67.0°,
Mostly Cloudy Woodmere Club honors a tennis pro’s pro
Renames street in memory of Dan Dwyer
Dan Dwyer, who served as the head tennis pro at the Woodmere Country Club for 50 years, was honored by club members at a ceremony on Saturday when Keene Lane, one of the streets by the club, was renamed Dan Dwyer Way. He died in May of last year.
Some of Dwyer’s achievements include being inducted into the Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame in 1998, founding the National Tennis Association for the Disabled and the international Lichtenberg Buick-Mazda wheelchair tournament as well as being the tournament director for the New York City Mayor’s Cup.
He was also a tremendous influence on young tennis players at the Douglaston Club in Queens, including John McEnroe and Mary Carillo. Dwyer subtly challenged McEnroe to reach for greatness after a 10-year-old McEnroe won a tournament at the club, Dwyer said, “You will play at Forest Hills some day.”
Forest Hills was where the U.S Open was played before it moved to Flushing Meadows. Carillo picked up tennis balls at the club and listened to the instruction Dwyer dispensed to his student. She also went on to a great career and is now a sports journalist.
