Montecito Insider by Julia Rodgers
A Toast to Jerry Hatchett
M
ore than 300 people gathered for cocktails and dinner on a recent Sunday evening at the Santa Barbara Carriage Museum to celebrate the career of long-time Knowlwood Tennis Club (KTC) tennis director Jerry Hatchett, who has taught multiple generations of Montecito children and their parents not only tennis, but lasting life lessons. “Don’t call it a retirement party, because he’s not retiring!” said Cathy Quijano, one of the organizers of the event. Although Hatchett, 72, retired as tennis director and head pro at the end of last year, he still teaches private lessons at Knowlwood, a private club with 170 families as members. Quijano was one of five women, including Julie Whalen Schuetz, Joanne Rapp, Sharol Siemens, and Hatchett’s wife, Susan Burns, who organized the party to celebrate his 46-year career as the steward of Knowlwood and his contributions to the tennis community throughout the Santa Barbara area. Guests came from all over the country to attend the event and honor Hatchett. “This tremendous turnout is a testimony to how Jerry has impacted the lives of so many of us in the Santa Barbara tennis community and at KTC,” said Knowlwood board president Steve Kent. “The truth is that we represent just the tip of the iceberg in terms of all of the kids, families, Knowlwood members (past and present), friends, and family that he has touched and helped through the years.” After growing up in Texas, Hatchett came to Santa Barbara in the mid1960s to play tennis for University of California, Santa Barbara, where his teammates included current Montecito residents and Knowlwood members David Grokenberger and Ted Campbell. Afterwards, while in graduate school there, Hatchett helped coach the UCSB team. At about the same time, in 1969, Brian Rapp, Palmer Jackson, and George Manset (now deceased) pur-
Greg Nye, an early member of Knowlwood Tennis Club who flew in from Mexico to attend the celebration honoring Jerry Hatchett (middle), and Brian Rapp, one of the founders of the club Jerry Hatchett at Knowlwood
chased 8 acres on East Valley Road from the Knowls family, with the intention of starting a family-focused tennis club. One night, Rapp brought Hatchett to his house for dinner to get his wife’s opinion of whether he should hire the young pro to be the first tennis director at the new club. “This charming hippie came into our house,” said Joanne Rapp at the event. “He talked about tennis in a way that I had never heard, and I told my husband that we would be lucky to have him here for two years. Thank you, Jerry, for giving us a lot more than those two years!” Over the years, Hatchett developed a unique tennis program not found at most other clubs in the area or even in the country. To keep his large teaching staff of eight to nine pros busy, non-Knowlwood members were allowed to take clinics and lessons. His women’s clinics in particular had a devoted following throughout Santa Barbara, and to be invited to play in his top-level clinic was a hard-won privilege among competitive women’s players. But the heart of Hatchett’s philosophy was to make Knowlwood a family-friendly place, where kids of all skill levels could have fun and hang out. “My philosophy is to trust the kids. If kids aren’t micromanaged, they are much more creative and invent their own games.” “He’s the thoughtful and passionate dad of Knowlwood,” said Terry Whalen, who grew up at Knowlwood
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and served as one of the emcees for the event. “For the kids’ programs, his number-one goal was to make it fun. I have a lot of great memories of having fun on the tennis court with Jerry.” The tribute to Hatchett featured many speakers from all facets of Hatchett’s life: Rob Cowell, who was the other emcee and who also grew up at Knowlwood; Joanne and Brian Rapp; former Knowlwood board president Lindsay Parton; his brother Joele and son Che Hatchett; and Wayne Bryan, another teammate from UCSB who also is the father of the Bryan Brothers, the most-winning professional doubles team in history. Bryan, who is also a musician, wrote and performed a song called “Jerry the Hatchett Man”; its video included images of Hatchett dancing and driving his beloved vintage Corvette, as well as other photos from Knowlwood events over the years. After the speakers, Hatchett, who was visibly moved by the tributes to him, explained that part of his success was due to his decision “to hire really good, talented, innovative people and get out of their way.” He thanked the tennis pros who worked for him over the years, including Tom Horton and Crandell Edwards, who have worked at Knowlwood for 34 years and are the current tennis directors; Kim Denig, Danny Echt, Rob Cowell, and Richie Cheetham, who all grew up at Knowlwood; Jeff Thompson and Miguel Hernandez, who have worked at Knowlwood for decades; Jonny Sapp; and Gary Bellomy, who moved to North Carolina about 10
Brad Dvorak (middle) grew up playing tennis at Knowlwood with John McManigal, who met his wife, Kendall McManigal (left), at the club when Hatchett hired her to be a tennis pro
years ago but who flew into town for the event. The amazing thing, Hatchett said, is that even though people spent an entire evening thanking him for helping them, he feels as if he is the lucky one. “All the students gave me so much. It’s been my honor and privilege to coach either you or your kids at Knowlwood – to be trusted to teach generation after generation – thank you, guys!” For those who would like to honor Hatchett’s work, donations can be made to the Edward Robert Doty Fund at the Santa Barbara Foundation, which solely benefits the Tennis Patrons of Santa Barbara, a non-profit group that helps underprivileged children learn the game of tennis. Hatchett is a longtime Tennis Patrons board member. •MJ
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Joan and Palmer Jackson, one of the founders of Knowlwood Tennis Club, with Jerry Hatchett, at the celebration honoring Hatchett’s 46 years of service to the club
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2 – 9 November 2017