HuntingtonCC_Single

Jay Leng, tennis chairman (1979-2006). championship in 2006. In 2008, the club proposed full tennis privileges
through the summer for winter club members and letting approximately
part iv: the country club activities | tennis ten winter club women play on the tennis teams for an annual fee of $700.
The hope was that this would allow the club to field three or four women’s
teams, instead of two, and would introduce more children to the game and
allow the pro to hold children’s clinics. The proposal was approved for one
probationary year, but just a few winter club ladies accepted the offer.
Today the club’s four tennis courts are among the best anywhere, well
maintained and playable within an hour after heavy rain. They are resur-
faced every spring. Jarvis (Jay) Leng served tirelessly for twenty-eight
years as tennis chairman (1979-2006) and was succeeded in 2007 by Rich-
ard A. Spehr.
Among the ladies, Sandra Birch Krusos is the most accomplished. She was
a two-time NCAA individual winner (1989, 1991) and her Stanford team
won the NCAA Championship in all four of her years. She has been called
the “most accomplished female tennis player in Stanford history.”

191

Boys getting ready for a hockey game, November 2010.

chapter twenty-one

The Huntington Winter Club

The Early Years The winter club concept was not without dissenters. It was noted that non-
country club members that used the rink would not initially share in the
In 1916 the two clay tennis courts west of the clubhouse were repaired with cost to build the rink and the surrounding facilities. It was noted that nearby
new posts, in such a manner that they could be made available for winter ice Piping Rock Club had also considered building a skating rink on a larger
skating. For what years such skating continued is not known, but the courts piece of land and decided against the proposal. Another concern was there
were flooded as late as 1949. was no guarantee that the winter club would be successful, making the rink
construction costs and the cost of moving the tennis courts from their cur-
The dream that became the Huntington Winter Club began in 1955 when rent location on the proposed rink site a very expensive gamble.
a number of Huntington Country Club members, together with a group
of Huntington residents, began exploring the possibility of constructing Other concerns included the increased taxes resulting from such a new fa-
an ice skating rink in the town of Huntington for hockey, figure skating, cility, the upgrade to the sanitation and other club infrastructure that would
and recreational skating. This combined group approached the Huntington be necessary, and the cost of additional staffing and parking for the proposed
Country Club during the winter of 1956–1957 to ask if the country club winter club. Since the original plan called for the rink to extend to within
might be interested in becoming the site for the rink. The country club gave ten feet of the first fairway, there were concerns about skater’s safety from
the proposal serious consideration, noting that those members involved in errant golf balls.
skating would likely patronize the country club’s restaurant and bar facili-
ties during the slow winter months. The official proposal to construct an Following much discussion, an arrangement was forged between the Hun-
ice skating rink at the country club was brought before the country club tington Country Club and Huntington Purchase to sublease a one-acre site
membership on April 9, 1957. to the skating group, which was incorporated as the Huntington Winter
Club, Inc. on March 3, 1957 . The eight signers of the original Huntington

193

Winter Club certificate of incorporation were James C. Dudley, Joseph R. On April 13, 1957, Huntington Country Club members voted 130 to 58
Eggert, Jr., William Heroy, Donald Arthur, Jr., Eric P. Swenson, John H. in favor of establishing the Huntington Winter Club, to be financed by the
Page, Samuel R. Callaway, and Dudley L. Miller. sale of $100,000 of winter club debentures and winter club member initia-
The Huntington Winter Club thereby became a separate entity responsi- tion fees and dues. The Huntington Winter Club opened on November 15,
ble for the following costs: construction of an ice rink measuring at least 1957 with 54 Huntington Country Club members joining and 105 non-
eighty-five feet by 190 feet, complete with hockey boards and refrigeration members paying the country club $25 each ($2,625 total). The original
equipment (estimated to cost $125,000 but the actual cost was closer to agreement stipulated at least half the winter club’s board of directors must
$140,000); building two new tennis courts to replace those that were to be be Huntington Country Club members and the Huntington Winter Club’s
displaced by the ice rink (estimated cost $6,000); and converting part of the board could not elect country club members.
country club’s clubhouse basement into a skate changing facility (estimated
cost $3,000). The lease arrangement was revised in April 1963 to allow the winter club
to construct a skating chalet, which opened in 1964. At that time, a drop-
Winter Carnival in 1965. off circle existed between the skating chalet and the back of the clubhouse.

The 1970s

As part of the 1972 Huntington Country Club’s renovations and expansion,
the winter club was able to install washrooms in the lodge, add a visiting
team locker room, and have use of additional storage under the clubhouse.
The boy’s hockey team is believed to have been part of the winter club fab-
ric from the very beginning.

In 1972 a set of fifteen figure skating lessons cost $35. A senior hockey pro-
gram was initiated and was open to all over the Bantam level. Every mem-
ber was permitted one guest, for a cost of $2.50. To increase participation,
a senior hockey guest privilege was offered to non-club members between
twenty-one to thirty years of age for $75 per season. In 1973, the boy’s
hockey program played only thirty-eight games.

