Ambassador of Tennis
Donald J. Van Blake
Donald Van Blake is known throughout the Plainfield community for his “Tennis, Tennis, Tennis” slogan which is diligently inscribed on the monument in front of the Donald Van Blake Tennis Courts on Randolph Road across from the Muhlenberg Hospital.
His big projects have always been in the schools, including gym classes and after school programs, and on playgrounds and in parks. The whole focus has been to get kids off the streets and onto the courts. He wasn’t looking for champions, just more kids to get into the game. He loved it when kids came through the program and made the varsity squads but he never wanted to lose track of those who didn’t make it. He wanted every kid to be able to play it for recreation now and in later years.
He helped start Town Tennis summer leagues for kids to keep them playing during summer months against teams in surrounding towns and recreational clubs. It was free and the parents volunteered to drive the kids to the matches. It was a great opportunity for our kids to meet all kinds of people from other surrounding communities.
In 1983 with help from the United States Tennis Association (USTA) he founded the Plainfield Tennis Council which organized community programs in every nook and cranny available in Plainfield. He is currently the Board of Directors Chairman of the Donald Van Blake Tennis and Education Foundation which continues to provide tennis programs for the community, both youth and adults.
He has been honored with all sorts of awards in New Jersey -- for distinguished service, as sportsman of the year, for his efforts on behalf of grassroots tennis, along with a special commendation as an “Educator, Role Model and Positive Influence to Youth.” He was also named the 1991 Star Ledger and Courier News Coach of the Year and has been honored with USTA/Eastern’s Southern Volunteer of the Year.
In April of 2008 Donald Van Blake has been inducted into the Junior Tennis Foundation’s Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame for his contributions to the tennis community.
His big projects have always been in the schools, including gym classes and after school programs, and on playgrounds and in parks. The whole focus has been to get kids off the streets and onto the courts. He wasn’t looking for champions, just more kids to get into the game. He loved it when kids came through the program and made the varsity squads but he never wanted to lose track of those who didn’t make it. He wanted every kid to be able to play it for recreation now and in later years.
He helped start Town Tennis summer leagues for kids to keep them playing during summer months against teams in surrounding towns and recreational clubs. It was free and the parents volunteered to drive the kids to the matches. It was a great opportunity for our kids to meet all kinds of people from other surrounding communities.
In 1983 with help from the United States Tennis Association (USTA) he founded the Plainfield Tennis Council which organized community programs in every nook and cranny available in Plainfield. He is currently the Board of Directors Chairman of the Donald Van Blake Tennis and Education Foundation which continues to provide tennis programs for the community, both youth and adults.
He has been honored with all sorts of awards in New Jersey -- for distinguished service, as sportsman of the year, for his efforts on behalf of grassroots tennis, along with a special commendation as an “Educator, Role Model and Positive Influence to Youth.” He was also named the 1991 Star Ledger and Courier News Coach of the Year and has been honored with USTA/Eastern’s Southern Volunteer of the Year.
In April of 2008 Donald Van Blake has been inducted into the Junior Tennis Foundation’s Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame for his contributions to the tennis community.