Tuesday, June 21st, 1977

Morning comes early at the Academy, there’s the alarm clock that goes off at 7:30, then its down the hall for a shower, shave, and the morning routine. Then its to Forde Hall for breakfast. No one talks much in the morning, Roger shows up wearing flip flops, a NY Yankees hat, Tom is fully dressed and ready to go, as are all the women counselors. I’m a flip flop T-shirt guy too but Mark is fully dressed and ready to go. I dont know where he gets all of this energy!

Mr. B is always up early and I hear the whistling in the morning. I can smell his coffee from the foyer apartment. He shows up at the courts about 7:45 and hits on the back wall. He has so much energy in the morning and is always happy as lark. Sometimes he pulls me aside and asks how things are at home. We hit it off and he tells me all kinds of things, one morning he told me stories about his mother and the time she won the New Jersey Lottery, another time he told me about being a kid and seeing Babe Ruth play baseball. He is a master story teller and I hang on every word. This Mr. B. is one in a million.

Mr. B. and Riley did a demo for the forehand. Mr. B told campers the left hand is critical for the forehand, from the ready position you have to push the racquet back and in a looping motion strike the ball going low to high, in a natural topspin motion. The he says its vital to recapture the racquet after the follow through and get back in ready position.

Mr. B also talked about heroes to the kids. He said we are a society of false heroes, that we sometime idolize people that are not worthy, rock stars, baseball players, tennis players, that the real heroes are underneath their noses, our parents who struggle to make a living, living with the pressures, all the crap at work, the long commute and they do it all over again without much attention. It was sobering.

It was hot again, and humid, I guess this is the norm here. We don’t have the humidity in Idaho, I hope I get used to this…also there are the nats, these bugs not only bite you, but they fly straight for the eyes. I dig a few out every day. I have a few mosquito bites too.

Because of the taping and viewing we were not very organized this morning, I got to teach on the hard court with the advanced players and it was fun but tiring. Im hitting very well on the hard courts, so my poor play is probably because I haven’t figured out the clay yet. I was so tired today that I rushed through lunch and took a nap at noon. It made all the difference in the world. I had so much energy the rest of the afternoon. The kids were able to play singles and doubles matches all afternoon. We stand at the net posts and correct mistakes and give encouragement…all afternoon. That’s three hours in the sun….Im so sun burned and my head is fried.

I played Lenny at 4:00 and we split sets. I lost the first 6-4, and won the second 7-5. I think the difference was that I kept the ball in play. I dictated the points…hit the drop shot and lob and made him run. He hits perfectly and wonderfully but on the run he is prone to mistakes. There must have been 8 or 9 counselors playing today after work.

I walked downtown for Ice Cream to a little store off campus called Wise’s. Its run by Mr. Wise and he has the best Hersey’s Ice Cream…You can get burgers and fries there too, It’s a cool place with lots of tables and juke box. The place was packed with campers.

After dinner I was on field sport duty and played volleyball. We had enough for two full teams. At one point I had a perfect set and went up for the spike. I came down hard and twisted my ankle on the standard under the net. I saw stars….I had tears in my eyes and ankle swelled up to the point to where you couldn’t see the bump of the ankle bone. Sandy took care of me, getting ice and we wrapped it. He just had a bad sprain a few days before. I had the ankle elevated all night, I hope I can play tomorrow. Tom came in and said we will play it by ear, he said we will trade day-off with someone so I can rest the ankle.

Monday June 20th,1977

Thank god I turned in early, it was scorching hot and humid today and with a hundred campers it was a heavy teaching load. We started video taping the girl campers yesterday and got them going again first thing, we didn’t start on the boys until 11. Mr. B is looking at stroke production, how they pull the racquet back, the swing, how they watch the ball. He is very sharp and doesn't miss a thing.

In the mean time on the clay courts we played a game called around the world and did what we could in terms of teaching. We won’t start on the forehand until tomorrow. We had a counselor on each court plus one in the viewing room behind the gym showing the tape. We also had the better players on the hard courts. Bobby and Tom V and Solomon and Feinberg were up there. Some of the advanced players are very good players.

Mr. B was on the gym balcony, Riley fed balls and Kunz videotaped, like yesterday Mr. B gave analysis on tape so the camper can hear his comments, it’s a very efficient operation….but its very tiring on everybody I was bushed and thought noon time would never come.

We had a fantastic lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches and tater tots, I must have drank a whole pitcher of milk. Mark sat at my table along with 12 campers. We chatted them up pretty good and we’re both aware of the fact that we have to be careful what we say at all times, we’re role models, so we just let them do the talking and we listened, the kids are so funny.

