Founder, Tennis Week magazine; Inductee, International Tennis Hall of Fame
Eugene Lytton Scott was born in December 1937 and was the grandson of Dr. Eugene C. Sullivan, one of the inventors of Pyrex and chair and president of Corning Glass Works. Scott grew up in St. James, New York, and played varsity hockey, track, soccer, and tennis at St. Mark's School in Southborough, Mass. He graduated with a B.A. in history from Yale University in 1960, where he was a member of Skull and Bones and lettered in tennis, hockey, soccer, and lacrosse. He earned a law degree from the University of Virginia in 1964.
Scott competed in the Davis Cup in 1963 and 1965, and his 1963 singles and doubles victories helped the United States win the Cup that year. Scott also made it to the semifinals of the U.S. Championships at Forest Hills in 1967 and the quarterfinals of the French Championships in 1964. Gene Scott's highest ranking as an amateur tennis player was number 4, in 1963. At the time he was a member of the United States Davis Cup team, and was both teammate and roommate of Arthur Ashe. They remained friends and, with Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder, founded the National Junior Tennis League in 1969. Scott founded the magazine Tennis Week in 1974. Later in life Scott remained among the best players in the world in his age group. He won the USTA Men's 65 Grass Court Championships in September 2004, and the International Tennis Federation's Men's Super-Seniors World Individual Championships in the 65 division a week later. Scott also played real tennis at New York City's Racquet and Tennis Club. Scott died of heart disease in 2006 at the age of 68 and was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2008 in the category of "contributor."
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