BACK TOGETHER!

By Charles E. Vasoll

Although we had kept in touch, particularly by e-mail, a considerable amount of time had passed since we were physically in the same place at the same time. Finally, as is said, “the stars lined up in the heavens”, and on June 6, the ol’ APTA gang from the 1990’s gathered for lunch. Ginna Ohlmuller, Hope Kerr and Carolyn Tierney and I met at Osteria Giotto in Montclair, New Jersey. We reminisced about our times at the helm of the Association and talked about our present adventures. We also wondered about what was happening now at the APTA and about the changes that have taken place since our departures. For those of you who do not recognize these names, I want to introduce you to each of them.

Ginna Ohlmuller, (“Mom” to David, incidentally) applied for the job opening of Executive Director of the APTA when I was elected President in 1988. If I say so myself, it was a stroke of genius, or better, a stroke of luck that I selected her to fill that opening. She served faithfully, honestly and well beyond the “part time” job description that she read when applying. Under Ginna, the position, while still part-time in monetary compensation, became a full time job with “love this work” as the reward.

At that same time, a new Treasurer, Hope Kerr, was elected. Hope was a physical education teacher, field hockey umpire but, most of all, a platform tennis enthusiast. She took to the position of Treasurer, as the saying goes, “like a duck to water”. She watched over the Association’s finances as if they were her own. A dime did not go out of the bank account that she did not want to know the reason for the expenditure. She was also careful about the income side. The only strong difference of opinion we had involved the APTA Life Memberships. I endorsed them as a long range income benefit, but she wanted the funds now and thought it was a “give-away’.

Carolyn Tierney was hired as Executive Director when Ginna had to leave because she was needed at home. It was a tough act to follow, but it wasn’t long before Carolyn got into the swing of it. There was a lot of work on the computer as the APTA modernized and the office location in Montclair provided much of that “back-office support”. Carolyn went into the field, meeting people and becoming the living face of the APTA.

We had a delicious lunch and great conversation. Unfortunately, however, we came to the conclusion that we were unable to have any significant influence on the current state of affairs or the direction of the administration of the sport under the present leaders of the APTA.

We completed our visit with a plan for the gals to make the trip to Long Island in September so that I could be the host. Suddenly, however, that date is on “hold” as I have been called for Jury Duty and will not be able to keep the appointment that we established. We will get back together as soon as those “stars in heaven” are aligned again.

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