Original 9: A Problem in Houston

Houston was the choice for Gladys’ tournament, since the Heldman family was relocating there immediately after the U. S. Open. When the Heldmans lived in Houston in the early 1950s, Julius was elected president of the newly-formed Houston Tennis Association. The association was formed to promote tennis at public facilities, and it soon became, according to World Tennis, the “largest city tennis association in the world,” with 1,500 members and a budget of $26,000. Gladys knew that if the tournament was held at a facility that was not a member club of the USLTA, and if no spectator admission was charged, she would not need a sanction approval from the USLTA and would not have to pay the national association the sanction fee of 6% of the prize money. She also knew – according to the USLTA Standing Orders, as written in the association’s annual guide and yearbook – that players in a non-member facility tournament could not face any disciplinary action from the USLTA if no admission fees were charged and no player expenses were paid. 

As Gladys began to plan the tournament in Houston, one of the first phone calls she made was to Paul Pearce. Earlier that summer she had met Pearce, the Executive Director of the Houston Tennis Association, when he was visiting New York. Gladys explained her plans for the tournament, not mentioning that it would be in direct conflict with the Pepsi-Cola Pacific Southwest Open in Los Angeles. 

“The reason that Gladys made her first call to me is that I had been in New York in August 1970 and went by her Manhattan office to introduce myself,” Pearce said. “World Tennis magazine was a Bible among tennis players, professional or amateur. Knowing that she had lived in Houston previously when Julius was a chemist with Shell Oil, I was eager to make national connections to do whatever I could to expose tennis efforts in Houston, particularly Youth Tennis Leagues. That was when I was first struck with her iconic image in sunglasses and cigarette smoke. We had a rich, warm conversation, and I left feeling that we had a mutual affinity for tennis. It was not surprising then that a month later, she was calling me. We were kind of rebellious in those days in Houston, and anything that would put us on the “tennis map” was an opportunity.”

Gladys asked Pearce if he could raise $5,000 for a tournament to be held on the public courts in Houston. He was able to secure a $2,000 pledge from George Mitchell, one of the founders of the Houston Racquet Club and a wealthy oil and real estate businessman. However, Pearce could not raise more than the $2,000 and it was decided the tournament would have to be held at the racquet club, which then required a USLTA sanction.

Pearce discussed the proposal with Jim Hight, the president-elect of the Texas Tennis Association, as well as Delores Hornberger, the president of the Women’s Association of the Houston Racquet Club. Delores liked the idea and was intrigued with bringing the world’s best women players to her club. Situated on twenty-three wooded acres on the city’s exclusive west side, the Houston Racquet Club boasted twenty-six tennis courts. It was a dynamic club that could easily raise money; each year its members contributed $25,000 to the Houston Tennis Association’s junior development program. As president of the 500-member Houston Racquet Club Women’s Association, Delores was in a powerful position. If the women’s group wanted to host the tournament, the club management would have to oblige. Members and officers of the Houston Racquet Club Women’s Association comprised the tournament committee included Sybil Stephens, Leslie Creekmore, Nelle Patton, and Charlotte Lorenz.

“This was completely new to the Racquet Club, no one would touch it, and I was dumb enough to think “Yes we can!” Delores said. “I was anxious to see these girls in person…I just had the guts, that’s all.”

Gladys then suggested that the players could circumvent USLTA policy if they temporarily became contract professionals, a category which the national association had no jurisdiction over. The plan was to have each player sign a one-dollar contract with Gladys and World Tennis magazine for the duration of the four-day tournament, after which they could request to have the USLTA reinstate their status as registered players. In truth, this was not a realistic tactic, as the USLTA did not move quickly on reinstatements. Gladys was likely aware of the USLTA red tape regarding the process, and Billie Jean and Rosie most definitely were. In the spring of 1970, it took months for Billie Jean and Rosie to get their status restored by the USLTA after their professional contracts with George MacCall’s National Tennis League had expired. 

As tennis fans began arriving outside for the tournament’s opening match, Gladys and the players remained in the clubhouse for the photographers. With Gladys seated and holding the handwritten contract, and with the players gathered around her, one-dollar bills were distributed. The players held up the bills, happy to finally be in charge of their own tennis careers. The photographs that were taken in the lobby of the Houston Racquet Club documented a milestone in the history of tennis and women’s sports.

To read more about the Original 9, check out Donn Gobbie’s book A Dollar and a Dream: Gladys Heldman, The Original 9 and Women’s Professional Tennis or visit his website.