Member Spotlight: Janet French
As a child of the depression, Janet French learned about tennis early. With no money for babysitters, her parents took her along when they went to play on the clay courts near the University of Chicago. Janet’s father and fellow NWTO member Theo Sheperd’s father were doubles partners at the U of C Club. With a hand-me-down racquet, seven-year old Janet played with anyone willing to hit with a child.
By her pre-Title IX college years at Denison University, Janet showed her all-around athletic skills by also playing field hockey, golf, basketball or “whatever sport was in season.” After graduation, she worked for Procter & Gamble in their Market Research Department for 7 years before moving back to Chicago.
The Oak Park Tennis Club was where Janet met her husband, Paul. Their three children were also raised at the Tennis Club, playing high school tennis all four years and also playing Badminton. Badminton led to many adventures as their children Martin, Ann, and Linda were selected for the World Championships in Beijing in 1987. By the early 90s both Martin and Ann were already out of college and working but Linda was able to travel to play the qualifying tournaments required to make the Olympic Team both in 1992 in Barcelona (with Martin as manager of the USA team) and 1996 in Atlanta (with Ann as manager of the USA team.) Janet says she traveled with her family and her tennis racquet; besides sightseeing, she has played tennis on five continents, including the lone court on Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef.
Janet has spent a lifetime working to support tennis. She volunteered with junior programs for the Chicago District Tennis Association, joined the Board, and became their Executive Director. She also joined the USPTA. When Intersectionals were started, Janet was in the forefront of organizing the Midwest Section. The 35s and 45s began play in 1987 in VA. The older ages of 55, 65, and 75 were added in 1989. The picture in this article is of that first Midwest Team organized by Janet, who then continued to captain the Midwest Teams for 17 years.
Janet says her two most enjoyable tennis events were winning the bronze ball with her daughter at the National Mother-Daughter at the Newport, RI Hall of Fame and going to the Friendship Cup in Austria with fellow NSWTA members. She has also been inducted into the Chicago Tennis Hall of Fame and the Denison University Athletic Hall of Fame.
After playing national tournaments for 50 years, Janet, who first played the 40 Indoors at Midtown in Chicago and played her finale in the 90 Hardcourts at LaJolla in 2018, has moved on to other interests. She now enjoys water aerobics and duplicate bridge.
Members of the 1989 first Midwest Intersectional Team included Janet French, Marcia Bolster, Kathy Henry, Jillian McDonell and Nancy Nelson from IL, Sheila Evans from IN, and Marion Reed and Marion Mueller from WI.
NWTO congratulates Janet on all her tennis contributions and accomplishments and thanks her for her recent donation to NWTO. In an example of how sport brings friends together, Janet received the surprise bequest of $10,000 from her Denison roommate of years ago and has passed it on to NWTO to support amenities for the women who play Intersectionals.