194

Winter club hockey players in the 1970s. to the Huntington Country Club. Poor ice conditions (“poor drainage and
lumpy ice”) reached such proportions that referees suggested hockey games
In 1974 the skating instructors were Vera Cross, Christine Revoir, and Bill not be played at the club.
Coyle. The nonmember senior hockey rate was $90/season. Paddle rates
were raised from $1.00 to $1.25 per hour per player. Sixty-five games were The skating rink was rebuilt in 1975, financed by a member assessment of
played that year – double the prior year – and the Cold Spring Harbor $175 per member and a bank loan of $40,000 from Long Island Trust Com-
hockey team rented ice from ten to midnight on Friday nights. pany (with personal guarantees from a number of members). The rink was
excavated to remove the clay from the old tennis courts, plastic pipes were
The club’s average annual seasonal rate of resignation was generally twelve installed in a sand base, and a concrete curb was inserted under the rebuilt
to fifteen members. However, in 1974-1975 more than thirty winter club boards. A chain link fence was installed above the boards and ran from cor-
families resigned, dropping membership ranks to 196 families – a new low ner to corner behind the goals. Volunteer winter club members did much
since peak membership in 1968 of 242. The board considered new mem- of the work on weekends and, among other projects, “dug trenches and
bership categories such as senior hockey and an armchair membership and installed the sleepers.” The renovated rink opened on November 20, 1975,
assessed regular winter club members $30 per month for improvements at a final cost of $46,500.

For the 1977-1978 season, the winter club membership consisted of 142
regular members (dues $450, of which $75 paid to HCC), thirty-four coun-
try club members (dues $310), and eight special and nonresident members
(dues from $90 to $250), for a total of membership of 185. The new mem-
ber initiation fee was $400. This was the first season that winter club played
in the club hockey league.

The winter club’s traditional hockey opponents were skating clubs that
had a similar membership makeup and a similar hockey philosophy: Bea-
ver Dam, New Canaan Winter Club, Greenwich Skating Club, Essex Hunt
Club, Beacon Hill, Princeton Skating Club, Navasink Country Club, and
Englewood Field Club.

The winter club’s refrigeration system was renovated in 1979 and financed
with a $95 per member assessment and a $10,000 bank loan. Membership

part iv: the country club activities | the huntington winter club 195

had risen to 207 families (153 regular, forty-three country club, four spe- The winter club’s finances continued to improve, despite a membership
cial, and seven nonresident). count that declined to a low point of less than 150 during the 1982-83 sea-
son. During this time, Bill Johnson, president of the country club, worked
The 1980s to maintain positive relations between the two clubs.

The early 1980s were a difficult time for the winter club due to a reces- In 1984 the winter club took over the operation of the snack bar, a service
sion-induced declining membership (179). The Huntington Country Club the country club had previously provided in conjunction with the winter
agreed to reduce the amount received per winter club member to help the club on a fifty-fifty cost and revenue sharing basis. The country club gave the
winter club’s financial position and to attract new members. The winter winter club $3,200 to help defray some of these costs and the winter club
club’s one-third cost contribution to the paddle tennis court conversion snack bar was relocated in the downstairs part of the chalet, along the far left
program from wood to aluminum was in question. wall. The country club allowed the winter club to use part of the old snack
bar, located in the basement of the clubhouse, as a visiting team locker room.
In May 1981 the winter club proposed a formal merger of the two clubs On the social calendar, adult broom hockey nights were very well attended.
to the Huntington Country Club board. The country club’s primary con-
cern was the winter club’s recent high annual membership turnover rate of The old winter club scoreboard was above the far corner of the rink, in
approximately 20%, which caused the winter club to aggressively recruit front of the present day Christmas tree. It was a wooden structure with a
to maintain membership levels. It was pointed out that over two-thirds of wood shingled roof, making it look like a small hut. In 1985, the winter
Huntington Winter Club applicants came from the Lloyd Neck Bath Club club replaced this scoreboard with one donated by Coca-Cola. The present
and similar organization and were well known within the community. day scoreboard was placed directly behind the far goal in the late 1990s and
covered with a wire mesh to protect it against errant pucks.
It was feared that a merger of the two clubs would change the membership
process, leading to a decline in the skating class of membership, which would The winter club president was made an ex-officio member of the country
pass on the costs of the skating facility to the country club membership. Addi- club board in 1986. The winter club received a new five-year lease in 1989,
tional concerns were the winter club’s outstanding debt, future ice rink main- renewable for five more years.
tenance, and over taxing the country club facilities during the summer months.
In 1986, approximately $15,000 was donated to the Huntington Winter
At the June 1981 Huntington Country Club board meeting the motion to Club figure skating program because of the club’s volunteer efforts during
merge was not seconded. A motion to approve a new lease for the winter the 1985 National Platform Tennis Championships. That year, the winter
club was seconded and passed, with four opposed. The new lease was re- club’s only precision team, the Winterettes opened the Winter Carnival
newable for five years and re-established “a long-standing relationship with festivities that included games, a Crazy Hat parade, and skating races.
friends and neighbors.”

196

By 1986 the winter club membership had rebounded to 205 families The 1990s
(considered to be full membership at the time), with fifteen candidates on
the waitlist. In 1990 the Huntington Country Club built a new golf cart shed adjacent
The girl’s hockey program was started during the 1986-1987 skating sea- to the skating rink, screened from the first fairway with a privet hedge. The
son. The men’s senior hockey program was restarted during the 1987-1987 old golf cart shed, which was attached to the clubhouse, was divided and
season, with twenty-four participants that included three former New York renovated, with one half becoming the present day caddie room and the
Islanders, Jean Potvin, Lorne Henning, and Jerry Hart. Off-site preseason other half becoming another locker room for visiting hockey teams.
ice time was purchased for the first time prior to the start of the 1987-1988
hockey season to help winter club ice hockey teams be more competitive at The winter club began investigating the construction of a new rink and refrig-
the beginning of the season. eration system in 1990, estimated to cost more than $500,000. To finance
In 1988 Francis J. Baselice was hired as the winter club’s C.P.A., a post he the new facility, the winter club’s capital improvement fund would have to
currently holds. For the 1988-1989 season, Huntington Winter Club dues be supplemented by a $2,000 assessment and the purchase of a $500 bond
were increased to $1,200 and the new member initiation fee was $1,500. by each family. The controversy over the new rink construction caused the
membership ranks to drop temporarily below 170 families. The new skating
Sharing the ice with the country club. rink was approved and opened on November 1, 1991 allowing the winter
club to maintain better ice, especially during poor weather conditions.
part iv: the country club activities | the huntington winter club
The base of the 1991 rink was a cement slab, putting an end to the 30-year
tradition of members volunteering before the start of every ice making sea-
son to pull weeds that had grown in the rink’s sand base during the summer
months. It was also customary for members to gather to paint the boards
at the start of every season, inscribing the words WINTER CLUB (in blue)
and two crossed hockey sticks (in red) on the boards at the far end of the
rink by the present day scoreboard. The 1991 rink renovation also brought
glass above the boards for the first time, replacing the chain link fence at the
ends of the rink, behind the goals.

