Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation

Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation

Don Varga, Kentucky, 2012

Don Varga, Kentucky, inducted in 2012Don Varga

  • Co-founded the Louisville Tennis Club in 1970 and served as managing partner for 25 years while the club grew to 12 indoor courts and 14 outdoor clay courts
  • Established the Friends of Kentucky Tennis which has raised several $100,000 over the years for scholarships, grants and other special projects
  • Co-founded the Kentucky Tennis Hall of Fame
  • Served as President of the Kentucky Tennis Association and 8 years on the Southern Tennis Association Management Committee
  • Served a 3-year term as Southern Tennis Association President from 1990 to 1992, a challenging period of notable tennis expansion and leadership change in the South, and the section’s Adult League program experienced exceptional growth attracting a new group of adult players
  • Served as a USTA Delegate and member of the USTA Executive Committee in 1993 and 1994
  • Inducted into the Kentucky Tennis Hall of Fame

Emmett Pare, Louisiana, 2012

Emmett Pare, Louisiana, inducted in 2012Emmett Pare

  • Had a notable playing career but made his mark as the longtime men’s head coach at Tulane University
  • One of the early stars of professional tennis and traveled with the legendary Bill Tilden in his first barnstorming tour in 1931
  • Became the head pro at the New Orleans Lawn Tennis Club and head coach of men’s tennis at Tulane in 1933.
  • His record at Tulane over a 40 year span from the 1930’s to the 1970’s is unparalleled as he coached a consistent national power and dominated collegiate tennis in the South
  • Won 18 Southeastern Conference team championships including 9 straight from 1951 through 1959
  • Coached Tulane to the 1959 NCAA National Men’s Championship
  • Died in 1973 and was inducted posthumously into the Tulane Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977, the International Tennis Collegiate Association Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Louisiana Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985

Diane Fishburne Barker, South Carolina, 2012

Diane Fishburne Barker, South Carolina, inducted in 2012Diane Barker

  • Played number 1 singles and doubles at the College of Charleston where she won the 1978 AIAW Small College National Singles Championship
  • Played professional tennis in Belgium and taught tennis at Kiawah Island under Roy Barth when she returned to the United States
  • One of the top American senior players for more than 17 years winning over 35 USTA national singles and doubles championships and has held the number 1 United States singles ranking in numerous 35 thru 55 age groups and attained the number 1 singles ranking in the world in Women’s 55’s in 2012
  • Won 8 national titles in Mother/Son Doubles with son Matt, winning all 4 major championships (Grand Slam) in one year
  • Represented the United States on numerous international teams for over 15 years
  • Volunteer coach for special needs athletes, serves on the USTA South Carolina Adaptive & Special Olympics Tennis Committee and helped establish the Southern Special Populations Unified Doubles tournament held each summer which teams a unified partner with a special athlete in team competition
  • Won the South Carolina Adult Female Player of the year 3 times (1992, 1998 and 2015), the Slew Hester Southern Adult Female Player of the Year in 2013 and was inducted into the College of Charleston Athletic Hall of Fame and the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 1999