We got halfway through the afternoon and dark clouds blew in and it rained, it came down hard. We went inside the gym and it was loud, hot and not much fun. Pat Rowntree got nailed in the eye with a ball and I’m talking hard, real hard. It was so humid indoors that we were all soaked in sweat. The kids were exhausted. When we walked back to the dorms we were soaked again. Mr. B had the pool opened for the kids and they were excited about swimming. Pat, Liz, Chris Me, Riley were on pool duty. I didn’t swim just chatted with the girls.
Heres a list of the counselors:
Mark Sanderson…Massachusetts
Marc Solomon, Long Island, New York
Tom Sheridan, Dearborn Michigan
Eric Riley Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Doug Hamilton, Scotland, UK
Bobby Dickinson, Arlington, TX
Roger Dickinson, Arlington, TX
John Day, Wayne New Jersey
Kenny Feinberg, New York City
Pat Rountree, Toronto, Canada
Tom Vrana, New Jersey
Liz, Miami, Florida
Becky Craft Binghamton, New York
Chris Russell-Vick, London, England
Lenny Saks, New Rochelle, N.Y.
Jude Gatewood, Washington, DC
Mike Kunz-Long Island, New York
Jake Putnam, Pocatello, Idaho
Bevin Engman, Philadelphia
Xavier Combe, Paris, France

I’m still not playing well, I hit with this 12 year old by the name of Gwen and she ran me off the court. She hit deep to the corners and I struggled just to keep the ball back. Mr. B says she is ranked number 1 in NJ! The hit didn’t help my confidence a bit. Sandy tells me I worry too much, that I need to just get out and play and adjust to the clay rather than fight it. I think there is wisdom in his words. I was on dorm duty after dinner and just hung out and watched TV and kept an eye on the kids. The skies have cleared but it’s so humid. I wont be sleeping much tonight.

I found some cool posters upstairs and hung them up in the room, Mark brought a couple from home as well and the room looks good. Thank god I brought the alarm clock that Mom and Jerry gave me, Id be lost without WRCV FM!

I had the chance to chat with Bevin, all I can say is what a pair of blue eyes! She has a lot to say...and I was listening.

Sunday June 19th, 1977--Mercersburg Academy

Never before have I seen so many Lacoste shirts, Sperry topsiders and Volvo station wagons. The first round of kids started showing up around noon. We moved our desk out in the hall of the foyer for camper check in. We were all paired in groups of six, the woman counselors escorted the girl campers to the dorm, while the guys did the same with the boys. We passed out keys and towels and reassured the parents and the campers, there were a lot of tears shed, some of the kids have never been away from home and it’s just as tough on the parents.

It’s a brilliant, hot and humid day…whew. I bet I have already drank a gallon of water and I need another shower.

There are so many new counselors here, Eric Leges from Plymouth State, Andy Greenspan, Bevin Engman from Philly, Jude Gatewood from D.C.; Tom Vrana from New Jersey, Becky Craft from Wellesley College. Verona made the mistake of calling Mr. B, ‘Franky’ to Tom Sheridan. Sheridan told him curtly that we refer to Frank Brennan as Mr. B or Mr. Brennan. It was one of the awkward moments of the morning.

Chris and Pat manned the desk with Sanderson and I. Mark is very good with the kids, he was a counselor last summer in Maine and he knows how to deal with kids and parents, he’s a pro. Chris is very good as well, I think that English accent reassures the parents, maybe it’s a subliminal Mary Poppins thing. This Bevin Engman is very good too; she really has the maternal instinct and is quite striking. She has very blond hair, an easy laugh, and very blue eyes. I really like all the girl counselors, all very good tennis players but I can tell they will do well with the kids.

After we got most of the kids checked in Tom Sheridan laid down the law again telling us that drinking and smoking are not tolerated and are grounds of dismissal, girls are not allowed in the boys dorms and vice versa. He also told us watch the little kids closely because they tend to get homesick the fastest, we put all the little ones on the first floor where we can keep an eye on them. Mr. B says when kids get homesick and go home the camp loses money and there is no excuse for it, we must welcome the kids and help them get through the two weeks. The parents are paying close to a thousand for two weeks!

I helped Mike Kunz break out the video equipment, it’s the same Sony unit Jim Hall and I used for our cable access TV show. Its reel to reel and very cool. Kunz and I set up the tripod and Mr. B had us tape them. Riley and Hamilton fed balls to the kids, 10 forehands, 10 backhands, 5 volleys and a couple of overheads. Mr B. gave a running commentary on the tape. We will show the tape on Monday and Tuesday afternoon.

