Frank A. Thompson Jr. reached the semifinals at Wimbledon. And that's not the most exciting thing about him. 

He enlisted in the Navy in 1940. He was on the water at Normandy on D-Day. 

He came home, picked up his racket, and never put it down. As a junior he had won city titles in the 16s and 18s and captained the St. Louis Country Day tennis team. At Virginia he led the Cavaliers to an undefeated season in 1939. Now he recruited players to the Armory and helped build the winter tournament circuit. Then he started winning again. National indoor titles in the 45s. Grass court titles in the 55s. Clay titles in the 65s. He represented the United States in international competition into his fifties. 

And then he reached the senior men's doubles semifinals at Wimbledon. 

Along the way he backed legislation opening the Triple A Club to people of all races, creeds, and colors, and founded the Triple A Youth Foundation to underwrite tennis costs for talented juniors. He served as St. Louis District president, chaired the 1961 Davis Cup tie, and sat on the board of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. 

He also studied at Cambridge. Of course he did. 

(1994)