Nancy Pearce Jeffett learned the game in St. Louis. In 1946 she was ranked tenth nationally in girls 18s. In 1948 she swept the Missouri Valley singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. 

She moved to Texas and became one of the first female tennis promoters in the sport. In 1968 she co-founded the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation with her friend Mo Connolly, a nine-time Grand Slam champion. When Connolly died the following year, Jeffett carried it alone. She guided the foundation in raising and distributing more than $4 million toward junior tennis and women's player development through the end of the 20th century. 

In 1972 she facilitated the first-ever network broadcast of women's tennis at a time when she'd been told no one would pay to watch women play. The tournament she staged became the Virginia Slims of Dallas, one of the signature events of the early WTA Tour and the first tournament to award prize money to its winners. 

She served on the USTA Executive Committee for more than two decades. She chaired the U.S. Wightman Cup and Federation Cup teams. She was elected an honorary member of the All England Club, the only American woman without a Wimbledon title ever to receive that distinction. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2015. 

St. Louis introduced her to the game. The world reaps the benefits. 

(1999)