The Tennis Group is a non-profit organization based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The Group is governed by a Board of Directors elected by the Group's members, and all Board duties are performed on an entirely voluntary basis without compensation. The primary purpose of the Group is to provide opportunities for members to play tennis and participate in other social activities. Volunteer members serving as host and/or hostess coordinate sponsored events.

Sponsored events consist of a wide variety of tennis-related parties and trips, tournaments, various social activities, an annual banquet and an annual picnic. The activities sponsored by the Group have fees for members and guests based on the costs of the activities.

The Group publishes a monthly newsletter managed by a newsletter editor, and a membership chairperson manages member data and collection of dues. Annual dues and New Membership fees are $35 for individual.

The Board of Directors meets on a monthly basis and consists of individuals from Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Board members serve a 2-year term with responsibilities as officers or coordinators for parties, trips and other events.

Coordinators Chairs: (TTG Founders) *= Deceased
1970 Trish Rucker	1973 Sally Hedrick *	1978 Art Stucki	1981 Marge Toby Rynas
1971 Trish Rucker	1975 Dick Fellows	1978 Marge Toby Rynas	1982 Sally Barrett
1972 Trish Rucker	1976 George Hobart	1979 Bill Koczak *	1983 Marge Toby Rynas
1972 Marge Toby Rynas	1977 Sol Levine *	1980 Sally Barrett	1984 Marge Toby Rynas

Past Presidents 1981-2009
1972 Trish Rucke	1988 Sharon Stewart	1997 Bob Trainor	2006 Mary Kaye Hrivnak
1979 Bill Koczak*	1989 Gene Lokey	1998 Jim Chaplin	2007 Peter Hartogensis
1981 Sol Levine*	1990 Bob Long *	1999 Howard Stevens	2008 Betty Potter
1982 Rita Rine	1991 Finley Hunt *	2000 Susan David	2009 Megan O'Conner
1983 Doug Bracy	1992 Pat Holloway	2001 Chuck Holden	2010 Megan O'Conner
1984 Trish Rucker	1993 Becky Cohen LeBuhn	2002 Robin Swerdloff	2011 Karla Curran
1985 Stan Freden	1994 Carolyn Oakford	2003 Harry Sheetz	2012 Sarah Williams
1986 Nancy Kelpy	1995 Jean Holz	2004 Huber Warner
1987 Ben Klopp	1996 Sue Smee	2005 Peggy Reineking

Sol Levine Award

From time to time, The Tennis Group bestows an award that both recognizes the contri¬butions of a current member and honors the memory of one of the original members of TTG. The Sol Levine Humanitarian and Service Award was created following Sol Levine’s death in 1989 to serve as a memorial to a man who contributed in many different ways to the success of our group. This award has been given to the following TTG members since

1989 Jacques Smith	2000 Barbara Gifford	2010 Cliff Warfield
1990 Dave Pendleton	2002 Howard Stevens
1991 Carolyn Franklin	2003 Leva Lessure
1992 Anne Cooley	2010 Rueben Harrison

 

President’s Award

Like the Sol Levine Award, the President’s Award is given at the suggestion of the President and the discretion of the Board as an appreciation to deserving members who have served The Tennis Group in various selfless ways — often behind the scenes — over the years.

1988 Anne Cooley	1999 Grace Newcomer	2003 Robin Swerdloff	2006 Irene Petrlik
1997 Anne Cooley	1999 Doug Bracy	2004 Jan Brito	2007 Mary Kaye Hrivnak
1998 Maureen Forcier	2002 Gari Platt	2005 Michele Soule	2008 Sheila DeTurk
1999 Julie Thomas	2003 Joe Kimm	2006 Cliff Warfield	2010 Joyce Lee
2010 Robin Swerdloff

Hall of Fame Award

For forty years The Tennis Group has thrived because of the vision and dedication of our members. It was suggested and approved that TTG establish a Hall of Fame to honor those whose initial and continued years of service have contributed to the growth and enrichment of the club.

2010 Anne Cooley	2010 Carolyn Franklin	2010 George Hobart	2010 Rita Rine
2010 Trish Rucker	2010 Marjorie Rynas

The Tennis Group Bylaws

January 1, 2003 The name of this organization shall be “The Tennis Group.”

