Hall of Famer Gladys Heldman Honored Posthumously with Eugene L. Scott Award
The nine brave women who signed $1 contracts to compete as contract pros in 1970 are heralded as the ones who bravely paved the way for women’s pro tennis, but the members of the Original 9 are always quick to point out that they couldn’t have made their mark without the support of their fearless promoter, Gladys Heldman.
In recognition of her work with the Original 9 as well as the myriad of ways that Gladys shaped tennis history as a journalist, tennis promoter, and fierce advocate for the sport, she was recently posthumously honored with the Eugene L. Scott Award. The award was presented at the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Legends Ball presented by BNP Paribas, hosted in New York City during the US Open.
The Eugene L. Scott Award is presented to an individual who embodies Gene’s commitment to communicating honestly and critically about the game, and who has had a significant impact on the tennis world. It is giving in memory of the late Hall of Famer who earned the moniker of the “conscience of tennis” for his work helming Tennis Week magazine. Having been in the sport as a player, promoter, and administrator, Scott utilized his platform in Tennis Week to challenge tennis authority and encourage inclusive growth in the game.
Julie Heldman, Gladys’ daughter and a member of the Original 9, accepted the award on Gladys’ behalf, with her own daughter, Amy, in the audience, and five other members of the Original 9 there to support as well.
Julie stated, “I'm proud to accept the Gene Scott award on behalf of my mother, Gladys Heldman She was brilliant, creative and extremely hardworking. As a member of the Original 9, I can attest that we risked our careers in part, because we had faith that mom was in charge. She was the entrepreneur who set the groundwork for today's well-established WTA Tour.”
"I'm extremely proud of what mom did for the world of tennis. So please forgive my lack of false modesty. When I say that no one could deserve the Gene Scott award more than Gladys. I thank you so much for bestowing this honor on my mother."
- Julie Heldman
On September 23, 1970, Gladys Heldman signed the Original 9 to $1 pro contracts as a means of creating the first women’s pro tour to combat the growing disparity in prize money and playing opportunities between men’s and women’s events.
Gladys and the Original 9 - comprised of Americans Billie Jean King, Rosie Casals, Kristy Pigeon, Valerie Ziegenfuss, Julie Heldman, Peaches Bartkowicz, and Nancy Richey and Australians Kerry Melville Reid and Judy Tegart Dalton – then worked tirelessly to promote and build the women’s circuits, leading to today’s WTA Tour. A savvy business woman, Gladys was also the publisher of World Tennis magazine and wore many other hats in advocacy of the sport’s growth.
In her remarks, Julie recounted her mother’s unwavering dedication to her work and the initiatives she took on.
“She struck out on her own from an early age alone woman in a world dominated by men in 1953. When she was just 31, she decided that our country needed a better tennis journal. So she invented her unique World Tennis magazine. Slogging away, day and night, writing articles answering over 20 letters a day and pasting up layouts deep into the night. She even developed creative concepts to entice fortune 500 companies to advertise in a magazine focused solely on a minor sport. When mom sold her magazine in 1972, she liked to say that she was replaced by seven men,” Julie recounted.
She concluded by stating, “I'm extremely proud of what mom did for the world of tennis. So please forgive my lack of false modesty. When I say that no one could deserve the Gene Scott award more than Gladys. I thank you so much for bestowing this honor on my mother.”
