If St. Louis had a Mr. Tennis, it would be Larry. 

In 1954 he became head pro at the 138th Infantry Armory on Market Street. It was the only place in St. Louis to play indoors in the winter. On those courts, laid out on wooden floors, Larry coached virtually every future star St. Louis tennis would produce. Butch Buchholz. Cliff Buchholz. Jimmy Parker. Justina Bricka. Carol Hanks. Mary Ann Eisel. Chuck McKinley. Arthur Ashe. 

And a kid from Belleville named Jimmy Connors. Connors and his mother Gloria felt like outsiders. Larry took Jimmy under his wing. 

"He played me when nobody else would," Connors told the Post-Dispatch in 1991. "When you have a friend like Larry Miller, you feel quite lucky." 

In 1968 Larry and close friend Stephen Apted co-founded St. Louis' first indoor/outdoor private tennis club, the Creve Coeur Racquet Club. They had a simple vision. Great tennis and great cocktails. No jacket required. 

The tennis could get heated. The vibe had to be chill. 

Larry brought the on-court star power. Steve brought the hospitality. Together they attracted the best players in the world. Rod Laver. Ken Rosewall. Jimmy Connors. They didn't just hit and run. They played, they socialized, and they came back. 

But the legends weren't the point. The members were. Larry had a way of treating everybody like somebody. His encouragement was endless. After lessons he walked his students back to the dining room and found them a game. He made the rounds at the pool. He showed up everyday with a smile and something funny to say. When he told stories, he held court. Kids grew up playing at CCRC and brought their own kids. Their kids brought their kids. Three generations in, Larry was still the reason they came. 

Larry and Mary Miller were partners in every sense. Sixty years of marriage. Sixty years of building something together. Mary ran a pro shop at Plaza Frontenac that became a destination of its own. 

Larry Miller died in 2020. He had given sixty years to St. Louis tennis. As a pro. As a coach. As a builder. As a mentor. And as a friend. 

He had it figured out. 

"If you always want to play with someone who is better than you — who's going to play with you?" 

(2001)