Rest in Peace: Eugene Scott
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Liza Horan
330 Third Ave.
New York,
212-682-6829
liza@tenniswire.org
03/21/06 - Gene Scott was on my list as a subject to interview for "FIVE QUESTIONS WITH..." I thought I had plenty of time to get to him with hopes of getting a spot in his busy schedule. Didn't we all? It's with great sadness that we all mourn the loss of one of the game's staunchest figures, who died Monday night at the age of 68.
See www.tennisweek.com for details.
The biggest conundrum I faced in planning that interview, was to be
which Gene Scott to interview. He was a man of many hats. Professional athlete. Lawyer. Publisher. Author. Tournament Director. Volunteer. Father.
His comminglings are too lengthy to list here, but the coming days will give you glimpses with articles, statements and broadcast tributes from the tennis establishment and media. They are preparing their remembrances at this moment. But there are four things that struck me in the 15 years since I met Gene.
He could not be pigeon-holed
Indeed, Gene could call the legends of the game by their first names. He was one of them. He could sit in the luxury suite of the U.S. Open President's Box to watch a match, then slink downstairs to Interview Room 1 to pose his queries to the players like the rest of us. Gene could sit on the board of the USTA/Eastern section or the national board, then lambast opposing views in his must-read "Vantage Point" column in
Tennis Week. He could not be, and would not be, pigeon-holed.
He was an opportunist
When someone's interests and experience lie as far-flung as Gene's have, it is a sign of being open to life as one great adventure. He must have been a mastermind for the big picture, seeing where openings here could lead to solutions there. I didn't work for him, so I wasn't witness to such synergistic efforts in action, but I imagine his friends and employees could see crossovers unreachable if Gene's roles were split among several individuals.
He was more than a steadfast supporter
For the sport of tennis, Gene was a fierce soldier within it and for it. No cowardice here. You could always count on him for an opinion, and he would employ pen, microphone or any other tool at hand to turn the light on truths in the game--whether or not it made friends or foes uncomfortable.
His vocabulary was expansive
Vocabulary and spelling were always my best and favorite subjects in school, yet Gene's work sent me to the dictionary. Years ago I thanked him for this homework, and he laughed, accepting the compliment.
A few years later in 1999, Gene gave me a compliment by way of the "Online Editor of the Year" Award. It was the inaugural presentation of this category within the Great American Writing Awards. Even though I worked on TENNIS.com at
TENNIS Magazine, competitive to his own
Tennis Week, Gene put that aside for his role as administrator of the awards. And, he even sat me between Mayor David Dinkins and the late George Plimpton for lunch. It might have been just another switch of the hat for Gene, but it was a very special day for me.
It's unanimous that Gene's time here was too short, but I have a feeling he didn't waste a moment of it.
--Liza Horan, Editor
UPDATE:
Tributes are posted at
EugeneLScott.com.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 1st, at 11 a.m. at The Church of the Heavenly Rest, 2 East 90th St. (at 5th Ave.), New York, New York.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to The Lucy Foundation, a family foundation with 501(c)3 tax-exempt status. The charity was established to aid organizations and projects devoted to education and recreation, with a specific focus on tennis. The Lucy Foundation, c/o Tennis Week, 15 Elm Place, Rye, NY 10580.
