Dick Makepeace enters the Hall of Fame as a legendary doubles player. For thirty years Dick held the record for winning the most state doubles titles. Dick won his first state title in 1961 with Bernie Seegal of Portsmouth. Dick then teamed up with Eddie Phillips of Richmond to win titles in 1965, ’67 and ’68. In 1972, he won the title for the fifth time with Bobby Heald, and in 1973, playing with Mark Vines, Dick won his sixth and final state doubles championship. Dick also reached the state championship doubles finals in 1962, ’70 and ’71 thereby competing in the state finals 9 times in a 13-year span.

In addition to his dominance of the state doubles tournament in that era, Dick also won the Richmond City doubles title 3 times: in 1966 and ’67 with Eddie Phillips, and finally in ’71 with O.H. Parrish. Dick was also a finalist for the city title in 1963, ’68, and ’70.

The Richmond Times Dispatch records reveal that Dick won 23 of the highest-level doubles tournaments in Virginia from 1961 to 1976. Jerry Lindquist, a sportswriter for the RTD, described Makepeace in a 1967 article as “dangerous with a tricky, twisting serve. On several occasions, it caught [his opponent] going the wrong way.”

Dick is best remembered for his extraordinary success as a doubles player, but he also was an excellent singles player having made it to the finals of the State Singles Championships once in 1967 and having reached the Richmond City Singles finals twice in 1968 and in 1970.

Dick also made contributions to the tennis community off the court as Vice President of the RTPA in 1961 and treasurer of the Virginia Tennis Association from 1961-63. The Richmond Tennis Hall of Fame welcomes Dick Makepeace, the first inductee to be recognized for excellence in the game of doubles.