A History of the World Medical Tennis Society
(This report was prepared from the records of the AMTA by Bill Drake, Nov. 27 1984.)

To relate, properly, the beginning of the World Medical Tennis Society (WMTS) it is necessary to know the manner in which the American Medical Tennis Association was organized.

In October, 1967, Bill Drake was the editor of a sports and leisure magazine which was published for the some 255,000 physicians in private practice in the United States at that time. Drake printed a manuscript written by Dr. Bill McGannon, a Lakewood, Ohio, ophthalmologist, extolling the therapeutic value of tennis for its practitioners. Drake received an immediate and startling reaction from his physician - readers; so, in concert with Dr. McGannon, in the next issue of the magazine, he invited all of the tennis-playing physicians in the United States to form the American Medical Tennis Association (AMTA), an organization dedicated to the promotion of fitness in the U.S. medical community through participation in tennis. Since that time over 4,000 physicians in the U.S. and Canada have become members of the AMTA; the association has conducted 100 national meetings for its members at various tennis-oriented resorts in the U.S., the Bahamas and Hawaii; and it has been represented at 12 of the 13 meetings conducted by the World Medical Tennis Society, the most recent of which, was held in November, 1984.

The third physician to respond to the ATMA invitation was Stanley R. McCampbell, an Oklahoma City, OK, internist/cardiologist. He was to become the second president of the AMTA, ascending to that office in 1969. In June, 1971, McCampbell led a delegation of 15 AMTA members and spouses to a medical congress in Monte Carlo, a congress which, in addition to scientific programs, featured tennis competition for the physicians from the six countries represented there.

McCampbell organized a luncheon meeting at Monte Carlo, to which he invited the following physicians: Enrique Gastaldi Albiol, Spain; Luciano Galanti, Italy; Bernard Kessler, France; Paul Schrankenmuller, West German; and Wolfgang Zaunbauer, Austria (deceased). At this meeting McCampbell and Drake explained the functioning of the AMTA to the invitees and urged that each of them organize counterpart organizations in their respective countries, with the goal of conducting regular international medical conventions where tennis competitions could be enjoyed.

There are 54 countries, at this date, with delegates to the WMTS. Thirteen international tennis competitions have been conducted: 1972 - Monte Carlo; 1973 - no meeting; 1974 - Arcachon, France; 1975 - Naples; 1976 - Austin (Lakeway), Texas, USA; 1977 - Bastad, Sweden; 1978 - Arcachon, France; 1979 - Flims/Waldhaus, Switzerland; 1980 - Tsumagoi, Japan; 1981 - Garmisch/Partenkirchen; 1982 - Bournemouth, England; 1983 - Helsinki, Finland; and 1984 - Ramat-Hasharon, Israel.

McCampbell served as president of the Society from at its inception until the meeting at Helsinki, 1983, when for reasons of health he resigned. Luigi del Bono, Italy, was elected president at that meeting, to serve a three year term; Hans Nerell, Sweden, was elected vice-president, and will begin his three-year term at the meeting in Florence, Italy, August, 1986.

Under McCampbell's leadership the WMTS board of delegates grew to include 54 countries. He prepared the first constitution which the Society adopted at Naples in 1975.

At this date the WMTS schedule of meetings is as follows: October 12-20, 1985, San Diego, CA, USA; August, 1986, Florence Italy; July, 1987, Bastad, Sweden; 1988, Japan; 1989, Greece.

A History of the World Medical Tennis Society
(This report was prepared from the records of the AMTA by Bill Drake, Nov. 27 1984.)

To relate, properly, the beginning of the World Medical Tennis Society (WMTS) it is necessary to know the manner in which the American Medical Tennis Association was organized.

In October, 1967, Bill Drake was the editor of a sports and leisure magazine which was published for the some 255,000 physicians in private practice in the United States at that time. Drake printed a manuscript written by Dr. Bill McGannon, a Lakewood, Ohio, ophthalmologist, extolling the therapeutic value of tennis for its practitioners. Drake received an immediate and startling reaction from his physician - readers; so, in concert with Dr. McGannon, in the next issue of the magazine, he invited all of the tennis-playing physicians in the United States to form the American Medical Tennis Association (AMTA), an organization dedicated to the promotion of fitness in the U.S. medical community through participation in tennis. Since that time over 4,000 physicians in the U.S. and Canada have become members of the AMTA; the association has conducted 100 national meetings for its members at various tennis-oriented resorts in the U.S., the Bahamas and Hawaii; and it has been represented at 12 of the 13 meetings conducted by the World Medical Tennis Society, the most recent of which, was held in November, 1984.

The third physician to respond to the ATMA invitation was Stanley R. McCampbell, an Oklahoma City, OK, internist/cardiologist. He was to become the second president of the AMTA, ascending to that office in 1969. In June, 1971, McCampbell led a delegation of 15 AMTA members and spouses to a medical congress in Monte Carlo, a congress which, in addition to scientific programs, featured tennis competition for the physicians from the six countries represented there.

McCampbell organized a luncheon meeting at Monte Carlo, to which he invited the following physicians: Enrique Gastaldi Albiol, Spain; Luciano Galanti, Italy; Bernard Kessler, France; Paul Schrankenmuller, West German; and Wolfgang Zaunbauer, Austria (deceased). At this meeting McCampbell and Drake explained the functioning of the AMTA to the invitees and urged that each of them organize counterpart organizations in their respective countries, with the goal of conducting regular international medical conventions where tennis competitions could be enjoyed.

There are 54 countries, at this date, with delegates to the WMTS. Thirteen international tennis competitions have been conducted: 1972 - Monte Carlo; 1973 - no meeting; 1974 - Arcachon, France; 1975 - Naples; 1976 - Austin (Lakeway), Texas, USA; 1977 - Bastad, Sweden; 1978 - Arcachon, France; 1979 - Flims/Waldhaus, Switzerland; 1980 - Tsumagoi, Japan; 1981 - Garmisch/Partenkirchen; 1982 - Bournemouth, England; 1983 - Helsinki, Finland; and 1984 - Ramat-Hasharon, Israel.

McCampbell served as president of the Society from at its inception until the meeting at Helsinki, 1983, when for reasons of health he resigned. Luigi del Bono, Italy, was elected president at that meeting, to serve a three year term; Hans Nerell, Sweden, was elected vice-president, and will begin his three-year term at the meeting in Florence, Italy, August, 1986.

Under McCampbell's leadership the WMTS board of delegates grew to include 54 countries. He prepared the first constitution which the Society adopted at Naples in 1975.

At this date the WMTS schedule of meetings is as follows: October 12-20, 1985, San Diego, CA, USA; August, 1986, Florence Italy; July, 1987, Bastad, Sweden; 1988, Japan; 1989, Greece.

Excerpts from Dr. Stanley McCampbell's, "My Memoirs of The World Medical Tennis Society," written in 1991.

"To me it has been a great honor to know and enjoy the friendship of doctors from around the world. It has been the most exciting experience of my life. Doctors... can be assured that if they travel thousands of miles to meetings, they will be certain of a warm welcome, well-organized tournaments and scientific sessions, and a grand, good time. It is an opportunity, unequalled, as far as I know, of enjoying the friendship of interesting, fun loving, sportsman-like doctors who will be friends for life. I would certainly like to do it all over again."