William Hester was president of the United States Tennis Association from 1977 to 1978, and the first USTA president from the Deep South.
15 Facts About William Hester
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In spite of protests against the apartheid regime from African nations and civil rights activists, William Hester let South Africa compete in two tournaments against the United States, first in Newport Beach, California, in April 1977 and next at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, in March 1978.
3.
William Hester moved the USTA out of the West Side Tennis Club into the USTA National Tennis Center.
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William Hester was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1981.
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William Hester was born on May 7,1912, in Hazlehurst, Mississippi.
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William Hester was awarded a Bronze Star Medal for his service.
7.
William Hester began his career as a salesman and distributor of air conditioners made by White Trucks, Carrier and General Electric.
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William Hester was the president of the Mississippi Tennis Association from 1954 to 1958, and the Southern Lawn Tennis Association from 1964 to 1966.
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William Hester joined the United States Tennis Association as an officer in 1969.
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William Hester was its first vice president from 1974 to 1976, and its president from 1977 to 1978.
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William Hester was the first president of the USTA from the Deep South.
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William Hester let another tournament take place at Vanderbilt University's Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee, in March 1978 despite protests from civil rights leaders.
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William Hester was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1968, the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in 1978, and the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1981.
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William Hester had two sons, William Hester III and George Thomas Hester, and a daughter, Kathryn Healy Hester.
15.
William Hester died of congestive heart failure on February 8,1993, in Jackson, at the age of 80.