The 1991-1992 season was interrupted by a strong December storm that
uprooted trees, damaged the country club and the platform tennis courts,
melted the winter club ice, and left the club without electricity for five

197

1990-1991 new rink construction. 1,100 square foot building. Construction started in March 1994 and com-
pleted in August 1994 at a cost of about $75,000.
days. At this time, 125 children participated in the winter club hockey pro-
gram and the figure skating program had approximately eighty-five partici- Due to continuing problems with the pipes embedded in the cement slab
pants. The club offered roller blading on two weekends in October 1991, on the rink floor, the field was switched to steel pipe in sand in 1995 at a
but it was not popular with the membership. cost of approximately $250,000, with a significant portion of the cost paid
by insurance.
In 1992 the downstairs portion of the chalet was renovated to its present
day configuration, with the snack bar and the manager’s office replacing The 2000s
the two changing rooms (that utilized blue plastic curtains as doors). Trail-
ers were used as hockey and figure skating changing rooms while planning During the last ten years, the Huntington Winter Club facilities have been
began on the construction of a new locker room between the rink and the continually updated and improved. A heated scorer’s hut was constructed
fourth hole. Originally, plans called for a two-story locker room building, and a flag pole installed in the mid-2000s. A mesh screen was erected to
partly financed by a $120 annual assessment for five years. However, when protect the chalet glass. Unbreakable glass was placed on the chalet porch
costs came in above estimates, the plans were downsized to a single story

198

Visitors

In 1995, the Atlantic Winds Symphony Orchestra performed on
the skating rink in August and on December 7, the New York Is-
landers came and spent two hours on ice before a dinner party
attended by 225 people. The Islanders returned in 1996 for
a Christmas skating party attended by 200 people. Al Arbour
and Bill Torrey, coach and general manager, respectively, of
the Islanders during the championship years, were members of
Huntington Country Club for many years, as were several of
the Islanders.

A 1994 snowstorm buried the rink under two feet of snow. NewYork Islanders Bobby Nystron, Pat LaFontaine, and Jean Potvin
conducted a hockey clinic at the winter club in the 1990s.
to improve spectator viewing. The gravel courtyard was paved and rubber
mats placed to connect the locker rooms with the chalet. Built-in hockey
and figure skating cabinets were constructed upstairs to proudly display the
winter club’s perennial trophies and awards. Great care has always been
taken to preserve the history in team pictures and award plaques, which
can be seen throughout the club. The rink was improved with a new heater
system and the coolant flow direction was reversed to hold the ice at the far
end of the rink better.

The Huntington Winter Club celebrated its fiftieth anniversary on December
15, 2007, with open skating from 9 to 10 p.m., then a fireworks display fol-
lowed by a dinner-dance. A total of 200 adults and 242 children participated.

part iv: the country club activities | the huntington winter club 199

The Zamboni In 1978 Richard Kleinknecht dealt with inventor Frank Zamboni’s son,
Richard F. Zamboni, on the purchase of a second generation Zamboni, the
Since its inception, the winter club has had only three Zambonis. In 1957 500 Series. This second Zamboni cost $18,700 and was shipped to the win-
the winter club’s first president, James Dudley, handled the purchase of one ter club in January 1979. The original Zamboni was sold back to the com-
of the first generation of Zamboni manufactured, the model HDB F (serial pany for $1,700.
# 72). The model F was built on a jeep frame and adapted in 1963 with an
automated snow dump tank.

Great seats at the ice rink during the winter of 2008-2009.

200

The third Zamboni was shipped on December 18, 2001. All of the winter Huntington Winter Club Presidents
club’s Zambonis have been gasoline powered, which necessitated a reduction
in the normal number of daily ice cuts during the 1974 gasoline shortage. 1957-1962....................................................... James C. Dudley
1963-1964...................................................W ard L. Johnson, Jr.
Winter Club Managers and Notable Employees 1965-1967.............................................. Charles W.B. Wardell,
Jr.
The Huntington Winter Club has been fortunate to have very few manag- 1968...................................................... Kennedy B. Middendorf
ers, which has added to the tradition and the smooth running of the club. 1969-1970.........................................................J ohn J. Evans III
Charlie Ruppert managed the rink in the 1960s and early 1970s and Myl- 1971-1972.................................................. Francis W. Murray III
es McLaughlin took over management of the rink until 1979. In that year 1973-1974........................................................ Bruce C. Adams
Norm Schmitz assumed the title of club manager, a position he held until 1975-1976......................................................... James A. Woods
1992 when the management of the winter club was turned over to Tom 1977-1978....................................................R obert P. Beuerlein
Fehrs. Mrs. Rose Rosinach was the winter club’s bookkeeper from 1957 1979-1980..............................................T heodore S. Wickersham
until 1978 and was presented with a watch at the end of her tenure. Dottie 1980-1982....................................................... J.T. Terry Brune
Mullen has worked as winter club receptionist since 1980. 1982-1986.......................................................... Phillip Walkley
1986-1988........................................................J erome D. Lucas
The second Zamboni. 1988-1991........................................................... John J. Pufahl
1991-1994........................................................ Paul B. Forchelli
part iv: the country club activities | the huntington winter club 1994-1997......................................................D r. Thomas Arcati
1997-2000....................................................... John (Jack) Kelly
2000-2003....................................................... Bradley S. Roche
2003-2006.....................................................F rank A. Andrea III
2006-2008.................................................. Dr. Robert Moriarty
2008-2009..............................................A ndrew V. Giambertone
2009-present..............................................W illiam F. Rueger, Jr.

