Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.
Tennis
My mother loved playing tennis. When I was young, she tried in vain to get me excited about the game, having me take tennis lessons at the courts in Golden Gate Park. She became a regular there, playing every week and making many friends.
About 20 years ago I was in England and went to Hampton Court. There, I was surprised to learn that Henry the VIII loved tennis and saw the court he played on.
According to Wikipedia the rules of modern tennis were created in England in the late 19th Century. In looking through family photos, I see that family members enjoyed the game dating at least to the early 20th century, so they were playing a relatively “new” game.
The above photo was probably taken in 1908 or earlier. There is a note on the back mentioning Robert Zerzawy. I think he is the young boy in the cap holding the ball and facing the camera. The photo of the four children below would be siblings Paul, Erich, Klara, and Robert. Likely taken in or near Brüx in Bohemia (German name for Most in the Czech Republic).
Probably 1937 or 1938 – Eva and Harry playing doubles in Vienna:
1938 – Paul Zerzawy notes the date of June 16, 1938 on the back and that it was taken at the Gartenbauplätz in Vienna. A friend named Walter Reif is hitting the ball in the foreground. The only reference I could find to Gartenbauplätz was about it being the site for ice hockey tournaments in the early 1930s.
1941 – Mission High School in San Francisco – we saw this photo of Eva and Harry from February of 1941 in a previous post.
Probably the late 1970s – Golden Gate Park Tennis Club at a Halloween event. Eva taking a cigarette break, dressed as a gypsy. My mother “made” similar costumes for me once or twice for Halloween. I always thought she did that because it was a cheap and easy way to dress up, but more recently I’ve wondered whether it was a silent nod to her father the palm reader.
