John DePew enters our Hall of Fame as a “Triple Crown” winner. He is being recognized for excellence as a player, as a coach, and for his service as a leader in the tennis community for several decades. John was a product of RTA’s Junior Development Program and during his junior playing days, he was ranked #1 in both the state and Mid-Atlantic region and he attained a national ranking in the top 30s. He was also selected by his peers to receive the Mid-Atlantic Sportsmanship Award. Playing #1 singles and doubles for Midlothian High School, he led his team, as the MVP, to the VHSL state championship in 1977. He began his collegiate career as a scholarship player at Wake Forest University. He played in their top six as a freshman and sophomore before transferring to the University of Richmond where he played #1 singles and doubles. John continued playing competitive tennis after his college days, winning city, state and Mid-Atlantic championships in singles and doubles.

John began his coaching career at Brandermill Country Club, becoming the Director of Tennis in 1983. His Junior Development Program there produced dozens of nationally ranked players, including Wade McGuire, Tripp Phillips and Valerie Farmer. John also gave back to RTA by volunteering for eight years to coach the area’s top juniors at RTA’s Junior Development Program at St. Christopher’s.

John’s earliest commitment to serving the tennis community was in the 1980s when he began serving as the state-ranking chairman. After John joined the RTA’s Board of Directors in 2010, he was elected to serve as RTA’s vice president from 2014 – 2017 and then was elected and served as president for the 2018 – 2019 term. John’s leadership of RTA led to the advent of the Rising Stars Programs which brought RTA back to its roots by providing beginning as well as high-level junior tennis instruction at Byrd Park during the summer months. Also, while he was part of the leadership team, RTA reestablished the annual Junior Awards Banquet and made the national travel program more readily available to qualified players.

John has one further distinction for which he deserves to be recognized. He and his dad, Jerry DePew, join Arthur Ashe, Sr. and Arthur Ashe, Jr. as the only father and son teams in our Hall of Fame. Jerry DePew was inducted as a member in 1997.