A Kind of Homecoming

A True Life story that is driven by the love of a sport and the people that play it. What started out as way to earn money to buy a tennis racket, turned into the introduction to two lifelong career choices Tennis Professional and Chef for over 40 years. Tennis would take a young black kid with the challenges of growing up on the streets, the many negative opportunities that come to you long before the positive opportunities, the bad decisions that can follow you for a lifetime and how to make the right choices. Tennis and Cooking brought the positive opportunities that would change his life. In 1968 the sport was not popular with his family and some of his friends. Often he found himself judged criticized by black people who often saw it as he trying to white He would also be judged by white people who would say "You don't look like a tennis player " The food service industry would lead him to be introduced to a Tennis Hall of Fame Player and a two great Coaches and Northwestern University. The inspiration they gave was simple they told he him,"Son you can be good at the game of tennis" Frank Parker Hall of Fame Tennis Champion.The sport of tennis exposed him to many cultures and races of people that all had one thing in common the Loveof the Game.