201

202

The chalet and platform tennis courts today.
202

chapter twenty-two

Platform Tennisuntington Country Club was one of the first

Hclubs on Long Island to build platform tennis courts.
The driving force in the birth of the sport (at the
club) was former Smith Barney & Co. president William L. (Bill)
Grant. Introduced to the game at the Fox Meadow Tennis Club
in Scarsdale, Bill convinced club president William N. Bannard
III to bring the new game to Huntington. He had to first assure
the board that the players would absorb the maintenance costs.

Platform tennis started as a joint venture between the country club
and the winter club during the mid-1960s. For many years, the sport
was paid for on a two (country club) to one (winter club) basis. The
sport was an immediate success, and grew rapidly in its early years
at the club.

Two wooden courts were built in 1965 and opened for play in No- Brad Easterbrook (left) and Alex Bancila (right) wearing their
vember. They were located in the valley west of the fourth hole (and 2009 national championship medals.
east of the tennis courts), a location previously used for dumping
branches and refuse. The valley was the only location on the club’s
property that didn’t interfere with the golf course and those play-

203

and the first aluminum court (now the #1 court) was
built in 1972, the same year the chalet and lower park-
ing lot were expanded.

In the fall of 1972 member Julian Trivers, who had
competed for a number of years in the National Men’s
Senior Platform Tennis Championship, started a small
tournament at Huntington Country Club for teams of
senior players. The competing teams were made up of
members with guests, members with members, and
invited teams.

Trivers enthusiasm for the game and his many connec-

tions in the sport helped the tournament grow. Hunting-

ton Country Club was a great place to watch the matches

Looking towards the chalet at the 1992 APTA National Championships.The women’s final is being and courts were top of the line. Trivers died suddenly
played on the left while the men warm up for the semifinals.
following surgery in 1979 and the Long Island Platform
Tennis Association took over the tournament and ran it

at Huntington as the Long Island Senior Championship.

ing golf during the colder months. It also had one other advantage, it was The tournament has since been held each February in his honor, the com-

shielded from the wind. A third court was added in 1967 and the warming petitors playing for the Trivers Cup, donated by his friends and presented

hut that ultimately evolved into the current chalet was built in that same by his widow in 1980. The engraving on the cup reads: lipta men’s senior

year on the west bank of the valley, a spot from which those watching the championship | the trivers cup | Given in Loving Memory of Our

matches had an excellent view of the action. The chalet was built for the Dear Friend Julian. The first winners were Dr. George J. Gilbert and

platform tennis players and spectators and was expanded in stages to its Bill Grant, then a member at The Creek. The tournament is now conducted

present configuration. in two divisions, the 95+ and the 120+ age categories. In the former, one

partner on each team has to be forty-five or older, the other fifty or older.

Also in 1967, the lower parking lot was expanded and a fourth wooden

court was added in 1969. These original four courts are today’s #2 through In 1974, the club was the primary host for the Long Island Open Platform

#5 courts. Florescent lighting was installed on the #3 and #4 courts in 1970 Tennis Tournament in which sixty-four teams competed. A number of the

204

Pictured at the Long Island Invitational, sponsored that year by Tribuno, In 1975, the semifinals and finals of the Long Island Invitational Tournament
are: (from left to right) the umpire, Steve Baird, an unknown sponsor, were videotaped for television replay. Perhaps not coincidentally, Charles
Chum Steele, Chip Baird, two unknown sponsors, and George Dartt. Dolan of Cablevision was a winter club member at the time.

matches in that tournament, including all matches from the quarterfinals The invitational utilized several clubs in the vicinity. The main draw uses the
on, were held at the club. The Long Island Open evolved into the Long Huntington YMCA, Head of the Bay Club, as well as Nassau, The Creek,
Island Invitational in 1975. Because the tournament was sponsored (Coca- and Piping Rock, with all matches from the quarterfinals played at the club.
Cola and Tribuno were two sponsors), the professionals played for money. The B section is based at the Port Washington Yacht Club and uses Pland-
The tournament, held at the club each year, attracts a field of national re- ome and Manhasset Bay Yacht Club. No member of Huntington Country
pute, including most of the top players in the country (most of whom are Club or the Huntington Winter Club has ever won the invitational.
tennis professionals who turned to paddle in the winter). In the fall of 2008,
for example, the invitational attracted twenty-eight teams, twenty of which The Long Island Platform Tennis Association (LIPTA) was incorporated in
were nationally ranked. 1976. This helped to improve the play of the sport on Long Island and to
organize its tournaments better. At this time, the Long Island Invitational
and the Trivers Cup came under its jurisdiction.

