opportunity to attend Stanford – on just a partial-scholarship. “I grew up watching Stanford tennis and it was a place that I always dreamed of going. It’s a phenomenal school, both academically and athletically. It’s tough when you are 17 or 18 and confronted with these decisions – that they offered a half scholarship was enough. I would have gone even if they hadn’t offered me anything”
Accolades at Stanford include having earned All American status for all four years, NCAA Doubles Finalist, 1983, NCAA Singles Finalist; Doubles Champion 1984 and NCAA Singles and Doubles Champion, 1985. “I wasn’t a junior phenom and my game was kind of rough around the edges. But I made huge improvements under Frank’s coaching; I developed slowly, but was pretty complete by the end of college.”
Additionally, Gates won the Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship Award in 1984, an especially special honor, as she explains, “I was very proud of that award; I looked up to Arthur Ashe for many years.” She also won the Broderick Award as National Collegiate Player of the Year, 1985 and was elected to Stanford University Hall of Fame in 2001.
A shoulder injury ended her pro career a year later in 1986, but Gates’ accomplishments on the pro tour in that short time show how talented a player she had become. In 1985 alone, Gates made it to the Australian Open quarter-finals, doubles, with partner Alycia Moulton, won both the singles and doubles titles at the OTB International Open in New York, got to the round of 32, singles, at the US Open (defeated by Carling Bassett) and was a finalist at the Japan Open(defeated by Gabriella Sabatini).
While rehabilitating her shoulder in 1986 Gates returned to her Alma Mater to help out with the women’s team. She volunteer at Santa Clara University in 97-99 and was again a volunteer assistant for Stanford in 2007 and 2008.
Today Gates and her husband, who was also a Stanford and National level player, live in Atherton with their three sons, aged 12, 10 and 6.
“I feel very lucky to have been a part of NorCal tennis. When I used to play USTA tournaments as a kid I never thought about it as competing in a sport as much as going out and having fun and playing with your friends. But I got to take lessons from phenomenal teachers, like Nick Carter, Ken Walsh, John Hubbell, Bill Maze and of course, Frank Brennan – the area is so rich in tradition, has unbelievable people involved at all levels and has a very cohesive, family feel to it. I was very fortunate.”
Dan Goldie - Stanford; ATP Pro Player
Stanford Through and Through: Breaking into the ATP top 100 while still in college would set a definitive path for most tennis players, but not Dan Goldie, “I thought of turning pro at that point, but I wanted to stay and finish my education. I really enjoyed school and Stanford had committed a full scholarship to me, so I thought I owed them all 4 years.” A decision made with a clear understanding as to the complexity of being successful on the pro tour, “On the pro circuit you lose a lot, but alternatively, when you are the top collegiate player and everyone wants you to win it’s a different kind of pressure – I wanted to learn from that and use it to become stronger.”
As a child in McLean, Virginia, Goldie was always active in sports, but didn’t take tennis seriously until the age of 13. “At that point I gave up all other sports and focused on tennis exclusively. It was at a late age and I had a lot of ground to make up, but I stayed focused and practiced hard.”
Goldie moved to Northern California in 1982 to attend college, “Stanford was always my first choice; I wanted to go to a school that combined top-rate academics with the best tennis program.” West coast living agreed with Goldie, as he earned All-American three times, was the NCAA Singles Champion in 1986 and member of the NCAA Championship teams in his freshman and senior years (1983 and 1986). He was inducted into the Intercollegiate hall of fame in 2006.
It was during the summers while at Stanford that Goldie earned his notable ranking on the pro circuit. One of his top wins at the time was defeating a world ranked #5 Jimmy Arias. His results were just as impressive once he turned pro full-time and included two ATP singles titles, 1987 Newport, 1988 Seoul; two ATP doubles titles1987 Newport, 1987 Auckland; fourth round 1988 US Open (defeated by Stefan Edberg); fourth round Australian Open 1989 (defeated by Ivan Lendl) and Goldie was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon in 1989 (again, defeated by Ivan Lendl). Goldie was also an alternate member of the 1989 US Davis Cup Team.
In the three years that he was on the pro tour, Goldie had exciting wins over many of the sports top stars, including, Andre Agassi, Jimmy Arias, Mats Wilander (when ranked #1), Michael Chang, Jimmy Connors (at Wimbledon), Jim Courier, Kevin Curren, Marc Edmonson, Brian Gottfried, Johan Kriek, Tim Mayotte, Eliot Teltscher, Guillermo Vilas and Yanek Noah.
In 1989 Goldie developed stress fractures in both of his shins that never healed and unfortunately ended his pro career, as he explains, “I took 6 months or so off but I wasn’t able to play without pain, so I eventually called it quits. It was time to move on to something else.” Thankful he had that Stanford education; Goldie turned to the business world and today runs an investment advisory business in Menlo Park, CA.
Looking back on that decision at 13 to focus exclusively on tennis, Goldie still feels that he made the right choice, as he says, “Tennis was always my best sport. I liked that it was an individual sport where the results all fell on your shoulders. In tennis, you have control over your own destiny.” And the life lessons that he learned from tennis are incorporated into his everyday life, “Tennis gives you a sense of dedication; you learn how to work, set and achieve goals. It teaches you how to handle success and failure – appropriately – don’t get too excited about success but also don’t worry about failure. You lose a lot as a tennis player so it’s imperative to learn from your losses. The better you can do that the better you can progress – in anything.”