 

Article I Purpose

Section 1 The principal purpose of the group shall be to provide an opportunity for its members to play tennis and engage in other social activities.

Article II Membership/Bylaws for this section have changed but not updated on the web. We now accept married individuals and couples.

Section 1 Membership eligibility in The Tennis Group is limited to the following classes: a) A single person, or b) A married person who is legally separated or is living separate and apart from his or her spouse with the intention of becoming legally separated or divorced, or c) Former members who have married and their spouses.

Section 2 Any eligible person under Section 1 may become a member of The Tennis Group as follows: Sponsorship and certification of eligibility by a current member.

Section 3 Membership shall be effective when the written application accompanied by dues has been received and processed.

Section 4 Membership shall be terminated by voluntary resignation, non­payment of dues, or expulsion by the Board of Directors for cause. The termination of membership shall cause forfeiture of all interest of the member to the assets and privileges of the group, and no refunds of any nature need be made by the group to the person whose membership is terminated.

 

Article III Dues

Section 1 Membership dues shall be established by the Board of Directors.

Section 2 No member delinquent in dues at the time specified by the Board of Directors for payment of dues shall be considered a member in good standing.

Section 3 The membership and fiscal year of the group shall be January 1st through December 31st.

 

Article IV Election of Directors

Section 1The Board of Directors shall be nine (9) in number and shall be elected on the basis of the percentage of members living, as of September 1, in each of the three jurisdictions (Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia), except that no jurisdiction shall have fewer than one representative on the Board of Directors.

Section 2 Directors shall be elected by ballot, mailed to the general membership not less than fifteen (15) days nor more than thirty(30) days prior to the date of election as set by the Board of Directors.

Section 3 Results of the election will be announced at the annual awards banquet.

Section 4 A nominating committee, consisting of at least three (3) members, shall be selected by the Board of Directors at least ninety (90) days prior to the election. The names of the nominees for the Board of Directors shall be published in the newsletter sixty (60) days prior to the election. Nominating petitions from the general membership will be solicited at that time. Nominating petitions signed by no less than twenty-five (25) members shall be accepted not less than thirty (30) days prior to election. Nominees, whether nominated by petition or by the Nominating Committee, shall be identified and presented to the group in any equitable manner.

 

Article V Meetings

Section 1 The group shall hold an annual Awards Banquet at a time and place designated by the Board of Directors, presided over by the President.

Section 2 The Board of Directors shall hold periodic meetings, which may be attended by the members.

Section 3 The Board of Directors may provide for holding special member­ship meetings whenever it is considered necessary or desirable.

Section 4 The President of the group shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors.

Section 5 Except as otherwise specified in the Bylaws, all meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised.

 

Article VI Directors and Officers

Section 1 The officers shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. The term of office shall be one (1) year and an officer shall hold office until a successor has been appointed.

Section 2 The Board of Directors shall select the officers each year, the President and Vice President selected from the members of the Board of Directors and the Secretary and Treasurer selected from the members of the Board of Directors and/or the general membership. A vacancy in any office for any reason shall be filled by the Board of Directors for the unexpired portion of the term.

Section 3 The officers shall each perform the various duties assigned to such office. The President and Treasurer shall be bonded in an amount determined by the Board of Directors. The bond premium shall be paid by the group.

Section 4 Officers may be recalled, if necessary, by a two-thirds (2/3)majority vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 5 The Board of Directors shall be responsible for the general policy direction of the group and shall at its periodic meetings review the conduct of the affairs of the group. The Board of Directors, at their first meeting, shall, as the first order of business, elect the new officers and shall establish a schedule for regular Board meetings throughout the coming year. In addition, special Board meetings may be called by the President or one-third (1/3) of the members of the Board of Directors.

Section 6 No Director shall vote by proxy.

Section 7 Decisions of the Board of Directors shall be binding on any and all group members.

Section 8 The Board of Directors has the authority, upon a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote, to initiate a recall ballot for removal of a Director. Such balloting shall be preceded by a notice mailed by the Board to each member of the group not less than two (2) weeks, nor more than seven (7) weeks prior to the mailing of the recall ballot. The notice shall state the reasons for consideration for removal of the incumbent from office and may include a statement by the incumbent. Recall of a Director shall require a majority vote of the members voting.

