Indelible Mark: A Child, a Ball & a Tennis Racket

Lenny Simpson {1948-2024}

BY WBM Staff

Published February 28, 2024|
Lenny Simpson and his wife JoAnn with One Love Tennis students, June 2023. The concrete border in photo denotes the now-filled in Olympic-size pool that once graced the Eaton property. The inground well is still in use, watering the clay court. Courtesy Lendward Simpson
Lenny Simpson and his wife JoAnn with One Love Tennis students, June 2023. The concrete border in photo denotes the now-filled in Olympic-size pool that once graced the Eaton property. The inground well is still in use, watering the clay court. Courtesy Lendward Simpson

Wilmington native son Lendward “Lenny” Simpson was a celebrated tennis champion. Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe were his contemporaries, friends and teammates in the tumultuous years of breaking the color barriers in the world of professional tennis.

While famous in his career, he began to create his lasting impact after returning home to Wilmington with his wife, JoAnn, with the founding of One Love Tennis, a nonprofit tennis and academic enrichment program for at-risk kids.

Simpson died Feb. 9, 2024, at the age of 75, but his memory will live on in the positive influence he had on scores of Wilmington’s children.

The gregarious Simpson could tell the most entertaining stories. As charming as he was kind, Simpson never met a stranger, but his true legacy will be remembered in the realm of youth.

The house at 1407 Orange St. had two wings added, one to the east and one to the west, and the second story by Dr. Hubert Eaton Sr. Other than having a fresh coat of paint, it remains relatively unchanged from the 1950s. Steve McMillan

Not gruff and not demanding, Simpson had a commanding way of capturing and holding a student’s attention that was fascinating to watch. He didn’t bark, but did not tolerate any distractions, wandering attention, or wayward eyes when he was on the court with a child, a ball and a tennis racket.

Simpson taught youngsters the game of tennis in the same way he had been taught.

It was always a winning combination.

Top L-R: Lenny Simpson, age 10, plays tennis at Dr. Robert Johnson’s home in Lynchburg, Virginia. Courtesy Lendward Simpson. Lenny Simpson working with student Dea’Yion Doe Taylor during a weekly tennis camp in November and December 2017 at the New Hanover High School tennis courts on Market Street. Pat Bradford. Above, on the left page: Simpson encourages one of his students, Kenneth Braxton, during a class at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in downtown Wilmington in 2015. On the right page: Dr. Hubert Eaton, left, and Simpson after the 1963 ATA National Championship at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. Simpson won the junior tournament.For more information about Lenny Simpson and One Love Tennis organization which he founded in Wilmington, N.C. see the February 2015 issue of Wrightsville Beach Magazine.

Wrightsville Beach Magazine has published several stories about Lenny Simpson and his foundation over the years.

The Legendary Orange Street Tennis Court, June 2023
wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com/the-legendary-orange-street-tennis-court/

One Love at the U.S. Open, October 2018
wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com/etc/

One Love at the Federation Cup in Asheville, April 2018
wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com/shorts-9/

One Love Luncheon at Permanent Home 1406 Orange Street, December 2018
wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com/shorts-16/

One Love Goes International, July 2017
wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com/one-love-goes-international/

A Love Like No Other, February 2015
wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com/a-love-like-no-other/







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