William Ewing Hester Jr. (May 8, 1912 – February 8, 1993), also known as Slew Hester, was an American tennis player and official. He was president of the

United States Tennis Association The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tenn ...

(USTA) from 1977 to 1978, and the first USTA president from the

Deep South The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion of the Southern United States. The term is used to describe the states which were most economically dependent on Plantation complexes in the Southern United States, plant ...

. In spite of protests against the

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

regime from African nations and civil rights activists, Hester let

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

compete in two tournaments against the United States, first in

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime indu ...

, in April 1977 and next at

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, in March 1978. He moved the USTA out of the

West Side Tennis Club The West Side Tennis Club is a private tennis club located in Forest Hills, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. The club has 38 tennis courts in all four surfaces (clay court, Har-Tru, grass court and hardcourt), a junior ...

into the

USTA National Tennis Center The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is a stadium complex within Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, New York. It has been the home of the US Open Grand Slam tennis tournament, played every year in August and ...

. He was inducted into the

International Tennis Hall of Fame The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It honors both players and other contributors to the sport of tennis. The complex, the former Newport Casino, includes a museum, 13 grass tennis courts, an ...

in 1981.

Early life

William Hester was born on May 8, 1912, in

Hazlehurst, Mississippi Hazlehurst is a city in and the county seat of Copiah County, Mississippi, United States, located about south of the state capital Jackson along Interstate 55. The population was 4,009 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Jackson Metropolit ...

. He graduated from

Millsaps College Millsaps College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi. It was founded in 1890 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. History The college was founded ...

in 1933. During World War II, Hester participated in the

Red Ball Express The Red Ball Express was an American truck convoy system that supplied World War II allies, Allied forces moving through Europe after breaking out from the D-Day beaches in Normandy in the summer of 1944. To expedite cargo shipments to the fro ...

. He was awarded a

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

for his service.

Career

Hester began his career as a salesman and distributor of air conditioners made by White Trucks, Carrier and

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...

. In 1955, he began a new career as a

wildcatter A wildcatter is an individual who drills wildcat wells, which are exploration oil wells drilled in areas not known to be oil fields. Notable wildcatters include Glenn McCarthy, Thomas Baker Slick Sr., Mike Benedum, Joe Trees, Clem S. Clark ...

, and he sold participation interests in prospective oil wells. Hester amassed a small fortune in the process. As a tennis player, Hester won over 500 tournaments between 1925 and 1977, including nine national senior championships. He was the president of the Mississippi Tennis Association from 1954 to 1958, and the Southern Lawn Tennis Association from 1964 to 1966. Hester joined the

as an officer in 1969. He was its first vice president from 1974 to 1976, and its president from 1977 to 1978. He was the first president of the USTA from the

. Under his tenure, he decided to move the USTA out of the

and convinced New York City officials to turn the

Singer Bowl The Singer Bowl was a multipurpose stadium at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City. It was built for the 1964 New York World's Fair and demolished in 2016. Originally named for the Singer Sewing Company, it was an early exampl ...

into the USTA National Tennis Center (renamed the

USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is a stadium complex within Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, New York. It has been the home of the US Open Grand Slam tennis tournament, played every year in August and ...

in 2006). Moreover, he decided to let a tournament between the United States and South Africa take place in

, in April 1977 in spite of backlash from African nations and protesters due to the apartheid regime. He also let another tournament take place at

's Memorial Gymnasium in

, in March 1978 despite protests from civil rights leaders. However, Hester explained, "We do not support or agree with the apartheid policy of the South African government .... But we have entered the draw and, unfortunately, we have to play South Africa - and in the United States." Hester was inducted into the

Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Jackson, Mississippi. The hall of fame was established in 1961 and is currently located in a museum that displays the achievements of Mississippi athletes. The museum opened on July 4, ...

in 1968, the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in 1978, and the

in 1981.

Death and legacy

Hester resided in Jackson, Mississippi. He had two sons, William Hester III and George Thomas Hester, and a daughter, Kathryn Healy Hester. He suffered from rheumatoid arthritis throughout his life. He died of congestive heart failure on February 8, 1993, in Jackson, at the age of 80. The Slew Hester Adult Achievement Award, an annual award given by the United States Tennis Association, is named in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hester, William 1912 births 1993 deaths People from Hazlehurst, Mississippi Sportspeople from Jackson, Mississippi Millsaps College alumni United States Army personnel of World War II Businesspeople from Mississippi Tennis executives International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees American male tennis players 20th-century American businesspeople Tennis players from Mississippi 20th-century American sportsmen