Section 9 The term of office of the Directors shall be two (2) years, with staggered elections of 5 and 4 Directors, respectively. No member of the Board of Directors may serve more than one (1) consecutive 2-year term.

Section 10 Any vacancy occurring in the Board of Directors shall be filled by majority vote of the remaining Directors, though less than a quorum of the Board. A Director so elected shall serve until the next annual election at which time any unexpired term shall be filled by vote of the membership.

 

Article VII Finances

Section 1 The Treasurer shall be responsible for a monthly financial accounting to the Board of Directors, and an audited annual
financial report.

Section 2 All expenditures shall be supported by a voucher.

Section 3 All checks shall be signed by the President or the Treasurer.

Section 4 Expenditures which would result in indebtedness for the group for longer than nine (9) months shall be submitted, in writing, to the membership for approval.

Section 5 The Board of Directors shall cause a set of Standard Operating Procedures to be developed, which shall set forth guidelines and limits of expenditures to be followed for the various Tennis Group functions. At the beginning of each fiscal year, the Board of Directors shall review and modify, as required, these Standard Operating Procedures.

Section 6 Normal expenses incurred by an officer, representative, or member while on authorized group business shall be reimbursed by the group. Such allowable expenses may include transporta­tion, lodging, and incidentals in conformance with the expense policies of the group as defined by the Board of Directors in the Standard Operating Procedures.

 

Article VIII Jurisdiction and Duties of Officers

Section 1 The President shall be the chief executive officer of the group. S/ he shall represent the group in public, social and governmental affairs. S/he shall have the assistance of the other officers of the group. The President may perform such other acts and shall discharge such other duties as may elsewhere be provided in the Bylaws.

Section 2 The Vice President of the group shall cooperate with the Board in formulation and furtherance of policies and objectives of the group and shall take over the duties of the President when requested by the President, or when the President is unavailable to act.

Section 3 The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping the records and correspondence of the group. S/he shall be responsible for keeping the minutes of meetings of the Membership and the Board of Directors. S/he shall be custodian of the group records and minutes. S/he shall be responsible for assuring that the membership records are up to date at all times and for showing thereon all pertinent information concerning membership. S/he shall exhibit at all reasonable times his records to any Officer, Director or Member upon application. In addition, S/he shall perform such other functions as are assigned to him from time to time by the Board of Directors.

Section 4 The duties of the Treasurer shall include the general financial and fiscal administration of the organization and affiliated financial matters. S/he shall cause a thorough financial audit of the books of account each year to be prepared and shall cause the audit report and recommendations of the auditor to be presented to the Board of Directors. S/he shall cause adequate reserves to be built up and maintained at a satisfactory level. S/he shall have the care and custody of and be responsible for, all the funds of the group. S/he shall exhibit at all reasonable times, his books and accounts to any Officer or Member upon reasonable application.

 

Article IX Dissolution, Absorption, or Merger

Section 1 This group may not be dissolved, absorbed, merged or consoli­dated with another club except by adoption of an appropriate amendment to these Bylaws.

Section 2 The Board of Directors shall determine the disposition of all group property, in accordance with the law, if this group is dissolved, absorbed, merged or consolidated with another club; provided that upon dissolution, no portion of the assets of the group shall be distributed to any member so as to accrue to his personal benefit.

Article X Amendments to the Bylaws

Section 1 These Bylaws may be amended only by a vote of the membership. A notice and a Ballot will be mailed to the membership no more than sixty (60) nor less than thirty (30) days prior to the ballot due date. The notice shall contain the complete text of the sections for which amendments are being proposed and the text of the proposed amendments. Adoption of a proposed amendment shall require affirmation by a majority of the members voting by the ballot due date.

Section 2 Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed by the Board of Directors or by petition signed by ten (10) percent of the group’s total membership as of sixty (60) calendar days immediately preceding the date of submittal of the petition to the Board of Directors.

 

Article XI Adoption

Section 1 These Bylaws shall become effective upon adoption except that the current organization shall continue operations until the initial elections are completed.

 

Article XII Activities

Section 1 The Tennis Group shall NOT use an ongoing tennis “ladder” or similar challenge system as a basis for determining members’ eligibility to participate in group events, NOR as a basis for ranking, grading or categorizing members in any tournaments or contests sponsored by the group.