Eddie Herr 1907-2000

In 2000, we lost our friend...our namesake...and our inspiration when Eddie Herr, the father of international junior tennis, died at age 93. The charming, bespectacled man in the houndstooth jacket and straw hat left an impressive list of accomplishments, as well as a wealth of friends and admirers around the globe.

Herr was a tennis visionary who developed the international junior tournament circuit. His interest in tennis began in the 1940s, when his daughter Suzanne was an avid junior player.

In 1947, hoping to provide her with an opportunity to compete over the December school holidays, Herr conceived and organized the first Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships.

In the years following, he developed a number of other international junior tournaments, including the Sunshine Cup in 1958, and the Continental Cup in 1976. (The Eddie Herr International Junior Championships was founded in 1987 by Herr's grandson, Glenn Feldman.)

Herr was a man of vision, determination, enthusiasm and generosity. Over the years, many a young, broke tournament entrant slept on his couch, and ate at his table. He was even known to provide some of his houseguests with spending money out of his own pocket.

Herr said, "I regard all the tennis players who competed in the Orange Bowl, the Sunshine Cup, the Continental Cup, and the Eddie Herr as part of my family."

The feeling was mutual. Eddie Herr will be missed for a long time to come. In May of 2000, the ITF nominated Herr for its prestigious ITF Award.