The club engaged 1977 national champion Louise Gengler to give lessons
to the ladies during the 1977-1978 and 1978-1979 seasons. A three-sport
athlete, Gengler helped Princeton win seven Ivy League titles. In 1980 she
returned to Princeton as tennis coach, a position she held for the next twen-
ty-five years. As a professional platform tennis player, Gengler was ranked
#1 in the country on two occasions.

The club hired a new teaching professional for the women the next season
while the men enjoyed Douglas Russell’s services on a one-day-a-week
schedule, for ten weeks. Perhaps the top player in the country, Russell
by then had won three different national championships during 1978-
1979 (men’s singles, men’s doubles, and mixed doubles) and served as
president of the American Professional Platform Tennis Association. He
also authored an instructional book, had his own autograph paddle with

part iv: the country club activities | platform tennis 205

Long Island Platform Tennis Association each week but did not hire another racquets professional until Brad East-
erbrook, in 2004. In the interim, members engaged teaching pros under
Since its founding in 1976, Huntington Country Club members personal arrangements.
have been instrumental in the governing of the Long Island
Platform Tennis Association. At the time of incorporation, In 1979 the chalet was enlarged, the front porch extended, a heating unit
September 14, 1976, Peter C. Fuller and Robert H. Boeke were installed, and toilets and running water brought in by an independent line
two of the corporation’s six governors. Robert H. Boeke (1978- from the Suffolk County Water Authority. The $17,000 cost of the work
1980), C. William Jones (1985-1996), John Keese(1997-1999), was divided evenly between tennis and platform tennis.
and Duane L. Hayden (2003-present) have served the associa-
tion as president. Starting in 1979, the club embarked on a schedule of replacing one wooden
court each year with an aluminum court. One was ready for the 1979-1980
The purposes of the corporation are to promote interest, en- season, then another in each of the next three seasons.
courage participation, and help coordinate and organize devel-
opment of the game among its members. Today the association During 1979-1980 there were 4,000 matches played by members of 330
oversees the men’s league – over six hundred men play week- families, approximately one-third of them winter club members. The sport
ly matches on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from October was very popular from the start and the courts were always in high demand.
through March. The association also conducts twelve tourna- A wide range of men’s, women’s, and mixed tournaments were held. To
ments for men, women, and juniors on a annual basis. use the courts, reservations were required a week in advance (as was the
case with tennis in the mid-1980s). The players had to reserve a court with
Marcraft (the largest manufacturer), and a shoe manufactured and named the golf pro and were billed $1.75 for the use, which went towards the over-
after him. head. This procedure remained in effect until the dues were restructured.

At a cost of $10 each, groups of four players (many of them teams) re- After a couple of down seasons, platform tennis enjoyed a resurgence of
ceived a one-hour lesson each week and Russell was booked for the entire play during the 1983-84 season, when the program was supplemented with
day, from 10 a.m. until 10 or 11 p.m. He taught the full range of strategy, six Friday night barbecues. Both women and junior play doubled. Court #5,
conditioning, team work, and gamesmanship (something for which he was still wooden, was in disrepair and many players didn’t want to use it, raising
noted). The club retained Russell the next year (1980-1981) for two days the question of whether a new court should be built.

Platform tennis activity declined again in 1986, a falloff accounted for by
two or three bitter winters in a row. No longer did spectators fill the hill-

206

side watching the weekend matches. Play increased somewhat because of in the sport’s history, much of its success attributed to the support and co-
the men’s Sunday round-robin, which reserved three courts. The courts operation of Huntington Country Club’s and the Huntington Winter Club’s
were refurbished prior to the season and a new boardwalk area around the members. Rich Maier, a many-time national champion, won the men’s tour-
courts was established chiefly thanks to member Ken Latham. The men nament with Bob Kleinert, who was not his usual partner. That tournament
fielded four teams in the LIPTA leagues, and the following year were strong proved to be the catalyst for the resurgence of the sport on Long Island.
contenders in the North Shore League.
The club hosted the American Platform Tennis Association (APTA) National That fall the Long Island Invitational Tournament, held mostly at the club,
Championships for both men and women on March 26-29 of 1992. Every was a great success, with many out-of-state teams competing – “almost a
club in Nassau County and those around Huntington was used for the tour- miniature Nationals,” as one person commented. In 1993 the club approved
nament. The club added three temporary courts, two over the tennis courts holding the national men’s forty-five and older championship on a week-
and one in the parking lot. At this time the #5 court, still wooden and in bad end in mid-March, 1994. Sixty-four teams participated, approximately one
shape, was replaced – obtained by the club at a reduced cost for hosting the third the scope of the 1992 Nationals. Four of our courts were used. Mike
event. Players, officials, and spectators alike called it the finest tournament Burton and Duke Felt were the winners.

Two platform courts (one standing) being built on the tennis courts for In both 1996 and 1999 the club hosted divisions of the APTA Junior Nation-
the 1992 Nationals al Championship, for boys fifteen and under in 1996 and for boys eighteen
and under in 1999. On both occasions the winners were Joseph Quintilian
part iv: the country club activities | platform tennis and Peter Grieco. Both are still members of the Huntington Country Club
and represent the club in LIPTA league play.

In 1998 the club installed new halogen lighting for courts #2, #3, and #4.
Court #1 was considered dangerous. It was twenty-seven years old in 1999
and collected water, which turned to ice. It was replaced that year with a
used court.

At the beginning of the new millennium there were more winter club peo-
ple playing than country club people and by 2002, the percentages were
changed so that Huntington Country Club members paid only forty-five
percent of platform tennis expenses and Huntington Winter Club members
paid the other fifty-five percent.

