Elizabeth “Betty” McGee Cookson

Following high school in Sutter Creek, where she was the Mother Lode Girl’s Tennis champion, Betty attended the University of California at Berkeley, and joined the Alpha Phi sorority. After graduating from Cal with a degree in Economics, she was employed as an “IBM girl” (officially, a systems service representative). In 1947, Betty married Robert “Bob” Cookson. Their first son Bob was born in 1948, followed by Jim in 1950 and Richard in 1952.

At age 40, while raising her sons in San Mateo Park, Betty began competing in Sectional and National tennis tournaments. By the time she “retired” at age ninety-six, she had won 23 Gold Balls (National Championships), numerous Silvers, and an International Tennis Federation Championship. In 2009, she won the USTA’s Gold Slam.

But Betty didn’t just play tennis. Beginning with running tournaments at her local Peninsula Tennis Club, she went on to leadership roles at every level, from USTA NorCal to USTA National and the International Tennis Federation. For her efforts, she was inducted into the USTA NorCal Hall of Fame in 1997, and in 2008 she was presented with the USTA’s Barbara Williams Leadership Award, followed in 2014 by the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Samuel T. Hardy Award. It wasn’t all hard work, though: as her husband Bob ascended to become President of the USTA, Betty traveled the world with him, attending prestigious international tennis events and meeting athletes, celebrities, and even Queen Elizabeth II.

In addition to her dedication to tennis, Betty was devoted to her community. She was active in, and held leadership positions with, the Junior League of San Francisco, Boy Scouts, Volunteer Bureau, United Crusade, numerous PTAs, and the Peninsula YMCA. In recognition of this community service, she was given the California Alumni Association’s Rosalie Stern Award. Adding politics to her volunteer resume, Betty was active in the Republican Party and was a Reagan delegate to both the 1976 and 1980 Republican Conventions.

Betty is survived by her brother, Bill McGee; her three sons: Bob (Colleen), Jim (Alison), and Richard (Deborah); nine grandchildren; thirteen great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. Donations in her memory may be made to the USTA Foundation.