Morse wins spot in tennis hall
Tennis gave Richard Morse (inset) the physical activity he desired at 36 years old.
Forty years later, the Hingham resident is not ready to stop. The sport became a competitive outlet for Morse as he became a fixture in area tennis circles. From national rankings to volunteer work, Morse's achievement and service earned him a spot in the US Tennis Association's New England Hall of Fame.
On June 21, Morse will be one of six inducted during a ceremony in Newport, R.I.
Even with his extensive resume, Morse was surprised to hear he was chosen for the hall.
"I couldn't believe it," he said. "I thought they had made a mistake."
The 76-year-old Morse was ranked sixth nationally in the men's doubles 75's last year. He was ranked ninth nationally in singles and doubles in 2001, while competing in the men's 70 division, and he has been ranked No. 1 in New England more than 20 times from 1982 to 2006.
Morse also served eight years on the Players' Committee and 18 years as seeding chairman.
Morse grew up playing football, baseball, and basketball in Randolph, Vt. He considered baseball his favorite, pitching and playing third base and shortstop. When baseball ended, Morse turned to golf but then moved on to tennis in an attempt to find a more physically demanding sport.
Tennis was the sport that stuck.
"One thing is the exercise," Morse said. "It keeps your body in real good shape. When you get to be 76 and you're still playing and everything is working pretty good, it's a real good feeling."
Morse's wife, Charmaine, will present him for induction, three days after their 53d wedding anniversary. The ceremony will be at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Powers worked as assistant under Loudenberg this past season, when Wheaton finished 29-14 and second in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference. Previously, she was an assistant coach for four seasons at Framingham State College.
While a player at Wheaton, she was a two-time captain at third base and center field. She was a three-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-New England selection.
The 5-foot-10-inch Singh ended her college career in 1996 second all-time at Bentley in scoring and is currently fourth in points (1,701). She was the only player in the school's history of men or women to collect more than 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, and 500 assists.
As a senior in 1996, Singh led the 28-3 Falcons in rebounds (7.5 per game), assists (5.8 per game) and steals (80) while averaging 15.6 points per game and was named the NE-10's Player of the Year. In her four-year career, Singh powered the Falcons to a 105-21 record, four NCAA Division 2 tournament berths and two Elite Eight appearances.
"Kim Cummings was as complete an offensive player as we've ever had in our program" said Bentley women's basketball coach Barbara Stevens. "She could score from anywhere on the floor."
