2022 Midwest Fall Awards

Each year the Section honors dedicated individuals and organizations for their service and support of the Section’s mission to grow, develop and service the sport of tennis.

As many attested to at Minor's funeral, Kevin was always happy to provide advice: how to get started playing, where events were taking place and more.

He and his wife, Michelle, raised three daughters to use tennis to achieve their dreams. Their eldest daughter, Kristina, is an associate athletic director at Northwestern University, while Jasmine is an Emmy Award-winning television reporter in Indianapolis. Brienne won the NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships in 2017, becoming the first Black woman to win the singles title.

In 2022, Kevin participated in a strategic planning process for USTA Chicago. At the conclusion of the process, he shared how—despite long days at work—he always felt energized after attending a planning meeting. He felt as though the process allowed the Chicago District to identify work efforts that would help tennis grow.

When Minor passed away on May 17, 2022, his family rallied to solidify his legacy by creating a scholarship fund in his name. Those funds will go towards supporting the training and travel for a Chicago-based junior tennis player and their family. As outlined in the scholarship, Kevin Minor knew all too well the sacrifices necessary to raise elite student-athletes, especially early on. He estimated that on average, the cost of a child from ages 8 to 18 who go on to play college tennis is about $300,000. Easing that financial burden for other families is something the Minor family knows Kevin would have loved.

Ruth Grissom grew up in Detroit, Michigan, gaining exposure to tennis as a teenager when a group of neighborhood kids were hitting tennis balls in the middle of her street. No net, no court, just two racquets and a ball. One of her friends handed Grissom the racquet and told her to give it a try. She rallied with another kid for about 30 minutes. By the end of her turn, she was hooked. 

 
When Grissom started playing tennis around Indianapolis, she was first introduced to Capitol City Tennis Club (CCTC). The group was founded more than 100 years ago, when Black tennis players weren't welcomed onto all of Indianapolis' public tennis courts. But CCTC found ways to grow the sport of tennis within the Black community by teaching both adults and juniors, and it continues to share the love of tennis with all who have an interest. Ruth has served as the CCTC Secretary and Tournament Director for the Capitol City Open.

Ruth Grissom has played tennis around the country as part of USTA Adult League and made countless friends along the way — sharing her passion for tennis. In 2022, Grissom received a USTA Central Indiana award for her volunteer work with the district.

As a tennis parent and advocate, she exemplifies all the best qualities of being a leader. She takes action and raises funds necessary to give children a chance to try tennis, and for Albi, it's not all about sports. It's about education, too. Through combined tennis and educational programming, Albi strives to open up doors and grant opportunities for children to grow, putting them on paths to graduate from college and move on to higher education.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, under Albi's leadership, MTEF was able to pivot from in-person tennis lessons to electronic programming, providing tablets and other resources needed.

It continues to be Albi's goal to work closely with the USTA Midwest Section and to provide more money for underserved communities where equipment and teaching pros are needed.