Big Bill Tilden’s Lonesone Grave
In the 1920s, Bill Tilden’s fame was on par with that of Babe Ruth and Bobby Jones. He won seven U.S. Nationals (now the U.S. Open), but today he is mostly forgotten. I went in search of his small Philadelphia grave, and wrote an essay about him that is appearing in the September/U.S. Open issue of Tennis magazine. The piece is not yet online, but you can find it on page 110 of the magazine now on newstands and being delivered to subscribers. You can find a short piece I wrote about Tilden’s serve on a web site devoted to Philadelphia history put togeher by Moira Moody, a junior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Kelly Writers House. For those wishing to read more about Tilden, I highly recommend Frank Deford’s 1975 biograpy, Big Bill Tilden: The Triumphs and the Tragedy.
Aug 12th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Joe – just read your article on Bill Tilden in Tennis Magazine, and I want to thank you for writing. You’ve captured a part of Bill’s life that goes beyond his victories on the court – his family. I have only one suggestion: I’d delete the word “indiscretions”. Maybe then they were, but today, his private behavior would not (or should not) be grist for the public, nor would he be arrested. Rather than pointing out his indiscretions as an issue, the problem, the homophobic society in which he lived, might be the subject which should be highlighted. Bill was a victim, not because of “indiscretions”, but because of intolerance and unjust laws.
Anyway, thanks again – David Broida, Interim Ex. Director, Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education – stop by sometime – d.
Aug 13th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Enjoyed your article on Bill Tilden. Have you ever seen Winston Churchill’s grave?
Aug 13th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
I read Mr. Starnes article about Bill Tilden. I felt pity for “Big Bill,” but I felt more pity for the boys he molested…particularly the hitchhiker he molested. He should not be glamorized in death regardless of how well he played tennis!
Aug 14th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Just read your thoughtful article “Searching For Big Bill” in Tennis magazine. I’ve been a tennis fan for years, having played extensively as a junior and intermittently in (the many) years since. So, long a reader of Tennis Magazine, I was struck by yours’ and the article on Vitas Gerulaitis at how I and perhaps we tennis enthusiasts often don’t know enough about the real lives of the greats upon whose backs our game has been built. I shared your conclusions in your article and am glad you took the time to search, and tell us about it. Thanks.
Aug 17th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Joe,
Thanks for the article on Bill Tilden. While attending LaSalle College in the early 80′s I lived for three years with a family in one of those Germantown mansions you mentioned. I’m sure I walked past the Cricket Club a few times, but I wasn’t into tennis back then, as I have been most of the years since then. Reading your story brought enjoyment worth several years of subscriptions. I hope the editors continue to seek out and publish good work like this.
Tony
Aug 17th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Thirty years ago I read Frank DeFord’s biography of Bill Tilden as was deeply moved by the trials of this great player. A few months later, while on weekend reserve duty at the the Naval Aid Station in Willow Grove, PA., just outside Philadelphia I took some time to visit the Germantown club where Tilden’s fame was buried. It was a very sad experience.
Your article on Tilden brought back all the memories of that weekend quest and made every moment as vivid and real as if they were just yesterday. Thanks for a great journalistic piece.
Aug 18th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Mr. Starnes,
I want to say thank you for the great article you wrote about Bill Tilden in the recent Tennis Magazine. After studying him extensively for my undergraduate thesis in history it is nice to see that his memory still exists and people are still learning about his legacy.
Jacob Ratliff
Aug 21st, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Dear Mr. Starnes: you might be interested to know that in 2004 I wrote a play called BIG BILL which opened at the Lincoln Center Theatre in New York and played for several months. John MacEnroe came to the play and left promptly. Frank Deford came to it and stayed to admire it. The reviews were generally good , except for the N.Y. Times, but the play is rarely done today, suffering the same neglect as Tilden himself has suffered over the years. Somewhere in his story are the elements of true Greek tragedy, and perhaps somebody else will one day get it right. Sincerely, A. R. Gurney
Aug 25th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Mr. Starnes. another thank you for your moving article on Bill Tilden. When I first became obsessesed with tennis at age 10 I read extensively about his tennis career and he was my first tennis role model. His later “indiscretions” do not temper my admiration for his on court accomplishments.
Aug 27th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Is there something that I have missed regarding this former great tennis player. How can anyone label molesting boys as an “indiscretion”? I get the idea that you think by adding the fact that they were “teenage” somehow makes this OK. He is a pedophile clear and simple and should not be glorified in any way for his tennis, even if it was before he committed these acts. Is there no sympathy for the family of the boys he molested? He should be vilified not glorified. Shame on you for trying to right some wrong you feel has been dealt upon this fallen hero. His memory SHOULD fade into oblivion and his tennis records should be labeled with a footnote as to his crimes. I am shocked that I am in the minority in my disgust for this individual.
