In Remembrance
In Memory of Mary Lenore Blair
Kathy Langer, Mary Lenore Blair, Belmar Gunderson, Nancy Reed
(all past presidents of NSWTA)
Mary Lenore Blair
October 28, 2024
Mary Lenore "M.L.", (pictured above with Kathy Langer, Mary Lenore Blair, Belmar Gunderson and Nancy Reed - all past presidents of NSWTA) died peacefully at her home on October 28, 2024 surrounded by loving family members, devoted caregivers and her beloved cat. She graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College in 1956, and in the 1960's and early '70's her career involved being a Mission Services Officer at the U.S. Mission to the U.N. and an executive with the The Executive Council on Foreign Diplomats, formerly known as the Travel Program for Foreign Diplomats. In 1967, Mary Lenore Blair married Dr. Griswold P.D. Nammack of Oyster Bay and became stepmother to his five children. The marriage ended in divorce in 1972, but she remained in a loving relationship with the three youngest children and as grandmother to their children, as well.
M.L. was an accomplished pianist, a lover and defender of wildlife, an avid gardener, and an outstanding athlete - particularly in tennis. She earned rankings in the USTA National Woman's tournaments and she also won championships throughout the 1990's and early 2000's. M.L. also represented the U.S. in the International Cup Play and served as President of the National Women's Tennis Organization from 1997-1999.
She was involved in and donated to many causes, including the Freedom Center in Huntington, NY and Helping Hand Rescue Mission in Huntington Station, NY, helping to feed thousands of people with produce from her own garden. M.L. was a devoted stepmother and the most loyal and generous of friends to many. A Memorial Service will be held for her at St. John's Episcopal Church in Cold Spring Harbor, NY on November 16, 2024 at 10am.
Published by New York Times on Nov. 3, 2024
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Memories of Mary Lenore (by Kathy Langer)
Mary Lenore (M.L.) Blair was a small, hyper ball of energy who had a wicked, Western grip on her tennis racquet, and whacked the ball harder than her stature would seem to be capable of.
I met her at a tournament, probably the Houston Clay Courts, at which all the best players played. I was new to tournament play having recently moved to Dallas in the early 80s from the Seattle area and hadn’t played many tournaments. But since my husband had taken on a new job, my kids were still in Washington, and I was trying to get used to a whole new world, I started playing more tennis and I found out I could be competitive.
We first played doubles together when she talked me into playing on grass in Delaware, Maryland. I’d never played on grass before. The first time I tried to bounce the ball, it didn’t bounce! She said, “Not to worry. You’ll figure it out.” And I guess I did because we ended up beating Belmar Gunderson and Nancy Reed, two players who had been playing for a long time. In fact, both were legends by then.
M.L. loved playing on grass and clay. That’s what she played on in New York at her country clubs. She lived in Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island and Forest Hills was her favorite venue. I don’t know how many tournaments she won, but she was formidable on both surfaces. She and I won one of the few gold balls I have won in my tennis career.
She loved to entertain and cook. She loved cocktails, wine, little brown cigarettes and her cat. She had a beautiful garden and donated her excess fruits and veggies to the local rescue center. She was often up early, before we headed to New York for our matches, deadheading her roses, checking to see if any little varmints did damage to her garden, and looking for weeds. She kept a compost pot in her kitchen which she used to fertilize her garden. She let me pick the blueberries we were to have for breakfast. Her New York accent made me chuckle when she pronounced blueberries “bluburries”. You really had to have heard her say it…
There was no microwave or toaster in her kitchen, only a toaster oven. She drank her wine out of beautiful stemware and always served her guests using cloth napkins (which she made us put back in the napkin holder so we could use it for our next meal when we stayed at her house while playing the tournament at Forest Hills.) She served wine with her delicious meals and always had her Cigarillo with that last swallow. She made this Midwestern girl, who grew up with five brothers and sisters, in a not affluent environment, and who did not experience many of the “finer things” in life, learn to appreciate being nice to oneself. I learned it’s ok to treat oneself occasionally and use the good china, not just save it for company.
She drove us to Forest Hills in her Saab station wagon. She always had a ceramic teapot and dainty teacup and saucer beside the stick shift in the front seat. She eventually let me pour the tea since I was a nervous wreck watching her take her eyes off the road on the freeway to New York. As I said, she was a bit hyper.
She was a fierce competitor. She won many awards at her Cold Spring Harbor Country Club. I saw the many trophies and plaques decorating the walls of the club with her name on them. She won or did very well in the national tournaments. She played on USTA Cup teams. When her ankle went bad and she had to give up tournament play, she still managed to play doubles and hit with the pro. He hit the ball to her so she didn’t have to run much. She just wanted to be on the court. She really missed the camaraderie and competition.
M.L. read the New York Times religiously. And did the crossword puzzle every day…in ink. She watched the news and had definite ideas on the politicians. We had similar views, and she would often call me, to ask me what my journalist husband thought of the latest national candidates.
Her birthday was July 14, Bastille Day, which she thought was quite nice. I called her on her birthday for many years, even this last one. I didn’t know then she was having health issues, I just knew there were a lot of people at her house, and we couldn’t talk.
The last time I talked to her, several weeks later, I didn’t realize she had struggled with many health issues right after her birthday and even had to go to the hospital. But being the competitor she has always been, she rallied, going from a lengthy hospital stay, to home in bed, to a wheelchair, to a walker. She was one tough cookie. I didn’t know all of that when we last talked. She sounded frail but still able to ask about what I was doing and about my family. And recalling old tennis friends and our matches. She told me several times about how good it was to talk to me.
A few weeks later, I got the call from one of her stepchildren, Dubby, whom M.L. talked fondly about a lot over the years. (M.L. married a man with 5 children, never having had any of her own. They divorced, but she stayed close to most of the children). Dubby told me much of what I have related about her struggles.
Mary Lenore was one of my best friends. I will miss her and will always remember her on Bastille Day and will toast her in my crystal wine glass.