USTA NEW ENGLAND ANNOUNCES HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2024

More on the Class of 2024

Michael Beautyman

Michael Beautyman is a highly decorated tennis player from the Berkshires in Massachusetts, currently living in Florida. Throughout his adult tennis career, he has won tournaments all across the nation and the globe, capturing 13 prestigious USTA Gold Balls, 4 National No. 1 rankings and 4 World No. 1 rankings, among multiple other top-5 and top-10 rankings. 

Beautyman attended Trinity College where he earned both the school’s and conference’s Athlete of the Year awards in 1969.  

“I am deeply honored to be included with some of the great names in New England tennis, a sport that has brought me such wonderful friends and acquaintances over the years,” Beautyman said. “As an 11-year-old, I won my first tournament, and the tournament director gave me the draw sheet and wrote on it, ‘may this be the first of many.’ I never imagined that I would some day as a player hear an umpire say ‘game, set, and match to the United States’ which I have heard playing for Team USA at ITF World senior events.”

Beautyman also held a number of top-10 New England rankings as a junior player. 

Off the court, Beautyman has contributed to the creation of multiple tennis events. He gave more than $400,000 and two years of his time developing and running the largest tennis event ever, the 2004 ITF World Super Senior Championships. The event boasted more than 1,350 players, 17 hotels and 135 tennis courts.

He also developed and funded the annual Beautyman Cup, a USA vs. World team event for senior tennis players, and in 2004, he founded the first world 90 and over men’s and 85 and over women’s championship events.  

Beautyman still actively competes and most recently earned 4th place as part of Team USA’s 75 & Over men’s squad at the ITF World Team Championships.  

Beverly “Kris” Jaeger-Helton

Kris Jaeger-Helton is a distinguished official who has worked on the world’s largest stages. She has worked all four Grand Slam events as both line and chair umpire, has been selected for 11 Wimbledon Championships including four finals, and worked as the chair umpire for four US Open singles finals (Boys’, Girls’, quad wheelchair and men’s wheelchair). 

She was also selected as a line umpire for three Olympic Games, including the finals in Beijing, as well as a chair umpire and review official for the recent Tokyo Paralympics.

Jaeger-Helton is a Certified Review Official and recently served as the lead review official for 2022 and 2023 US Open. She will continue in that role again in 2024, overseeing nearly 60 review officials while liasing with the chief umpire, the referees’ office, the technical providers and the chair umpires. 

She is the only official in the world to have worked as a line umpire, net umpire, chair umpire, review official, and serve in the command center at any event, which she did at a Grand Slam. 

Jaeger-Helton is dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion in officiating. She's actively involved in various programs aimed at training and mentoring officials, ensuring opportunities are accessible to all. 

Kris was selected twice as New England’s Official of the Year and also earned the prestigious USTA John T. McGovern Award in 2021, the lifetime achievement award for officiating. 

Also in 2021, she was appointed the female ambassador to the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for the USTA to represent the interests of officiating. 

In 2022, she was inducted into the Northeast Women in Sports Hall of Fame.

Jaeger-Helton has served on numerous boards and committees within USTA both at the New England and National levels. 

“This is an amazing honor. I am grateful for all the support, opportunities and encouragement from the ITF, USTA and USTA New England. It is rare for an official to be inducted, but I know how much officiating can contribute to the quality of tennis competition. I was a player myself and was grateful for the matches I played with umpires. It is rewarding to represent my fellow officials,” Jaeger-Helton said.

Conway Haynes and Albert 'Bootsie' Lewis

Conway Haynes and Albert 'Bootsie' Lewis, along with others, are co-founders of Sportsmen's Tennis & Enrichment Center in Dorchester, MA, the first African-American tennis club in the country. 

The duo was pivotal in promoting tennis in the black community during times of exclusion and financial barriers, and their tireless commitment and inclusive leadership has helped propel Sportsmen's to the award-winning organization it is today.  

Haynes has a true love for the game and took pride in being a ‘club player.’ For years, he shared that passion with his wife, children and the next generation of players.

“Conway’s greatest joy was introducing the sport to youth. His commitment to the mission and vision of Sportsmen’s has been nothing short of remarkable and is a pillar of what the organization represents today,” said his wife, Alveta Haynes. “Being inducted into the New England Tennis Hall of Fame is a distinguished and well-deserved honor for such a hardworking, humble, and unassuming person. Thank you to the USTA New England for recognizing his contribution.”

Haynes has won a number of awards throughout his lifetime, with his most coveted being: the Governor’s Committee on Physical Fitness & Sports Award, the Sportsmen's Tennis Club Founders Award and the Urban Sports Network Black Tennis Community Service Award.

He also served decades on the Sportsmen’s Board, including a president and vice president. 

Lewis has long said that his most important tennis memory is becoming a USPTA certified professional in 1970 and working as a tennis coach to serve his community.  

He received the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Award in recognition of years of dedicated service to Sportsmen's, and he became a lifetime board member of the organization in 2000. 

“Being inducted into the New England Tennis Hall of Fame is a great honor and achievement for me. It reinforces and pays homage to the work I have done over the years to improve the lives of inner-city youth and members within my community,” Lewis said. “I am grateful to know I have made a difference in this world and that my efforts have been recognized. I come from the mindset that ‘it takes a village’ standing on the shoulders of those that came before me. I am proud, humbled and blessed.”

Bob Lechten

Bob Lechten was a legendary tennis coach who left his mark on New England tennis through his students. He mentored some of the best players to come out of New England, including three current New England Hall of Famers and former WTA pros: Teryn Ashley-Fitch, Lisa Albano-Fu and Heather Crowe Conner. 

He was a masterful teacher of technique and strategy, attracting top talent and elevating their games to unprecedented levels. His contributions earned him recognition as USPTA New England’s 1989 Pro of the Year, as well as many other accolades.

“Although Bob passed away in 2006, he would have been overjoyed to be inducted in the New England Tennis Hall of Fame. More importantly, what truly would have touched his heart is knowing that so many of his former students came together to nominate him,” said his widow, Paula Lechten. 

Lechten and his wife Paula owned and operated Danvers Racquetime in Danvers, MA. They often donated tennis court time to help students prepare for tournaments, introduced children with disabilities to the game, and organized health fairs for free health screenings and information about nutrition and sports medicine.

“Bob had a unique gift to make each student feel like they were his singular focus. He cared for each of them not just as a player but as a person, and often spent time mentoring his students on and off the court,” she added.

The USTA New England Hall of Fame exists to recognize and honor New England tennis players and non-players whose achievements or volunteer contributions in tennis-related activities have been outstanding over a significant period of time. 

Nominations are open for the Hall of Fame Class of 2025. To learn more about the Hall of Fame and to nominate, click here.

About USTA New England

USTA New England, one of 17 regional sections across the country that comprise the United States Tennis Association (USTA), is a not-for-profit organization committed to promoting and developing the growth of tennis and increasing participation in the sport in New England by offering quality recreational and competitive programs for people of all ages and abilities. For more information, visit usta.com/newengland.