After dinner we went for a short drive with Tom through the countryside, it was nice to get away for a few minutes. When we got back, Roger Dickinson and Riley posted the duties for the week, to my surprise I found out that I had court duty, so Sandy and I swept and watered the courts. We didn’t get done until 9:45 and we were soaking wet. I’m dreading tomorrow because it’s going to be long.

Just a few minutes ago Mr. B was walking down the hallways to check on the counselors. He made sure the little ones were in their room and checked on the homesick ones, he chewed out John Day because kids near his room were running a bit wild. One kid was crying and Mr. B took him to his apartment which is just off the lobby and let him call home. That settled the kid right down.

Saturday, June 18th, 1977

Everyone went out last night both counselors and Adults. Mark Sanderson came stumbling in at 1:30 and I was pissed that he woke me up. He had a bit too much to drink and out of the corner of my eye, I watched him trying to get his pants off, at one point he almost fell over, it was priceless. He had grass stains on his knees and his eyes were at half mast. He was so funny that I instantly forgave him. He's a great guy with excellent drunken stories, I only wish I had snapped some photos.

I got up early and had breakfast at Forde Hall. All the adult campers were moving quite slow and the morning conversation at the tables chronicled the night before, there were some funny stories. It sounds as though the group went to the Mercersburg Inn across the way. Its a large turn of the century colonial hotel that's very fancy. I can only afford a beer per visit.

After a mini tournament of doubles for the adults they packed up and left, it was sad seeing the taillights disappear through the trees. We had a great lunch at Forde Hall on the plaza overlooking the playing fields, it was very festive and Mr. B gave a great speech and snapped photos, many addresses were sadly exchanged.

After lunch Sanderson and I played Riley and Mike Kunz, Kunz is fast and Riley can put the ball anywhere on the court. They beat us easily 6-1,6-3. Sandy was able to hold serve but I couldn't. They attacked and I didn't have a chance on the slow clay. We returned well but they had too much firepower for us...Riley has a lob that drops on the baseline at will. I've been here a week and still haven't won a set! I watched Riley play today and the main thing I noticed is that he plays off the balls of his feet, he constantly bounces, even with a bum knee. He anticipates very well and I'm in awe of the guy.

It's later now and I woke up from a nap around 3:00 pm. The old man, Brian Barker was playing the bells from Irvine Chapel, the afternoon sun, with the bells, gives the place atmosphere that's hard to put into words. There were people with picnic baskets on the hill near the chapel, enjoying the music.

At dinner we ran into Pat, Chris, Becky and Cathy and they invited us to Tibbits lounge. Lenny played the piano and we had a great time singing and listening to Lenny play. Other counselors showed up to see what was up.

Earlier, Mr. B took off in the car, he was headed to Maryland with a bottle of wine, said he was going to a fancy French restaurant. He loves to dine, he says its because when he was young he never had the cash, I can believe it, must have been hard with 10 kids. The other day I was out picking up balls by myself and he stopped by and we chatted for 45 minutes.

He said that he hired me instantly on Charlie Fenske's recommendation because he says Charlies' word is good as gold. I told him all about Charlies team, the ISU Bengals and their upset win over UCLA in the NCAA's. Charlie was a big part of that success. Mr. B asked a lot of questions about me. I told him that I had never been out of Idaho, hadnt even been on an airplane before. I told him that I came from a blue collar family and that my dad is a pipe fitter. With all the rich kids here, he kind of liked the idea of having regular folk around.

Friday June 17th, 1977

I have a headache, It’s funny how a few beers can change one's perspective. We had a lot of fun last night but I’m paying for it now. I just got back from breakfast, Sanderson and I ate like horses. I should be feeling better; I think I had 5 orange juices.

Tom sent me down to the court early to pick up tennis balls. Yesterday no one gathered up the balls. Mr. B. went into Tom’s room and tore him a new one so Tom assigned me ball duty for the next two weeks. While I was picking up balls Mr. B came by in the two tone station wagon. He was whistling and without a care in the world, hard to believe an hour ago he was pissed. Mr. B can whistle how many tough guys can do that? The other thing that I noticed is that he loves Barbara Streisand. He has one of her cassettes and plays it full blast in the car and he hums and sings along. We chatted for a while and I know that I got brownie points for picking up the balls; Sanderson should have come along.

Friday PM.
It’s another hot, humid day. Eighty-five degrees is nothing in Idaho, but here with the humidity its scorching hot and its hard to breathe. I worked on forehands with the Adults and they're responding to everything Im showing them, they really want to learn and when you give them a tip they appreciate it. I worked with Kirk the millionaire and praised his progress and gave him some things to work on when he got home. He told Mr. B that I was his favorite counselor.

