Newt Meade Joins The A. Carter
Fergusson Honor Roll On His 101st Birthday by Rob Dinerman
Presenter Ned Edwards, A Carter Fergusson Grand Master Honor Roll
Honoree Newt Meade and Cynwyd CLub Historian Sandy Harrison
August 26, 2024 ----This past Friday, August 23rd, the Cynwyd Club in suburban Philadelphia
had a lunch to celebrate its oldest and longest-serving member (and
President from 1963-65), Newton B Meade Jr., universally known as Newt,
on the occasion of his 101st birthday. Although that milestone was duly
noted, the day’s “main event” was the addition of Meade’s name to the
A. Carter Fergusson Grand Master Honor Roll, one of the most
prestigious honors that is conferred by U.S. Squash, since its
(somewhat lengthy) stated mission is “to recognize a lifetime of
contributions and accomplishments in the game of squash. On the court
the Fergusson honorees have demonstrated unbounded enthusiasm,
competitive spirit and great sportsmanship and skill along with
success; off the court, they have exemplified the ideal qualities of
leadership, setting the standard for a life and lifetime in squash.”
Squash longevity has historically been the key element in determining
who is selected to join this Honor Roll --- Mr. Fergusson himself is
best known for having played in the U.S. Nationals for 62 consecutive
years (!) from 1948-2009 --- and Meade demonstrated that quality in
abundance in both tennis (beginning with playing on the 1941 American
Junior Davis Cup team at age 17), and squash, in which he was
perennially nationally ranked in both singles and doubles and in which
he competed in regional and national tournaments well into the 1990’s,
in the process winning the U.S. National Doubles 50-and-over title with
Treddy Ketcham in 1974 and the 60-and-over event with Thomas Schweizer
in 1984.
The presentation of the document certifying Meade’s addition to the
Fergusson Honor Roll --- as its 22nd member and its oldest at the time
of his induction --- was made by U.S. Squash Hall of Famer Ned Edwards,
the current Executive Director of the U.S. Squash Foundation. Meade,
who was understandably thrilled at having been honored in this fashion,
was extremely gracious throughout the event, at the conclusion of which
he let everyone know how much he appreciated their thoughtfulness and
generosity.
