Remembering Dr. George Ball

Dear Whitman Tennis Community,

If you have not yet heard, our dear friend, teacher and inspirational supporter Dr. Ball passed away January 1st. In my time at Whitman, I'm not sure I encountered anyone else who so embodied what makes this community so great. The words that come to mind when remembering George, and those that I hear and read when corresponding about him, are compassion, inspiration, support, kindness and other adjectives that only begin to tell of his bottomless well of compassion.

His impact on our team has been great, though some of our younger players may not have had the chance to talk with him, only to see him riding his bike up to the courts to watch a match and even practices. They didn't all know that every semester Dr. Ball would make a special trip to my office to inquire about the team, check up on our ability to compete and also on our character, and finally to provide loving encouragement for the upcoming season.

I'll very much miss this meeting in the coming weeks as we prepare for our spring campaign and even more so the helmet clad rider on his blue cruiser making his way through the campus where he taught, mentored and stimulated greatness for so many years.

Personally, I have been reluctant about social media, but reading posts from students online is a good reminder that Facebook and Googleplus can be wonderful ways to stay connected. Our team has a page at http://www.facebook.com/WhitmanWomensTennis

We will all certainly miss you George and know that you are in a good place.

~Coach John