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Ethel Sutton Bruce

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English-born American tennis player

Ethel Sutton Bruce, from a 1908 publication.
Ethel Sutton Bruce, from a 1910 publication.

Ethel Sutton Bruce (January 22, 1881 – June 18, 1957) was an English-born American tennis player.

Early life

Ethel Mathilda Godfray Sutton was born in Portsmouth, England, the daughter of Adolphus DeGrouchy Sutton and Adeline Esther Godfray Sutton. Adolphus Sutton was a naval captain. The family moved to Pasadena, California when Ethel was a girl. Three of her sisters, May Sutton, Florence Sutton, and Violet Sutton, were also competitive tennis players.

Career

Ethel Sutton often played against her sisters; together, the Suttons won every Southern California women's singles championship between 1899 and 1915. Ethel won the title in 1906, 1911, 1912, and 1913. Ethel also won titles in doubles and mixed doubles events.

Ethel Sutton Bruce wrote a series of articles about tennis for the San Francisco Call newspaper in 1913. She later co-authored a book, Tennis, Fundamentals and Timing (1938) with her husband. She also taught tennis in physical education classes for women at the University of California Los Angeles.

In 1947, all four Sutton sisters wore 1890s-style tennis costumes to play at a Santa Monica fundraiser for Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Personal life

Ethel Sutton married Robert O. Bruce; they had a son, Robert. She died in Santa Monica, California in 1957, aged 76 years.

Ethel Sutton Bruce's brother-in-law was tennis player Tom Bundy. She was the aunt of several tennis players of a younger generation, including Dorothy Cheney and John Doeg. In 1976, Ethel Sutton Bruce, Violet Sutton Hope-Doeg, and Florence Sutton were inducted into the Southern California Tennis Association Hall of Fame.

References

  1. Thomas H. Pauly, Game Faces: Five Early American Champions and the Sports They Changed (University of Nebraska Press 2012): 109-142. ISBN 9780803238176
  2. Bill Henry, "The Ladies — God Bless 'Em" Los Angeles Times (May 7, 1933): 55. via Newspapers.comOpen access icon
  3. Jill Lieber, "A Dodo in Name Only" in Ron Rapoport, ed., A Kind of Grace: A Treasury of Sportswriting by Women (RDR Books 1994): 151. ISBN 9781571430137
  4. Roger W. Ohnsorg, Robert Lindley Murray: the Reluctant U.S. Tennis Champion (Trafford Publishing 2011): 69. ISBN 9781426945137
  5. "West Beats East by 3 Matches to 2" American Lawn Tennis (April 15, 1920): 9.
  6. "Mrs. Bert O. Bruce, Expert on Tennis Court, Will Write Series of Articles for the Call" San Francisco Call (September 15, 1913): 1. via Newspapers.comOpen access icon
  7. Ethel Sutton Bruce, Bert O. Bruce, Tennis, Fundamentals and Timing (Prentice-Hall 1938).
  8. "Announcement of Courses" Register - University of California (1924): 157.
  9. "Learning Court Technique — en Masse" Shamokin News-Dispatch (December 1, 1931): 10. via Newspapers.comOpen access icon
  10. Jessie Jean Marsh, "Children's Hospital Benefit Set" Los Angeles Times (June 15, 1947): 35. via Newspapers.comOpen access icon
  11. "Mrs. Ethel S. Bruce" New York Times (June 21, 1957): 25. via ProQuest
  12. "Women’s History Month From A Tennis Perspective" Southern California Tennis News (March 1, 2016).
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