Late this afternoon Bobby Dickinson and his little brother Roger arrived at the camp. Bobby is usually very aloof but acted glad to see me. His brother Roger is very different, very polite, a bit shorter but a very a nice guy with a quick smile. Roger is the type of guy that if you are talking to him, you have his full attention but he is full of mischief and funny wisecracks. Bobby told me that they have been coming to camp for years as campers and this is their second year as counselors. They’re good friends with Mr. B back in New Jersey, Franklin Lakes is not far from Upper Saddle River.

Bobby was the best player at Idaho State, no one was close to him except Gary Benedetti…he had a couple of wins over Bobby…but it was even. When we played Santa Clara last spring Bobby played Mike Bogert, one of my teammates at Pocatello High. Bogert beat him in straight sets, which surprised me. Bobby looks and plays like Borg, heavy topspin, two handed backhand and lots of attitude. I played him a couple of times but could only manage a game or two. I think I could do better against him on clay, we will see.

Sanderson and I played Feinberg and Solomon, we had our asses handed to us. Feinberg is a solid player and tore through us at the net. His best shot is the service return, he didn’t miss a shot. He played college tennis at John Hopkins, Solomon played college tennis as well so it was an even matchup on paper. Afterwards I played Feinberg in singles and lost 6-2, I don’t have the patience down yet. On this surface you have to set points up, you win on the 5 or 6th ball.

Its Friday night and I went upstairs to check and see what everyone was doing. Roger and X were sitting in the Lounge watching TV, Roger had a radio on and was listening to a far off baseball game somewhere. Feinberg, Solomon, Riley, John Day and Sandy were going to walk downtown to McKinstry Tavern for a beer. Bobby, Pat and I went to the movies and it was fun. Bobby was a lot of fun and we traded ISU stories, we have a lot of mutual friends. Pat was very flirty tonight, I wonder whats up with that?

There are fireflies here at night. I've never seen anything like it, as you lookout across the night you see them streaking in the night, they're everywhere. The crickets are very loud as well and they dominate the night, at the Academy is there is no sound at all, the stars are so close and its dead silent except for the crickets.

I picked up tennis balls at noon and then again at 4 and then again at 8. We had a ball count of 110…so in the past two days we have lost just 8 balls. I reported this to Mr. B and I could tell he was pleased, the balls are money. He says he has them all budgeted for the summer and if we run out he has to order more, that’s wasted money. I told him Id keep an eye on the balls, that I didn’t mind picking them up. Tom came back to me this morning and said that Mr. B was happy that he had someone he could depend on with the balls. If this all I have to do to make the boss happy, Ill do it.

Tomorrow is the last day for the Adults, we are going to have a mini tournament for them and then they'll leave at noon. Its sad to see them go, so many great people and the atmosphere is relaxed and fun. My tennis is in a huge rut. I haven’t won a set since I’ve been here.

It’s past midnight I’m sitting here listening to WRCV, "the voice of Mercersburg, Upton" what a great radio station. They just played that new James Taylor song, “Up on the Roof” I like the line, “At night the stars, they put on a show for free…”
Sanderson is still not home, I’m going to sleep.

Thursday, June 16th, 1977

We were up early and had a good breakfast before getting to the courts at 8:15, Mark and I decided to show up a bit early and hit. In back of the old Gym we could hear someone hitting on the wall. It was Mr. B…he didn’t see us and we were able to watch him hit. He’s very good; hitting ball after ball to the exact same place on the wall. He didn’t have to move at all and he hit dead center each time, it was impressive.

The adults were a bit slow getting to the courts; a bunch had gone to the track last night down in West Virginia. They didn’t get back until midnight, but it sounds like they had a good time. Mr. B says he made about 150.00.

The lecture was really good. Mr. B talked about approach shots. He says that any short shot should be attacked and approach shots should be hit deep down the line. He says on the forehand side it should be topspin, on the backhand side it should be under spin. The demo was amazing.

Late yesterday Mr. B went to Haggerstown and picked up a new counselor. The guys name is Xavier Combe from Paris, France. He is swarthy and slender with piercing eyes and a hook nose just like Charles Degalle. When I saw him in the dorm he was walking around with drum sticks and a practice pad. He’s a very good drummer. I haven’t seen him play tennis yet. I talked briefly with him and his English is perfect, no accent at all.

Mr. B says 10 new counselors will be coming in for the regular sessions that start on Sunday. Mr. B says he has 105 signed up…with 18 counselors that’s 8 or 9 kids per court…that’s a lot of hard work…that means a lot of drilling.

