Full name Fern Lee Kellmeyer Name Peachy Kellmeyer Wimbledon R2 (1964) | Country (sports) United States Role Tennis player | |
Born February 19, 1944 (age 80)
Wheeling, West Virginia ( 1944-02-19 ) Education University of Miami, Florida Atlantic University | ||
Int. Tennis HoF 2011 (member page) | ||
Peachy kellmeyer 2011 international tennis hall of fame inductee
Fern 'Peachy' Kellmeyer (born February 19, 1944 in West Virginia, United States) is a retired tennis player who captured numerous titles, and a current tennis administrator who helped change the face of women's tennis. Kellmeyer is an alumnus of Florida Atlantic University.
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- Peachy kellmeyer 2011 international tennis hall of fame inductee
- USTA Midwest Hall of Fame Peachy Kellmeyer
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A junior champion in the 1950s, Kellmeyer went on to play No.1 on the University of Miami women's tennis team and became the first woman to compete on a Division 1 men's squad. Hired as physical education director and coach at Florida's Marymount College in 1966, Kellmeyer sued successfully to overturn an AIAW rule barring women's athletic scholarships - blazing a trail for Title IX legislation.
In 1973, Kellmeyer was tapped by founder Gladys Heldman as the first tour director of the fledgling Virginia Slims circuit. She pushed continuously to secure additional venues and increased prize money for her players. In 1977 she brought the first woman's tennis tournament to Madison Square Garden.
She is the Tour Operations Executive Consultant for the Women's Tennis Association.