Tennis enthusiasts in San Diego will miss the presence of Lesley Waite, who retired this month after 32 years of service in San Diego County. The first league coordinator in that region, Lesley spearheaded efforts to build participation in the USTA League, seeing interest grow from 54 players in 1985 to more than 4,000 players last year. Throughout this period, San Diego produced multiple Sectional and National Champions.

Off the court, Lesley (pictured left, with SCTA’s Linda Milan) considers her 8-year tenure on the USTA National League Committee an “invaluable experience.” In total, Lesley has served as a volunteer on the Board of Directors for the Southern California Section and the San Diego District for many years, and has served on a number of committees at the National, Sectional and District level. She was a strong advocate on the National and Section League committees, and also served on ranking and adult competition committees.

Lesley’s volunteer contributions were never more apparent than at the ITF Senior Cup World Championships at Morgan Run some years ago, when she recruited and managed 70 volunteers – all of whom reported for duty, a testament to her leadership and motivation.

“I will miss interacting with the captains, players, tennis directors and club managers,” Lesley says, describing her fellow staffers as “all like a big family.”