Doug Stansfield in his element (photo by Mike Stepien)
Donna Gillen
Doug Stansfield is truly a tireless giver. He has been our court administrator for several years now. He quietly ensures that all events are scheduled properly and without a hitch. He monitors all use of the courts, double checking the time limits as well as the proper courts usage for the ball machine. He is first in line to contact if there is an error or a schedule that needs to be adjusted. He does this without hesitation and in an unassuming manner.
Doug retired here in 2015. His dream was to reside in a tennis community. PebbleCreek fit that desire with its abundance of courts and the charming beauty of the community. A big plus: these courts are just down the street from his home!
Before retirement however, Doug had a very fascinating life. As a child, his dream was to be a pilot. As an adult, he started in the military and then off to college. While in college he played intramural tennis. His first encounter with Arizona was his assignment as flight instructor, pilot training, and cargo transport for six years. Moving upward in his career, he trained foreign airline pilots for 11 years. This profession gave rise to transporting celebrities in the movie, television, and sports realm, as well as various VIPs. These chartered trips took him all over the Americas and Europe. Upon relocating to Texas, he flew an additional two years in the United States and Canada, which at times involved trips to Asia and Europe too. Doug expressed that this was “a great privilege and honor.”
Doug, like many of us in tennis, started playing at drop-in. This led him to meeting and working with many accomplished tennis players who continually challenged him to be a better player and strengthened his skills. Along the way he improved, and was rated a 3.5 player by John Flynn.
Doug now leads the Monday, Wednesday, and Friday men’s tennis group. He also subs with the Amigos and any other group as needed. Outside of the organized men’s groups, Doug enjoys playing in the member tournaments and participating in the monthly socials.
In Doug’s “spare time” he is part of the PebbleCreek Patrol. He indicated the patrol provides wonderful services to this community and he is honored to be a part of it.
When he is not patrolling or playing tennis, you can find Doug spending time with his wife and dog. Also, as every retiree should do, he is cultivating his cooking skills.
When asked to reflect on his life here in PebbleCreek he responded: “I believe the tennis community at PebbleCreek is one of the best and feel so privileged to be part of it!”