Oral history interview with Emery Neale

Collection

Identifier: SR339

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Emery Neale was conducted by Jim Strassmaier at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, on February 10, 1988. In this interview, Neale discusses his family background and early life, including his early interest in tennis. He talks about tennis tournaments at the Irvington Tennis Club, building indoor tennis courts at the club, and his service on the Irvington Tennis Club board. He also briefly talks about Walter Goss, the president of the Irvington Tennis Club, as well as racial discrimination at tennis clubs. He discusses his career as a tennis player, including taking lessons, playing at Stanford University, and playing in national tournaments. He talks about his education at Stanford University and working as a teacher after graduating. He describes how his experience during World War II affected him. He closes the interview by talking about his involvement with the People to People tennis tournaments.

Dates

Creation: 1988 February 10

Creator

Neale, Emery W. (Emery William), 1921-1994 (Interviewee, Person)
Strassmaier, James (Interviewer, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and the estate of Emery Neale. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/.

Biographical note

Emery William Neale was born in Walla Walla, Washington, in 1921. His family relocated to Portland, Oregon, in 1928. He attended Grant High School, and won the Oregon State High School singles championship all four years he attended. He was known as "Mr. Oregon Tennis." He won the Oregon State singles four times, and a total of 16 national tennis titles, including the National Senior Hardcourt Singles three times. He also served on the Irvington Tennis Club Board of Directors in the 1950s and 1960s. After graduating from Stanford University, he worked as a teacher. After World War II, he briefly attended Reed College. In 1958, he and Mary Alice Neale were married; they later had two children. In 1984, he was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. He died in 1994.

Extent

.1 Cubic Feet (2 audiocassettes (1 hr., 5 min., 35 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Emery Neale conducted by Jim Strassmaier on February 10, 1988. Neale was a tennis player from Oregon, and was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1984.