USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Fame Member Terry Miller’s Tennis Journey

March is Women’s History Month, and here at USTA Heart of America, we’re proud to say that we have some incredible women in our district who inspire us each and every day. Terry Miller is one such woman.

A member of the USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Fame class of 2002, Terry has dedicated much of her life to growing the game of tennis in our district–but that’s not all. She was also a distinguished teacher who taught 7th grade math to students in the Shawnee Mission School District for 47 years before retiring. Terry has also been our District League Coordinator for 43 years and has seen our leagues grow tremendously under her care. She has announced her retirement from this position, which will take place in July.

Terry started playing tennis at the age of 14, when her parents joined Homestead Country Club. They had hoped she’d use the facilities for swimming, but she found herself falling in love with tennis instead. While the high school and college she attended didn’t offer women’s tennis teams at the time, Terry continued taking lessons to grow her tennis skills and competed in several prestigious junior tournaments, winning many right here in USTA Missouri Valley–and beyond.

As an adult player, Terry continued to dominate the courts, winning several district and section championship titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, and has participated in many local and regional tournaments over the years. Back in 1980, she started the Michelob Light league in USTA Heart of America, which would eventually evolve into the USTA League we know today.

Her dedication to the sport did not go unnoticed; Terry has earned some of our District’s most prestigious awards, including being named to the USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Fame in 2006, the Distinguished Service Award in 2007 and 2017, the Volunteer of the Year award in 2009, and the UMBFC Charitable Foundation’s Lifetime Sportswoman Award. Just last year, Terry was honored with the WIN for KC Women’s Sports Award and the Scott Hanover Award.

Thank you, Terry, for all you’ve done for tennis here in our district and in USTA Missouri Valley–for all the players you’ve helped get into the sport, the leagues you’ve helped form, the countless hours of volunteer work, and for being an all-around exemplary person and player. We’re so proud to have had the honor of having you in our district!