Harry Likas
 | |
| Full name | Henry Edward Likas Jr. |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Born | February 27, 1924 San Francisco, CA |
| College | University of San Francisco |
| Singles | |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1952) |
| US Open | QF (1948) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 1R (1952) |
Henry "Harry" Edward Likas Jr. of San Francisco, CA, and later Belvedere-Tiburon, CA, was an Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame inductee most notable for winning the 1948 National Collegiate Athletic Association Tennis Singles Championship.
Early life
Harry was born in San Francisco, CA, Feb 27, 1924 - March 2, 2017, son of Harry "Pops" Likas, 1892-1984, b. Odessa, Russia, and Phyllis Teresa McFarland, 1898-1976, of Benicia, CA. Harry's father, known as "Pops" was a well-known figure in San Francisco for many years in the financial and tennis world.[citation needed] Likas started playing tennis when he was five years old and his interest never ceased growing; he joined the California Tennis Club in San Francisco at age 15. There, he started playing Northern California and National Junior tournaments. Likas was rated the number one youth in the nation and won the Boy’s California Championship. At 18, Likas was selected to be on the National Junior Davis Cup team.
After graduating from Lowell High School in San Francisco, Likas went on to play tennis for the University of San Francisco. He reached the quarter-finals of the 1948 U.S. National Championships, as the No. 11 seed; he reached the third round in 1946 and 1947, and the second round of the 1950.[1] During his collegiate years, he beat 5 Wimbledon champions: Jaroslav Drobný, Bob Falkenburg, Budge Patty,Dick Savitt, and in the 1948 the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship, Vic Seixas. He also defeated US Open Champion Pancho Gonzales.[citation needed]
Later life
A U.S. Navy veteran, Likas saw action on the Escort Carrier, the USS Sitkoh Bay (CVE-86) in the Pacific during 1944-45.
Later, Likas would serve on the board of the United States Tennis Association (USTA Nor Cal), then known as the Northern California Tennis Association, NCTA). In his role as a board member, he transitioned the old Pacific Coast Championships, a tournament he had won as a junior, into a money tournament - the Fireman's Fund Open International. The tournament was played at the Round Hill Country Club in Alamo CA and, due to Likas' role, was televised nationally on PBS.[citation needed]
He married Ann Katharine Jessup (daughter of U.S. Navy Commander Lowden Jessup, Jr., 1898-1971, and Gay White Summers, 1900-1997) in 1950, and had four children: Harry III, David, Charles and Marina (Phyllis). Ann Katharine Jessup is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and traces her ancestry centuries back into Europe. Likas' varied professional career involved associations with Ronald Reagan, Clint Eastwood, and Merv Griffin, among other notable citizens. He was active with the Rotary and St. Hilary's Church in Tiburon, CA for many years.
Throughout his adult life he continued to play both in tournaments and socially. From 1969 onward, he lived on the Belvedere Lagoon, in Belvedere-Tiburon, CA. Harry Lika died on March 2, 2017.