The histories of the Central Virginia Invitational Tennis Tournament and some Lynchburg families have become entwined.
This year, Edwin “Blitz” James will play in the 50-plus doubles with his old partner from Hampden-Sydney, Worth Remick. They last played together in the tournament in 1982.
His parents, the late Martha and Stanley James, put up an out-of-town player every year for years. Stan James’ photo was on the cover of the tournament program one year.
His sister, the late “B.B.” James Tyson, met her husband, Bill Tyson, the former tennis coach at E.C. Glass High School, when he played in the tournament.
And James’ son, the late Edwin Nelson James Jr., played in the Junior CVITT. Nelson died in a car accident in September.
“He probably would have played in this one,” the main CVITT, Heidi James, Nelson’s mom, said.
Nelson was No. 2 on the Glass tennis team, and “would play every day, if he could,” she said.
One goal of the CVITT was to encourage young players, such as Nelson.
After his death, a group of parents and friends — led by Nelson’s coach Ed Dawson, Peggy Andrews and Jill Murray, the girl’s coach and director of tennis — got together to come up with a memorial for Nelson. They came up with a pavilion to be built at the E.C. Glass tennis courts.
The Lynchburg Community Trust processes donations for the pavilion.
The Glass courts are actually owned by the city Parks and Recreation Department, said Maggie Schewel, director of the CVITT.
One thing that seemed to be needed was a pavilion to provide a place for gathering and staging tournaments at the courts. It will have lighting to make it useful for evening tennis events.
A number of local businesses have donated goods and services to the effort, and construction under way.
And there will be a plaque honoring Nelson.
“We’re just so honored and touched that people would want to have a memorial for Nelson,” his mother said.
“He would have loved it.”
— From staff reports
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