An Oilman Shapes the Future of the US Open
The famed tournament moves from private to public grounds
A 1977 aerial view of the West Side Tennis Club, for decades the hosted the US Open and its predecessor, the National Championships. In 1978, the event relocated to the newly-built USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.
In January, 1977, William “Slew” Hester, President of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), was flying into LaGuardia A…