207

Bill Jones In 2002 the club once again participated in the National Platform Tennis
Championships, four days of competition with social events in the evenings.
No history of the Huntington Country Club would be complete Cherry Valley was the primary host and Huntington Country Club contrib-
without noting the contributions of C. William (Bill) Jones uted courts and volunteers. A total of ninety-six men’s teams and seventy-
over a period of twenty-three years. He provided strong lead- two ladies’ teams competed in standard single elimination, best two of three
ership inside and outside the club. sets format, with consolation and reprieve draws plus the President’s Cup
Bill served on the tennis committee for ten years (1974-1983) competitions. Huntington Country Club was the primary site for the men’s
and as its chairman from 1976 to 1978. He also served on the President’s Cup matches and dinner and the quarterfinals of the main draw.
platform tennis committee for ten years (1976-1985), as chair- The club provided several lunches for one hundred people and two recep-
man from 1976 to 1978. He then went on to be the president of tions for 120-150 people. Many non-Long Islanders were very impressed
the Long Island Platform Tennis Association for twelve years with the club’s facilities, especially the viewing, which some compared to
(1985-1996), serving as chairman of the 1992 American Plat- luxury boxes. Member Duane Hayden was the tournament treasurer and
form Tennis Association Nationals. chief fund raiser. Hayden, incidentally, was an excellent golfer, having won
Bill was a director of our club for nine years (1977-1985), the 1968 Long Island Amateur.
and was chairman of the house committee in 1984-1985. He did
all this, despite holding a regular job with NYNEX, and still The year 2003 was a record one for platform tennis, with ninety men and
found time to build his own sports car from a kit. 120 women signed up for league play. These numbers did not include the
many individuals who play regularly but are not involved in league play.
Bill Jones and his homemade roadster. Brad Easterbrook, director of racquet sports 2004-2010, and playing part-
ner Alex Bancila are ranked #2 in the country and were runners-up in the
national championships in 2009.

During 2004 the chalet was connected to the club’s computer system. It
was discovered that the understructure of courts #2 and #3 was very weak,
and so a new court #3 was constructed in 2005 and the funds to replace the
#2 court were budgeted.

In 2005 the club addressed the problem that the pro’s office took up too
much space in the chalet, and consequently social functions there were
cramped. In 2006 the club made plans to build a prefabricated building to

208

Duane Hayden. In 2008 the club replaced court #4 with a court used in the Nationals in
Rochester. That same year, the club was identified as a potential site for
serve as an office for the racquets pro off the southwest corner of the chalet, the 2012 Nationals and notified in 2009 that it would be the primary host.
but had to cancel the project when permits could not be obtained. Instead,
it was proposed that the club rent an 8 x 20 construction trailer for the season Platform tennis’ popularity was restricted to the Northeast for many years,
and it was agreed that it would be placed in the parking lot. The trailer didn’t but eventually reached the Midwest, Chicago in particular. Prior to the
last very long, and Brad’s pro shop was back inside the chalet once again. sport’s westward shift, Huntington Country Club had the largest platform
tennis program in the country at a private club. Today, the program is still
considered one of the largest. The men field five teams (of eighteen play-
ers each – twelve play, the others when someone can’t be there) in LIPTA
league play against Nassau, Piping Rock, and The Creek. Team play features
two matches each at 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 9 p.m. The league has six divisions
and the club’s teams play in divisions I, III, IV, and two in V. They have
never won the title in division I outright, but were co-champions for the
2007-2008 season.

In recent years three teams representing the club have won the 18+ under
national championship. They were Joseph Boulukos and Peter Titus (from
Southward Ho) in 2000 and Brandon and Michael Kuchta in 2004 and 2006.

Over one hundred women play at the club, with weekly clinics and league
play on Mondays and Tuesdays. The #1 women’s team has done very well
in recent years, dominating the competition.

The Long Island Women’s Invitational is a very recent development. Like
the men’s counterpart, it is an APTA sanctioned, national ranking, and
President’s Cup qualifying tournament. It is usually played a day in advance
of the men’s invitational.

part iv: the country club activities | platform tennis 209

The thirteen living club presidents as pictured in 2010: (bottom row, left to right) Robert H. Rogan, Nat P. Busi,
J.William Johnson, Ralph F. Alfenito, Kenneth R. Latham, and Robert R. Sheehan; (top row, left to right) Robert H. Emmons,
Robert W. McTammany, Robert E. Foster, Kenneth M. Darby, Joseph J. Schumm, Jr., Daniel R. Stanton, Jr., and Kevin J. Burke.

210

appendix

Club Presidents

1910-1914........................................W illiam J. Matheson 1964-1968.................................... William N. Bannard, III
1915-1916............................................ Francis M. Weld 1969............................................. George H. Roberts, III
1917-1918............................................. Willis D. Wood 1970-1972........................................ Prentice W. Brower
1919-1921................................................... Ray Morris 1973-1975............................................. Eldon C. Hanes
1922-1927............................................. Arthur W. Page 1976-1977.......................................... Charles E. Murcott
1928-1929...................................... John E. Rousmaniere 1978-1979.............................................. James H. Boyd
1930...............................................G eorge E. Roosevelt 1980-1981......................................... Richard C. Klaffky
1931............................................... Arthur A. Ballantine 1982-1983...................................... Andrew W. Lawrence
1932..................................................... Isaac R. Oeland 1984-1985......................................... J. William Johnson
1933-1934........................................... Stanley P. Jadwin 1986-l987.......................................... Robert R. Sheehan
1935-1937.......................................Gerard M. Livingston 1988-l989.......................................... Kenneth R. Latham
1938-1940........................................ Schuyler M. Meyer 1990-1991................................................... Nat P. Busi
1941-1943..........................................G eorge N. Lindsay 1992-1993........................................... Ralph F. Alfenito
1944-1945............................................. A. Earl Heacock 1994-1995............................................. Robert T. Grant
1946-1948........................................... H. Edward Bilkey 1996-1997.............................................. Kevin J. Burke
1949-1950............................................. Arthur Gwynne 1998-1999............................................ Robert E. Foster
1951-1952................................... Frederic R. Moseley, Jr. 2000-2001............................................ Robert H. Rogan
1953-1954...................................... Marshall M. MacLeod 2002-2003......................................... Kenneth M. Darby
1955-1956............................................... Orin T. Leach 2004-2005................................... Robert W. McTammany
1957-1959............................................ Joseph R. Eggert 2006-2007...................................... Daniel R. Stanton, Jr.
1960-1961........................................ Ashton G. Eldredge 2008-2009..................................... Joseph J. Schumm, Jr.
1962-1963......................................... Russell W. Billman 2010-2011......................................... Robert H. Emmons

