Donna Gillen
One day, I encountered a lovely lady in PebbleCreek, who asked me what I enjoyed most about living here. I told her, “tennis.” Her eyes opened wider as they sparkled in delight at my answer. She was a tennis player; in fact, she moved to PebbleCreek because of her love for tennis. Her name is Jean Fox. Although she has retired from the game, she was willing to reflect on her active days here, and this article is all about what tennis was like back in the ’90s.
Jean Fox and her husband moved here from Santa Barbara, Calif. in 1998. She played doubles tennis for many years in California before moving here. Her doubles partner was Angie Fisher. Angie and her husband moved here in 1994. As Jean frequently visited her dear doubles partner, she and her husband came to realize that PebbleCreek would be a perfect place to spend their retirement years.
In 1998, she joined a group of tennis ladies who played here that were 3.0-4.0 players. They became very close friends, as well as tennis buddies. They called themselves the Hit and Giggle Girls. The members of this group were Angie Fisher, Lorraine Alves, Martha Schaffer, Jeanne Cross, Tricia Barton, Virginia Thompson, Janice Moore, and some other talented ladies. Of these amazing ladies, three are still in PebbleCreek today: Angie, Martha, and Jean! They had inter-club play with two to three other country clubs in the area. They had a pro, Winfield from the Thunderbird Country Club, who would come out for group lessons two to three times per month.
Their fun days were on Monday and Thursday mornings. Court reservations were so much easier back then—no computers to deal with. There was simply a sign-up book in the tennis center (now the Eagle’s Nest Sports Complex). On Thursdays they did a Round Robin, and, as the years went by, the Round Robin group grew substantially. Some of these new gals still play today and play competitively at that. They are: Carol Roland, Karen Lodico, Pam Machen, Linda Smith, Marlys Ross, Nancy Kyle, Barb Bunger, Carolyn Curly, Myrna Speckhard, Carole Barnes Boyer, and Barbie Heck.
Tennis was more relaxed back then; after play on these two days, most of them would go to the patio at Eagle’s Nest for refreshments and fun conversation. One of the girls would order a big serving of french fries, and they all enjoyed it with either a soda or iced tea.
Jean retired from tennis in 2013 due to back and hip problems. However, she relishes the lasting friendships and the fond memories she has both on and off the courts. She also really misses the game. At this point, Jean still has her tennis racquet and her favorite outfit in her closet. She fondly reminisces about her active days on the courts, confirming to all that tennis is a sport for a lifetime.
Jean will be 89 this year. Jean is hoping there are tennis courts in heaven!