We worked with the adults most of the morning on the approach. I would hit them two deep balls and then hit a short ball on the T, they would come up and hit the approach and take the net. It was a fun drill and they loved it, I got lots of great hitting in. In the afternoon we played matches with half the adults playing singles and the rest played doubles. We were able to play doubles when needed and the afternoon went fast.

I hit with Lenny after we were through. It was scorching hot, 85 degrees with very high humidity, I was soaking wet. Lenny hits every shot picture perfect with perfect form…he’s impressive. I was able to stay with him but he slipped by me and won 6-4, 7-5, I had the feeling in the set that I would have to play perfect to win. Im not there yet on clay; nevertheless it came down to a couple of service returns.

Lenny and I walked back to the dorms, then across the street to Tibbits Hall where the girls are all bunked. We talked to Pat and Chris Russell-Vick. Chris is the cutest gal from England and has a delightful accent. In the lobby they have a piano and Lenny sat down and played for an hour straight. He is the best piano player, he played Elton John, Barry Manilow, he brought his own sheet music and can play anything. I was singing along and turning the pages, it was fun.


I showered and ran into Tom Sheridan, he said he wanted to run into Haggerstown reasoning that when the kids come to camp we won't have the chance to go out and have a beer so we made good use of the time. We called those girls we met last weekend. So Mark Solomon, Ken Feinberg, Tom, Mark S. and I piled in.

We met the girls at this bar called the Plantation and danced the night away. My friend Brenda looked fabulous and she was kissing on me on the dance floor. Kenny teased me all the way back home, I just smiled. We pulled in around midnight, some of the adults were still up partying. We were so tired we just crashed.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 15TH, 1977

With Franco dead, the first general elections were held in Spain , the first since 1936. That was the headline in the Washington Post. I like to read the paper in the morning but this is the first newspaper I have seen since arriving here.

The breakfasts here are great, theres a choice of oatmeal or cold cereal, lots of juice and eggs, and they always seem to have hotcakes too. You can drink as much milk or juices as you want. Riley downs at least three glasses of milk in the morning and lunch. Sanderson and I are juice guys and we always have a line of empty glasses in front of us. It’s fun to see who is going to sit at your table. We have a rule, no more than 2 counselors per table. Mr. B wants us interacting with the campers and its fun to hear their stories, where they are from, what they do, where they play tennis. There's a lot of campers from Mr .’s hometown including his daughter Colleen whom I adore and her friend Annabel. Both are great players and Colleen has great stories about BJK.

Today we taught the overhead and volley and I had a great morning. I think it went fast because I was really into the teaching. The afternoon flew by as well because we got to play doubles with the adults. I played tennis with this greek millionaire guy. He owns a shipping company and a skyscraper in Manhattan . Mr. B says the guy is loaded. He is funny and full of jokes, he has taken a liking to Pat but she just laughs off the attention.

After a fantastic dinner in Forde Hall, Pat and I had court duty. The job entails sweeping the 13 clay courts with massive brooms that you drag across the courts. It takes a while, and then you turn on the sprinklers and water the courts. In the morning one of the maintenance guys rolls the courts with a mini tractor. It’s impossible not to get soaked on court duty. I think Pat spraying me contributed to the situation, but I got her back, and good. Next time I’m bringing a towel. That Pat is playful and cute!

Last night we went to the Campus chapel, Irvine Memorial Chapel, it was so scary and gothic and the confederate ghosts were out it was great fun. What an amazing structure, I briefly met the guy that plays the bells, Bryan Barker. He’s in his late 70’s with a shock of white hair, he was lurking about the chapel, ironically he has a hunch back and an English accent. coincidence? I think not.

Pat and I played Tom and this cute camper by the name of Patty in doubles. Patty is from Pittsburg and I think she has a crush on Tom. They're the same age and she has very strong groundstrokes, but not much of a net game. Its the same with Tom, he has fantastic groundstrokes but because of an unorthadox grip has suspect vollys. We had them at 5-4 but lost Pat’s serve and ended up losing 7-5.

Mr. B gave a great lecture this morning about volleys and how you can’t hit them flat footed, you have to bounce and put weight behind them. You have go low with the ball at the net and hit down on the high balls. He made it look easy in the demo; the ball is crisp off his racquet. I like the sound of a ball hit dead center.

TUESDAY JUNE 14TH, 1977

It was another long day on the courts, Mr. B. lectured on the serve, and he says the key is going from slow to fast, like whipping a towel in the shower…for best results its best to have a high, consistent ball toss. Mr. B’s demos made it all look so easy; he tossed the ball up and swatted it like a fly swatter. He had a slow delivery and cracked the ball at the end to a snappy result; the ball had some heat behind it. He hit 10 serves in a row down the middle and didn’t miss, it was impressive. You can tell this guy was a player in his time, he told me that he was a state champion at one time, I believe it.

