By Darlene Jackson

Jim Ondak was named 1999 Tennis Man of the Year last week at the Newtown Tennis Association Annual General  Meeting at the Beaver Brook Courts in Danbury.

Elizabeth Lynch was named 1999 Tennis Lady of the Year for her work in developing women’s tennis in Newtown, and the Distinguished Service Award went to a husband and wife team, Don and Darlene Jackson, for 30 years of involvement and service to the NTA. Immediate Past President Roger Giordano introduced the Jacksons.

The 1999 Arthur T. Berlingo Summer Challenge first and second place winners in each division were also presented awards by NTA President Bill Meier. Winners for the Men’s division were Advanced Singles – Paul Stauffer and Bob Gabor, first and second place, respectively; Intermediate Singles, Leon Barkman and Lou Palmer, first and second place.

Woman’s winners were Singles, Wendy Fong and Deborah Zippel, first and second place; women’s doubles, Teresa Kennedy and Michelle Vanasse, first and Shirley Berliner and Jeanne Shannon, second.

Sponsors for 1999 recognized  were Colonial Ford and Subaru of Danbury, Beaver Brook Tennis Club, and The Richard Coopersmith Family. Prior to the awards, there was a short business meeting conducted by President Bill Meier, who outlined the accomplishments of the NTA this year and plans for the next year. The resurfacing of the town tennis courts in cooperation with the Park and Recreation Department was enthusiastically applauded by the crowd of NTA members present.

Ondak, besides being director of the Newtown Open Tennis Tournament this year and working with it for the past seven years, is also the Web Master of the new NTA Web Site that offers and events Calendar, Tennis Ladders, Junior Info, an NTA Women’s Pate, Tournament News, Tennis Links, Weather News, etc. Now everyone can tune in at www.homestead.com/newtowntennis/files/index.htm

This address will be listed with each column and it should be remembered that it is a work in progress.

Jim works closely with his wife, Andrea, also a tennis player, who was named Tennis Woman of the Year in 1994, and served as Tournament Chairlady for several years. Together they compiled a comprehensive book of guidelines on “How to run a Newtown Open Tennis Tournament.” The book documents the entire process from forming committees in early January to the preparation of a follow up report, submittal of expenses, and thank-you notes.

Jim volunteered to teach youngsters during the NTA Summer Clinics and was cited for his natural charisma with children. “It is obvious to anyone in attendance that Jim loves working with kids and they love working with him,” said Curt Logan, NTA Vice President, who presented the award.

Jim was originally a baseball player, making All League for two years during high school in North Tonawanda (near Buffalo), N.Y., where he grew up. He commuted to Canisius College, so really wasn’t involved in baseball for summer leagues.

It was Andrea, who also grew up near Buffalo in Orchard Park, N.Y., that first suggested they learn tennis. They met through a mutual friend, who was a ski instructor (so was Andrea).

Before moving to Newtown, they lived in New Fairfield and participated in the Danbury Open Tennis Tournament. In July of ‘91, they came to Newtown. Both are computer-wise and both enjoy knitting-household decorative pieces, afghans, pillows, etc.

Liz (Elizabeth Dolce Lynch), grew up in Danbury and graduated in 1981 from Immaculate High and from WCSU in 1985. Her father was an athlete and belonged to the Ridgewood Country Club, where she took tennis lessons when she was 9 or 10. She was a seasonal recreational player until she met her husband, Michael, also a native Danburian.

They were married in 1988 and moved to Newtown in 1991. Liz was still working then. She was employed by Taveler’s Insurance Company and Cartier Jewelers in Shelton, so she didn’t really play much tennis until four years ago when she came tot he NTA Sandlot Tennis on Wednesday evenings at Dickinson Park and joined the Newcomers. This year she did a survey to learn more about the needs of busy ladies who were interested in playing tennis. She used this to team more than 40 players, arrange ladies round-robin tournaments in early evening, and increase the membership in the NTA.

Liz and Michael have three children, Daniel,7, Jessica, 5, and Sarah, 2. Liz is a skier and does aerobics in her spare time.

Wendy Fong says her husband, Gil, taught her to play tennis. She won her first tennis tournament in 1979 when she entered a Women’s B Singles SNET Tournament. She went on to win three Women’s Singles tournaments and, with Gil, won the last mixed doubles tournament held at SNET.

Wendy grew up on Long Island and graduated form North Shore High School in 1968. She recently learned that Rich Bilangi, a high school classmate and tennis player also lives in Newtown. Wendy attended Ithaca College, majoring in biology, and then graduated form Northeastern University in Boston in elementary education with a science and math specialty. Gil graduated from Northeastern University 10 years ahead of his wife.

Wendy, who is the 1999 Stroock Women’s Singles Champion, is a computer programmer at SNET in New Haven. She and Gil have been married since April 1977 and have lived in Newtown since the fall of 1978.

For more than 19 years they played mixed doubles in a SNET League in New Haven. Besides tennis, they share an interest in music. For seven years they sang in the Newtown Choral Society, then the Connecticut Choral Society, and most recently in the newly formed, Connecticut Master Chorale. In 1979, Wendy sang in the “Mame” production of St Rose. She is an alto and he is a bass. They have also been square dancers. Wendy loves cats and has two Ragdolls and a Persian, she considers “her children.”

Don and Darlene Jackson, who are still playing tennis, are members of the Germantown Tennis Club and still enter local tournaments. Don ran tournaments years ago, they chaired and played in inter-town tournaments, and Darlene writes the tennis column, including this story.

The Jacksons wish to thank the NTA and all the wonderful friends they have met during the past 30 years doing what they both enjoy most – Playing tennis.