Tennis Player of the Month: Dale Taylor

Dale Taylor

Dale Taylor

Dennis Whitley

It is not easy to live up to Dale Taylor’s standards. That’s because Dale has been a quality assurance director and auditor for his entire career, which continues today as a part-time lead auditor for companies seeking ISO 9000 certification. ISO 9000 is an international standard that demonstrates that a company or organization can consistently provide products and services at a high level. Dale is the guy who investigates the inner workings of these applicants and, therefore, has to know a lot.

You would think that with such an intense and detailed job, Dale wouldn’t have much time for outside activities. Though when looking at Dale’s tennis resume, you wonder where he found the time for work.

Dale began playing tennis with his older brother at age 11, and by the time he was 12 years old, he won the Dayton, Ohio city tennis tournament for the 12 and under age group. He then went on to play all through high school and college in both singles and doubles. While working, Dale played tennis in the evenings at the Sunset Hills Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif. At Sunset Hills, his senior doubles team won the California USTA district and regional finals, and made it to the semi-finals at the USTA National Tournament in Tempe, Ariz. at the 4.0 level.

In 1994, Dale was transferred by his company to Phoenix, and he and Joyce purchased a home in PebbleCreek, which at the time consisted of only Eagle’s Nest. They were truly early settlers because Dale can recall cattle and sheep being herded along McDowell Avenue by cowboys on horseback! He and Joyce liked PebbleCreek so much, they told their friends back in Thousand Oaks about their new community, and eventually, thirteen couples from the Sunset Hills Tennis Club moved to PebbleCreek.

Dale and Joyce chose PebbleCreek because it had the tennis amenities they were looking for, a great location, and an active adult lifestyle. They have been able to develop many friendships over their 26 years living here. They have been married for 35 years, have five children, and six grandchildren.

There aren’t many tennis club members who have the experience and success that Dale has had over his 72 years of playing tennis. In addition to that, Dale was playing tennis at PebbleCreek before there was a tennis club and has seen its development from the beginning.

The PebbleCreek Tennis Club salutes Dale for his achievements on the tennis court and as a resident of our community from its inception.