Mark S. is already back on the court, we kept ice on his ankle last night for hours. This morning it was still swollen but seemed fine. We put an ace bandage on it and he was good to go, he wasn’t sliding around much but was able to teach.

Mark, Tom, Bert, Eric R. and I went to Hagerstown . Hagerstown is the big hotspot around here; it’s a town of about 60-thousand. On the way down we got to talk to Bert, he is a teaching pro from Arnhem , Holland ; he is visiting various camps with the hopes of developing a curriculum for his camp. He is very skilled on clay with classic strokes. He looks as if he could play on the tour. He and Riley would have a good match I think. Riley was number one in 18’s in Scotland and as I said before played in Jr. Wimbledon.

We met some cute girls, and then we went to a bar and some drinks with them, They liked the idea that we were bronzed tennis pros. They were into Riley and his accent and of course he ate it up with that cheshire grin. Tom Sheridan is smooth and had all the lines; he’s a bit older and has all that (girl) experience from the U of G. He just graduated and was in a frat there and bristling with confidence. We exchanged numbers and I took a liking to the cute one named Brenda…she’s a blond hair, blue-eyed beauty.

Today is my afternoon off so Pat Rowntree and I are going to walk to town and do our laundry. I have to say that she has the best brown eyes and I find myself flirting with her a lot. It is cloudy today and a mist is falling, its dark and kind of cool.

We did the laundry and went shopping at a few antique stores downtown, We talked to lady he told us that her shop was built in the 1740’s. She showed us the old timbers and ancient, square pegged nails in the walls. We got an ice cream cone, gathered up the laundry from the dryers, it was fun folding laundry because Pat had to show me how…when we got back to campus we noticed that classes had been called for the afternoon and many of the adult campers were enjoying cocktails in their rooms.
I heard a great song on the radio by a group called Starbuck.

“The eastern moon looks right for a wet kiss…
Moonlight feels right…”

Tom says that he saw this group in Atlanta this past year. What a cool, catchy song.

JUNE 13TH, 1977

Mercersburg—More about this town, its fun to walk across campus and then down Seminary street ;. the buildings are very old and this is the birthplace of President James Buchanan, his house still stands on the main street in town. Buchanan’s cabin the place where he was born stands down the road from Fowle Hall, we pass it on the way to the tennis courts every morning.

The civil war is very much a part of this town and still lives; there are civil war era houses everywhere. Mercersburg was raided all the time by Confederate soldiers during the war. Gen. Stuart and his cavalry passed through town on Oct 10, 1862 during the first Chambersburg raid.

During the Gettysburg Campaign confederate raiders including Mosby's and McNeil's Rangers sacked the town. On July 5, 1863, more than 700 wounded Confederates, captured by Union cavalry in Maryland were brought here and put up in makeshift hospitals on campus and two of those buildings still stand. On July 29, 1864 General McCausland's cavalry fought a skirmish with a detachment of the 6th U.S. cavalry in the town square. After driving them from town, the Confederates paused to loot before moving on to burn Chambersburg . I have to say that late last night walking across the campus was creepy. Probably the ghosts of the confederates…

There are adults attending the camp from all over, one guy Burt is from Holland , theres a guy from Miami and bunch of people from New Jersey .

We had a long day. We worked straight from 8-am to 4pm…we had an hour off for lunch in Ford Hall. You should see this dining hall…you walk in to a long line of beautiful oak tables. For cafeteria food, it’s fantastic except for the desert nazi who for the past two days has said to me, “Hey buddy, one desert.” I’m a growing boy and need all the pudding I can get. Anyway, I don’t think I have ever had a meal in a fancier place.

The people we taught were eager to learn and were really neat. They are all wealthy professionals. The level of play is much higher than in west, these people can play and are serious about tennis.

Today Mr. Brennan in his lecture talked about tennis and how its more than a game, it’s a social outlet and people can network with one another. He talked about his family and how proud he is of them and how tennis has helped in their lives. His son is the tennis coach of Ohio State and also has a tennis camp. Mr. B. then talked about the forehand how important it is get the racquet back early. He says keep the left hand on the throat of the racquet and that it’s a vital part of the backhand as well. Mr. B stood at the net and Riley fed him balls, Mr. B. says its important for students to see the demo and imitate it…the demos were flawless, after the talk the adults were rearing to go!

