Robert J. Kelleher, Class of 1935

Robert Kelleher has served as judge in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California since his appointment by President Nixon in 1970. He was a New England and Eastern Collegiate doubles champion as a member of the Williams Class of 1935. He captained the victorious U.S. Davis Cup Team of 1963 and went on to have an exceptional effect on the game as an official at the national and international levels. A frequent delegate to the International Lawn Tennis Federation, he served as president of the U.S. Tennis Association in 1967-68. He is credited for being the diplomatic leader who won acceptance in this country and internationally for opening major tournaments to all players, professional and amateur. This marked the beginning of the game of open tennis as we know it today. He was inducted last year into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.