211

appendix

Men’s Golf Champions

1921...................................................... George Taylor 1946..................................................... Harold L. Fates
1922................................................. Theron H. Sammis 1947................................................. S. Roger Callaway
1923.................................................. Percy H. Jennings 1948...................................................... Allan W. Betts
1924............................................. Stephen J. Geoghegan 1949................................................. Wilson H. Madden
1925............................................. Stephen J. Geoghegan 1950..................................................... John C. Carroll
1926................................................L . Stockwell Jadwin 1951.................................................. S. Roger Callaway
1927................................................L . Stockwell Jadwin 1952................................................. Wilson H. Madden
1928........................................ Cornelius A. McGuire, Jr. 1953............................................... Augustin S. Hart, Jr.
1929........................................ Cornelius A. McGuire, Jr. 1954................................................. Wilson H. Madden
1930........................................ Cornelius A. McGuire, Jr. 1955.................................................... Frank J. Messina
1931...................................................... Grover O’Neil 1956.................................................... Frank J. Messina
1932................................................... Donald L. Bryant 1957................................................. Russell W. Billman
1933........................................ Cornelius A. McGuire, Jr. 1958.................................................. S. Roger Callaway
1934........................................ Cornelius A. McGuire, Jr. 1959.............................................. Augustin S. Hart, Jr.
1935........................................ Cornelius A. McGuire, Jr. 1960.......................................... George G. McManus, Jr.
1936................................................... Donald L. Bryant 1961.................................................... Frank J. Messina
1937........................................................ Louis A Carll 1962.......................................... George G. McManus, Jr.
1938........................................ William A.W. Stewart, Jr. 1963.................................................... William Rea, Jr.
1939........................................................ Louis A Carll 1964................................................. Richard P. Ruggles
1940........................................................ Louis A Carll 1965.............................................. George J. Gilbert, Jr.
1941........................................................ Louis A Carll 1966.................................................... Stephen B. Earle
1942-1945................... No tournament held / World War II 1967.................................................... Frank J. Messina

212

appendix

Men’s Golf Champions

1968..............................................G eorge J. Gilbert, Jr. 1990...................................................... David McArdle
1969.................................................... John A. Gehling 1991................................................. Richard Hanington
1970.................................................... Stephen B. Earle 1992................................................. Richard Hanington
1971..............................................G eorge J. Gilbert, Jr. 1993...................................................... Brian P. Darby
1972.......................................... Raymond L. George, Jr. 1994...................................................... Brian P. Darby
1973.............................................. George J. Gilbert, Jr. 1995........................................................ Andrew Daly
1974................................................... James H. Moffett 1996................................................. Richard Hanington
1975..............................................G eorge J. Gilbert, Jr. 1997........................................................ David Boccia
1976.............................................C hristopher A. Brown 1998........................................................ David Boccia
1977...................................................... Brian P. Darby 1999........................................................ David Boccia
1978...................................................... Brian P. Darby 2000........................................................ David Boccia
1979...................................................... Brian P. Darby 2001..................................................... David McArdle
1980............................................. Frederick R. Winseck 2002........................................................ David Boccia
1981............................................. Frederick R. Winseck 2003...................................................... Brian McArdle
1982....................................................... Jerome Wood 2004...................................................... Brian P. Darby
1983...................................................... David McArdle 2005..................................................... Joseph Saladino
1984..................................................... Joseph Kearney 2006..................................................... David McArdle
1985................................................ Richard Hanington 2007..................................................... Joseph Saladino
1986...................................................... Brian P. Darby 2008..................................................... Joseph Saladino
1987........................................................ Andrew Daly 2009..................................................... Joseph Saladino
1988...................................................... Brian P. Darby 2010..................................................... Joseph Saladino
1989...................................................... Brian P. Darby

213

appendix

Women’s Golf Champions

1921..................................................... Charlotte Earle 1960...................................................... Fay McMannis
1922-1937..................................... No championship held 1961..................................................... Dotty Callaway
1938........................................................... Julia Weld 1962...................................................... Louise Grauer
1939-1945.................. No championship held / World War II 1963........................................................ Patricia Frey
1946...................................................... Mary Waldron 1964...................................................... Louise Grauer
1947................................................ Kate MacCarteney 1965...................................................... Louise Grauer
1948.....................................................D otty Callaway 1966........................................................ Patricia Frey
1949........................................................ Paulette Lee 1967.......................................................E mily Walker
1950........................................................ Paulette Lee 1968.................................................. Elizabeth Lamont
1951................................................. Kate MacCarteney 1969.................................................. Elizabeth Lamont
1952.................................................. Theresa MacLeod 1970........................................................ Patricia Frey
1953.................................................. Theresa MacLeod 1971..................................................... Jeanne Murphy
1954........................................................ Paulette Lee 1972........................................................ Patricia Frey
1955.................................................. Theresa MacLeod 1973......................................................... Mary Bliven
1956.....................................................D otty Callaway 1974........................................................ Patricia Frey
1957......................................................... Nancy Price 1975.......................................................E mily Walker
1958.................................................. Theresa MacLeod 1976........................................................ Judy Gilbert
1959.................................................... Dotty Callaway 1977......................................................... Mary Bliven

