John Watson, Former VUU Tennis Coach, Passes
John Watson, Former VUU Tennis Coach, Passes
February 20, 2006
Dr. John Watson, a professor at Virginia Union University for 57
1/2 years and head tennis coach at VUU for 47 years, passed away
Friday, February 17. He was 85 years old.
When Dr. Watson was two years old, he and his family left
Greenville, South Carolina to settle in Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania. It was there that John, his three brothers, and
two sisters received their early education through the public
school system in Bethlehem.
As the years rolled by, the desire for higher education propelled
John to obtain an A.B. degree from Howard University, Washington,
D.C.; a Certificate of Graduate Studies from the University of
Paris, France; a M.A. degree from Columbia University, New York,
and a PhD. from Catholic University, Washington, D.C.
He served in the U.S. Army during World War II from 1943 to 1946
and was present when General George Patton's forces liberated
Paris.
Dr. Watson's teaching credentials were equally impressive.
Besides instructing at Howard University and Virginia State
University in Petersburg, he also held the position of Professor
and Chairman of the Department of Foreign Languages at Virginia
Union University in Richmond, where he served for 57 1/2 years.
Watson was equally well educated in the finer aspects of
tennis. Having achieved a Virginia District ranking of #6 in
years past, he held rankings within the top three senior divisions
of the American Tennis Association (ATA) and was a finalist in the
senior division of the ATA Championships in Boston,
Massachusetts.
He was Arthur Ashe's tennis coach and is credited with turning the
Richmond native into one of the world's greatest tennis
players.
The greatest personal satisfaction he enjoyed came from the
positive impact that he had on so many children of all ethnic
backgrounds through tennis. He served as tournament director
of the Southeastern Tennis Tournament and secured hundreds of
scholarships for his participants. Dr. Watson was
instrumental in developing hundreds of juniors into constructive
and useful citizens by encouraging them to reach their full
potential. He also served as President of the Richmond
Racquet Club and First Vice President of the ATA. He served
as Varsity Tennis Coach at Virginia Union University for 47
years.
In 1992, Dr. Watson was inducted into the Mid Atlantic Tennis Hall
of Fame.
Dr. Watson reflected in 1992: "Considering the number of years in
which I have been involved with tennis, you can say that my life
demonstrates what USTA has been stating: tennis is truly a
sport for a lifetime."
His wake will be held Friday, February 24, at Scott's Funeral Home
at 115 E. Brookland Park Blvd. in Richmond from 6 p.m. until 7
p.m.
Dr. Watson's funeral is set for Saturday, February 25, at Moore
Street Baptist Church at 1408 W. Leigh Street in Richmond, Va., at
11 a.m.
