Sunday, March 03, 2013

Fleenors named USTA Alabma Family of the Year

Jim, Stacey, Abby and Anna Mills Fleenor were recently named Family of the Year by USTA Alabama.  No family exemplifies their love of tennis more than the Fleenors!  The Fleenor family is active...USTA events - tournaments, adult leagues, Jr. Team Tennis and they are very supportive of local tennis events: Indian Hills Country Club events, U of A tennis matches, charity tournaments and more!  All four of the Fleenors can be found on the courts during the week, and especially on the weekends, where they usually start out with a set of doubles on the 60' court.  Anna Mills 9, and Abby 12, were among the first to come through the Quickstart method at Indian Hills.  Their love of the game has produced #1 rankings, sportsmanship award winner, top 10 in the South, state team and individual champion as a fifth grader (Abby); #2 in state, top 20 in South (Anna Mills), State champion Tri-level and Combo (Stacey) and one of the best forehands around (Jim)!  
Congratulations Fleenors!  Tuscaloosa is proud to have the Family of the Year as one of our own!

USTA Alabama Hubert Kessler Service Award

The dedication of the first annual USTA Alabama Hubert Kessler Service Award was presented during the 2013 Alabama Tennis Foundation Hall of Fame ceremony at Vestavia Country Club February 16, 2013.  Mark Kessler, Hubert's son,  presented the inaugural award to Tuscaloosa's crown jewel Emily Baker.  The Hubert Kessler Service Award is the most prestigious award given by USTA Alabama each year and will be awarded annually at the Hall of Fame induction.

Hubert was a tireless volunteer and supporter of tennis in Alabama.  He held numerous positions within the tennis community:  member of USTA Southern Board of Directors, President of the Alabama Tennis Association for two terms, co-founder of the Tuscaloosa Tennis Association, two term President of the TTA,  elected to the Alabama Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005,  Indian Hills Country Club: Board member, Tennis committee chairman, Tournament director of Pritchett-Moore Men's City Invitational for 16 years and member or chairman of various committees for tennis throughout the South.  As a player, Hubert was ranked #1 in the South in doubles with Barry Shollenberger, #1 in Alabama, won seven doubles titles in Pritchett-Moore Men's City with 3 different partners and finished second at the U.S. Open Father-Son championships in 1984 with his son Mark.

The Hubert Kessler Service Award was donated by Cindy Kessler, Libba Kessler Tubbs and Mark Kessler with special thanks to Brombergs and Award Company of America.

Congratulations Emily.  Hubert would have been so proud to have you win this special award.  No one embodies his spirit of giving of oneself better than you.  No one deserves it more.