214

appendix

Women’s Golf Champions

1978.........................................................J udy Gilbert 1996.................................................... Lisa Kleinknecht
1979......................................................B ernice Cotter 1997....................................................... Pat Lamerson
1980......................................................B ernice Cotter 1998.................................................... Lisa Kleinknecht
1981........................................................ Judy Gilbert 1999.......................................................G erri Schmitz
1982....................................................... Pat Lamerson 2000....................................................... Gerri Schmitz
1983.................................................... Bernice Messina 2001.........................................................J udy Gilbert
1984.................................................... Bernice Messina 2002...................................................... Katy Goodrich
1985.................................................... Bernice Messina 2003.........................................................J udy Gilbert
1986......................................................... Judy Gilbert 2004...................................................... Eileen Murray
1987.................................................... Bernice Messina 2005...................................................... Katy Goodrich
1988.................................................... Bernice Messina 2006................................................... Stephanie Partilla
1989.......................................................A nne Mitchell 2007...................................................S tephanie Partilla
1990.......................................................A nne Mitchell 2008...................................................... Katy Goodrich
1991..................................................... Judy Gottsegen 2009...................................................... Katy Goodrich
1992......................................................... Judy Gilbert 2010......................................................K aty Goodrich
1993..........................................L indsay Hayward-Surrey
1994......................................... Lindsay Hayward-Surrey
1995......................................................... Judy Gilbert

215

appendix

Women’s Nine-Hole Golf Champions

1973....................................................... Patricia Boeke 1992..................................................... Karen Youmans
1974...................................................... Marjorie Aiken 1993......................................................... Pat Overend
1975........................................................ May Bickman 1994..................................................... Heather Tucker
1976............................................................J oan Peter 1995......................................................... Carol Tintle
1977............................................................ Joan Krug 1996......................................................... Pat Peterson
1978........................................................... Ann Greco 1997...................................................... Katy Goodrich
1979...........................................................C arol Field 1998........................................................... Kris Waldt
1980........................................................... Eileen Hall 1999....................................................... Diana Driscoll
1981........................................................... Jo Scheuer 2000........................................................C arol Stanton
1982..........................................................J ulie Griffin 2001............................................................. Chris Fox
1983........................................................... Mary Rice 2002.................................................. Barbara Citterbart
1984........................................................... Jo Alfenito 2003....................................................... Diane Galtieri
1985............................................................ Lil Gough 2004................................................ Madalyn McGovern
1986....................................................... Kim McArdle 2005................................................... Patty McNicholas
1987..................................................... Erika Meservey 2006.......................................................... Carol Knox
1988............................................... Stephanie Hanington 2007................................................... Marilyn Emmons
1989........................................................ Susan Switala 2008................................................... Marilyn Emmons
1990.......................................................... Nancy Staib 2009.......................................................... Ali Mitchell
1991...................................................... Ginna Jacobsen 2010.................................................... Patricia Delaney

216





Photo Credits he Town of Huntington dates back to 1653, when three men from
Oyster Bay purchased a large tract of land called Ketewomoke from
Photography of the club grounds, select interior shots of the clubhouse (post-renovation), the native Matinecocks. The property was bordered on the west by Cold
Fourth of July Family Day, platform tennis tournament, Christmas with Santa,and the Spring Harbor, on the east by Northport Harbor, on the north by Long Is-
centennial committee provided by Patty McDuffee, Patricia McDuffee Photography. land Sound, and on the south initially by Old Country Road. One tradition
(www.mcduffeephotography.com) says that the community was named for Huntingdon, England.Another says
it was named for the abundance of game in the area.
Ground level photography of the golf course provided by Ken Pamatat, Creative Images.
Aerial photography of the golf course provided by Premier Aerials, Inc. Early Huntington actually was a British colony, more closely allied with
(www.premieraerials.com) English colonies in Connecticut and Massachusetts than with their Dutch
neighbors to the west in New Amsterdam. Most of the early settlers were
Photography of the Black Tie Ball taken by Ray O’Connor Photography and Margaret English people who came to Huntington across the Sound from the New
Staib. (www.rayoconnorphotography.com) England colonies. The earliest form of government in Huntington was the
Town Meeting, as was customary in British colonies. When England took
Photography of select interior shots of the clubhouse (pre-renovation), renovation con- control of the Dutch colony of New Netherlands in 1664, Governor Rich-
struction and group shot of 13 living presidents provided by Christine Monahan, North ard Nicholls severed Huntington’s ties with Connecticut, and established
Photography. (www.northactionshots.com) laws that regulated every aspect of life in the colony.

Photography of select interior shots of the clubhouse (post-renovation) provided by Ric In the ensuing years up to the American Revolution, Huntington grew to
Marder, Ric Marder Photography. (www.ricmarderimagery.com) become a community of farms, mills, tanneries, brickyards, and a fort. Be-
cause of its harbor, shipping became an important part of
Special thanks to those members who provided their own personal photos and memoirs
for inclusion in this book.Thanks to Robert Rogan, Jr. for his research and efforts on the 219
HistoricalTimeline and 2011Time Capsule,and to the Huntington Historical Society for
their cooperation throughout this entire project.