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2008 USTA Seniors' Service Award: Patricia Graham

287 views · Published 18 May 2009 · 2:19 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: United States Tennis Association (USTA) · 2009 · Nonprofits & Activism

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Congratulations to the late Patricia Graham, who posthumously received the 2008 USTA Seniors' Service Award at the 2009 USTA National Annual Meeting.

The Seniors Service Award was established in 1958 and is given annually to the person most deserving of the respect and honor of all seniors. It is awarded on the basis of the recipients willingness, cooperation and participation, either in play or organizational work, for the betterment and furtherance of senior competition. The award was first awarded to W. Dickson Cunningham of Rahway, N.J., for whom the trophy is named.

Graham was a consummate player, coach, official, organizer and volunteer who lived and breathed the game. The USTA felt Grahams accomplishments, passion for the sport and fighting spirit needed to be recognized with this honor. In 1969, after watching her husband play at Rockhill Tennis Club in Kansas City, Graham first picked up a racquet, and a life-long love of tennis was born. By 1975, she competed in her first USTA National Championship, earning herself a Missouri Valley ranking, something she would earn every year until 1993. She then continued to play on the senior circuit and was a nationally ranked senior player for more than 10 years.

Playing had been Grahams passion, but she also gave back to the game through decades of volunteering. In 1973, she began 20 years of service in the Missouri Valley section as a referee, tournament director and on various committees, most often in leadership roles, including serving as vice president of Adults for 10 years. In 1989, she became president of the Heart of America district, a position she held for three years, and in 1999 she began serving as the vice-chair of the USTA Adult/Senior Competition Committee. She had the distinction of being the tournament director of the first USTA Womens 65 National Indoor Championship and held the post from 1980-93. In 1992, she was appointed captain of the Maureen Connolly Cup team, womens 55, and led her team to the finals seven times and to victory five times over her 16-year tenure. In 1992, she relocated to her second home in Florida, where she continued to take on numerous leadership roles, including serving on the sections Board of Directors and chairing the Adult Competition Committee.

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