Aug 27th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Hi Joe,
I enjoyed your article on Bill Tilden. Like you I have an association with SJU (graduated from there in 1987), and also like you I drove around Ivy Hill Cemetary looking for Tilden’s grave. Unlike you, however, I didn’t find it and gave up rather easily. Kudos on your diligence.
Sep 14th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Although I enjoyed the article, I concur with Yvette’s reaction to the trivialization of Tilden’s crimes. To refer to them as indiscretions must be very hurtful to the victims and their familes.
Brian.
Nov 12th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Thanks for the article on Bill Tilden. Putting aside his personal life and speaking just as a person that has loved tennis all my life, I can say what a shame Tilden has been neglected this way. As a boy starting tennis his books were fantastic help to me. They explained the concepts of offense and defense and more specifically how to “play the game” of tennis. It was so hard to find then. John Newcombe said he learned to play from Tilden’s books as did many others. Tilden was a genius at observing and stating the truth in tennis. How his statement “champions are born in the labor of defeat” and his chapter on courage gave many the encouragement to persevere and learn the game. Tilden came up with the concept and term “all court player” which then and now describes the ultimate player. His statement that there is only one reason to play the game and that is because you love rings so true today and should be tattooed on every tennis parents arm. Tilden’s chapter on coaching with diligence if followed would solve many of the USTA junior development problems of the day. Gilbert’s heralded book Winning Ugly is based on Tilden principles. Tilden is still teaching us how to play. That he did wrong in his personal life is not questioned but in the other facet of his life – tennis – his passion, genius, creativity, dedication, and contributions should not be ignored by people who love the art of lawn tennis. The tennis part of his life should be honored by all of us who love the game because it has helped us all and was brilliant!
Mar 31st, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Mr. Starnes,
I just finished reading your Sept. 2008 article about Bill Tilden. You stated,”I wish, like the handsome monument to the golfer, Anderson, that is celebrated Tilden`s victories.”
Just because Tilden was a great tennis player does not make him a good person. He was a convicted child molester, for godsake!
Erecting a monument to one of the scum of the earth is unthinkable. I am so discusted with your article that I am thinking of canceling my subscription to Tennis magazine.
I assume, Mr. Starnes, your next great idea is to make a national monument to Michael Vick and “Pacman” Jones.
Sincerely,
Christopher Groff
Guadalajara, Mexico
Sep 3rd, 2009 at 12:49 am
A letter from R.E. Cummings of Lugoff, S.C., dated Sept. 15, 2008.
Dear Mr. Starnes,
I came across your article in Tennis magazine dated August 2008 with the title “Searching for Big Bill.” It was particularly interesting for me for the reasons listed below.
I am now 95 years old and have played tennis since the age of 14. I was born in Brooklyn, NY and my father, also a tennis player, introduced me to tennis on a local court and that was the beginning of my love for this game. Dad also was an avid follower of this game and soon brought Bill Tilden to my attention.
He took me to Forest Hills about 15 miles away to watch Tilden play about 1928. Henri Cochet was also in this tournament; he had given Tilden some hard times in Davis Cup play during the late twenties. Dad also brought me to Madison Square Garden in NY to watch Tilden play with Frank Hunter and other notables probably in the early thirties.
Since then I attended Iowa State University to study Forestry. I played tennis there and was informed that Bill Tilden would be playing with a group of other well-known players. This was in Tilden’s later years and he formed this group to tour the country to try to earn more money, which he never had much of.
Since I was a member of the college team they asked me to be a baseline judge. I certainly enjoyed watching all these players and one time Tilden was on my side when the ball came close to the line. I don’t remember the call I made but Tilden didn’t like it and gave me a very dirty look! The year – 1937.
I was in the war during the years 1941-1946; no tennis. In 1948 I began my work in Forestry and did play some tennis. In the course of my work I contacted a storeowner in Charleston, SC who was a woodland owner. We had a very interesting conversation, which also included tennis, and during this time the name of Tilden came up and he said to me “did you know that those who knew him called him June?” I was taken aback but later reading confirmed his misdemeanor charges.
Mr. Starnes, I did enjoy reading your complete writing concerning the life of Bill Tilden that I found in Tennis magazine. As you see it brought back many memories. Am I the only one left with these memories?
Very Truly Yours,
R.E. Cummings
Jun 18th, 2011 at 12:43 am
definitely an interesting read. i usually dont comment. signed dallas dentist