The clay is tricky if you’re not used to it. I ran for a ball cross court and started sliding and almost turned my ankle. A few minutes later I saw Sanderson go down, it was like a big tree falling. He was trying to slide cross court and then tried to change directions to adjust to the ball. His ankle is purple and swollen to the size of a tennis ball. I stuck around after 4 and hit with the adult campers, all of them are so good that I got some great practice in. I’m so tired now that I can’t believe it. All of the counselors here are so friendly and all of them are just as passionate about the game.

The landscape here is so beautiful. To the west of the courts, beyond the windscreens is a corn field that stretches for miles to the foothills, its lush and green and has a country feel. When I’m out picking up tennis balls it feels like home, I look west and wonder what they’re doing in Idaho . I always hear the sound of plopping tennis balls and morning doves, in the distance I can smell the old tannery.

Morning June 13th, 1977

We showed up at 8:00 so we could get some hitting in. I hit with John Day, and we had a great hit with lots of deep balls and long rallies. I think we were all a bit nervous because of first day jitters. It was so dark and boreboding, but Mr. B was rearing to go.


Mr. B went to work and lectured us just like a college professor, it was mater of fact stuff, very simple teaching progressions. He emphasized stroke production and spotting errors. He is very much into fundamentals and 'lunch pail' common sense. he assured us that no one in the adult session was going to play on the pro tour and that we have to tailor our teaching to their needs and we have to be realistic yet tactful. He also took the time to tell a few stories about tennis and what its meant to his life. He said tennis will take you as far as you want to go, the only thing limiting us is us. He told us we are on our best behavior and we are never out of sight of anyone, and said that maybe we should remember that fact in our day to day lives.


Eric Riley then took the net while Mr. B. did demos of all the shots, everything was dead center with that perfect hitting sound, Riley's volleys were flawless and well placed, I have to say it was very intimidating.


Chris Russell Vick sat near by, shes from London and has a player sponsorship from Dunlop and she is a Mercersburg Academy Alumn; Becky Craft from Wellesley College sat next to her as well as Tom Sheridan from Georgia, Mark Sanderson from Plymouth State and John Day, I think all of our eyes were big as saucers. Ive done perhaps a couple dozen lessons in my life, I hope I measure up.

June 12th, 1977 (Evening)

After meeting with Sheridan and Riley; Mark Sanderson and I realized that there are a lot of rules, we will be teaching at least 6-7 hours a day and then there are night duties with the kids.Tom says that Mr. B will be watching us close and won’t hesitate sending anyone home for drinking around the kids, in fact If we don’t do a good job we can be sent home at any time. That sent a chill through the counselors, Mark and I are scared.

We played again and Sanderson beat me 6-3, he has a big serve and I can't handle it, even on clay. When we get into the rally Im fine, I can take the pace off the ball, hit a deep ball and then I have a chance.I hit with another counsellor, his name is Lenny and he is from Cambodia, he is rooming with a guy from New Rochelle, NY by the name of Mike Kuntz. He's the video guy and both he and Lenny are good hitters and both go to Iona college. While Lenny has classic ground strokes, Mike K. is very fast with excellent footwork. Everyone is good around here, almost all played on college tennis teams. I cant wait to play some of the other guys.

Mr. B is the absolute boss around here and is feared and admired, I’ve noticed that he is very direct and honest and he doesn’t hold back, Tom says if he is pissed he will let you know. Mr. B drives around in a sporty brown 280 Z and he is everywhere. Charlie Fenske speaks highly of Mr.B and so far I can see why, driving up here yesterday I hung on every word, this guy can tell a story. He has a thick New Jersey accent and plays with Wilson Jack Kramer racquets, as do I.

During the season I was playing with Head Masters, I had two frames. I had great power with the racquet but could not keep the ball in. I needed something with some control, so I started hitting with the Jack Kramer racquet; Im using a 5 5/8 medium and I really like the feel. I hope I can sell the Head Master racquet I brought along.I called my Mom I miss her a lot, I am hoping that she will send some cookies soon!It’s Saturday night in Fowle Hall, the guys are out watching TV in the lounge, Saturday Night Live doesn’t come on until 11:30, so we will have to wait a while. Tomorrow the adults will start arriving for the weeklong adult session. Counsellors Ive met so far are Tom, Lenny, Mike, John Day, Eric Riley, another Scottish guy by the name of Doug Hamilton. There's a cute gal from Canada here, her name is Pat Rountree and she's very cute, tall, auburn hair and smart as a whip!

June 12, 1977

To wake up on the Mercersburg Campus is a lot like waking up in heaven. The first thing you hear is the sound of birds chirping, then there is the sunlight streaming through the big maple trees and the smell of the wet dew in the grass. To the east the sun comes up early and with no curtains in our room it was imposible to sleep past 7-am. I was tired but woke up in the middle of the night because Mark Sanderson snores a bit! At 6'3 he barely fit in the bunk bed.

