After learning that Bob Larson had passed away on Monday, February 17th at the age of 93, I began thinking about when and where we met…
Having written about the game for over 50 years, it is difficult to remember the specifics because Bob attended so many of the same tournaments and tennis activities.
So, I am not sure when our paths first crossed because he was a fixture around the game…
It may have been when the Indian Wells tournament moved from the Mission Hills Country Club to the La Quinta Hotel… Perhaps it was when what is now known as the BNP Paribas Open was held at the Grand Champions Hotel.
A desert home allowed Bob and his dear wife Jean to escape the frigid Edina, Minnesota weather that lingered into the spring… and desert tennis provided a perfect get away.
Possibly it was Forest Hills when it was the US Open’s home. I know it was before the tournament moved to its current Flushing Meadows location.
It may have been a USTA Annual Meeting because he had a lengthy involvement with the Northwest Tennis Association, (before it became the Northern Section), including serving as its president.
Then it could have been in 1976 when he started Midwest Tennis Magazine, which segued into an array of Bob Larson Tennis publications. I do know that we were acquainted during his days as a member of the United States Tennis Writers Association.
Simply put… “He was always around…” whether it was at a table in the players’ eating area at Indian Wells or sitting on a bench in front of the US Open Media Center in New York (his East Coast office as he called it), Bob could be found holding court… Like a magnet he attracted players, coaches, officials, a collection of tennis insiders… No matter the location, names in the game dropped by to visit…
Charming, and a thoughtful communicator, Bob was an even better listener. He observed… and was comfortable with everyone… while being cautiously revealing.
In the early years of our friendship after learning he had grown up in Chicago, I heard that he had been in the CIA.
With all that we talked about, whether he was or wasn’t in the CIA was never discussed… Since I didn’t know I assumed that if he had been in the organization, it was the reason he was guarded… and it was “just Bob’s way…”
It wasn’t until Jerry Magee, the widely respected San Diego Union-Tribune columnist, wrote a story about him in 2005 that I learned about Bob’s CIA background. While in the service he had been recruited and taught “how to spy…” so he could monitor the espionage activities of other countries.
The insight further defined “Bob’s way…” and may have been the reason he had an insatiable curiosity… a desire to know about everything that was taking place in tennis.
His mantra… “I want stories, not opinions…” led to years of submissions along with telephone chats and email exchanges. Looking back, I realize, though cautious, his interest in the game, was driven by an eclectic hunger… particularly when it came to situations and individuals who were regularly overlooked.
A story I sent about Robert Brazile, which he thoroughly enjoyed, exemplifies his unique perspective. Brazile, a 2018 NFL Hall of Fame inductee, was a 6’4″, 240-pound linebacker from Jackson State University, who played for the Houston Oilers from 1975 until 1984. Following his pro football career, he became a football coach but retired after having quadruple bypass heart surgery in 2004. He went on to become a middle-school special needs teacher and an avid recreational tennis player.
Bob had an appreciation for miscellanea… Following a “We Hear…” submission in May 2018 concerning Ubitennis celebrating its 10th Anniversary, in which I mentioned the online publication’s founder Ubaldo Scanagatta, Bob emailed, “Many thanks for this. Ubaldo and I share the same birthday (August 31st). He is a good guy!”
These are but two examples from my library’s worth of dealings with him.
Now, don’t assume that Bob was without fault. He could be painfully direct, and he didn’t suffer fools.
But he was a fellow tennis traveler, who became a cherished friend.
Even though I am unable to remember when we met… I do know we shared a great deal.
He did more for tennis than he will ever be given credit for…
He was a treasure…one of a kind…someone I will dearly miss.
RIP Bob Larson.