We got a room on the main floor of Fowle Hall on Sycamore Avenue. This is one of the underclassman dorms and during the year 95 boys live here, the dorm is very nice. Our room is the first room to the left off the lobby, theres a payphone on the wall and every now and then it rings with people on the other end asking for phantom and long departed students.

By 7:30 we were on the courts next to Nolde gymnasium. Part of the gym is ancient, built in the 20's the other part is new and the pool is spectacular, one of the finest I have seen on a campus, much better than Idaho State's pool complex.

Mark is a good hitter with a solid forehand and backhand, hes a bit slow and doesnt handle the short shots well...but he smashes his serve, just crushes the ball. He plays with a wood Spaulding, perhaps the worse wooden racquet out there, he does well despite the equipment.

We had a meeting at 9-am with the Head Counsellor Tom Sheridan, he is a tanned and blond and from Michigan, seems like a nice guy. He just graduated from the University of Georgia and has a car here! The assistant head counsellor is a guy from Scotland by the name of Eric Riley, I hear he is the Scottish champion and even played in Jr. Wimbledon. I saw him hit and he about the best player I have ever seen.

The town of Mercersburg is very beautiful with cobblestone sidewalks old mansions, it doesnt look as though things have changed much since the civil war, there are buildings from colonial times in the city square.

After lunch at the amazing Ford Hall we hit again on the clay, its so slow that I can easily hit with the hardest hitters, I have never had so much time to hit a ground stroke!

June 11th 1977

I have never flown on an airplane, never been to the east coat, never been anywhere. The world is a lot bigger than I thought and it's all very cool, but I lost my luggage. I had a great flight meeting a cute girl by the name of Pam on the flight from Lincoln, Nebraska and when we parted in Washington, D.C. she gave me a kiss on the cheek and wished me luck. I really like this flying thing!

Mr. Brennan met me in Haggerstown, he is a bit taller than me, in his 60's, big horn rimmed glasses and a booming voice with a New Jersey accent. We talked tennis all the way to Mercersburg the guy impressed me. We talked a lot about Billie Jean King and he told me how they met, and how he was drawn to her because of her competitive fire and how the family adopted her. He said as a coach you can only give so much to a player and then they have to take that information and apply it, he said with he knew right off she was a 'one in a million talent' and that you can't coach speed or god given talent, but 'you can tell them to hit their approach shots down the line.' He said modestly that it was all her, he just showed her a few things. We arrived at the Academy around sundown, the ivy covered buildings and the clay courts gives the the place a graceful ambiance.

Mr. B asked about me, I told him that I was the first of my family to go to college, that my Dad is a union pipefitter and my Mom works in a bakery, that I had always dreamed of playing tennis as a kid but we didnt have courts on the farm where we lived. In 8th grade Garth Kegel gave me his mom's old Elsworth Vines Wilson racquet and I learned by hitting against the wall. By my sophomore year I had made the Pocatello High Tennis Team. A year after high school I met former counselor Charlie Fenske and he asked if I wanted to walk on at Idaho State. I made the team and Charlie set me up.

It's a long way from ISU's Reed Gym Courts to here. Everything is green and old. I walked down to the courts, they're green Hard-tru the same surface as the U.S. Open. I have never played on clay. I found some linen and met a tall sandy haired guy by the name of Mark Sanderson, he is a counselor too and we decided to room together, he's from Plymouth College in New Hampshire. We got settled in and headed for bed. I have been up since 6-am its 11:30 now...

ISU Tennis Season Over. June 5th 1977

We just finished the Tennis season, after a great fall (12-3), we finished 4-16 in the spring with losses to Boise State, Montana, Utah State, Weber, Hayward, San Jose, USF, SF State. It was brutal.

I have been playing number 6 singles and had close matches with all the Big Sky teams but the California teams were another story, they are in a different Universe...especially Stanford, they have an amazing player by the name of Mitchell. It was great seeing them on our spring break trip.

Now that the season is over I landed a job back east. Coach Fenske called Frank Brennan, Billie Jean King's coach and got me a job teaching at the camp and working as a counselor at the Mercersburg Academy. Bobby Dickinson will also work there, Bobby played number one singles and number two doubles all season and won the MVP award. I was lucky enough to letter and that's pretty good for a freshman. I started every varsity match, it doesn't get much better.

I played Jim Hall this afternoon at the Reed Gym courts, the guy is giving me fits because he hits a lot of spin and he has a good lob, I managed to beat him 6-3,6-4. I tried to extend my 5 match win streak over Mike Zaladonis but he is no where to be found.