John Sedgwick Sprague (1924 - 2003)

Biography

John Sprague, historian of the tennis community, ardent enthusiast for grass courts and one of ASBA's longtime and most respected members, died of a stroke on October 24 in his birthplace and hometown of Buffalo, NY. He was 79 years old.

Born in 1924, John Sedgwick Sprague attended high school at Ridley College in Canada, and in 1948, was graduated from Princeton University. He would have graduated with an earlier class, but like so many other young men of his generation, his education was interrupted by World War II.

Sprague distinguished himself in wartime as a member of the 760th Tank Battalion, where he served as a gunner in Italy, according to his wife, Marianne. Following his time in the army, he completed his education by majoring in history at Princeton, where he had one of the pivotal experiences of his life - meeting a man named Albert Einstein. "John was in favor of United World Federalism," said Marianne Sprague, "which involved the elimination of chauvinism and nationalism, to foster peace. Einstein was in favor of peace, so my husband got Einstein to endorse the United World Federalism movement at Princeton."

Einstein remained one of Sprague's favorite personalities and one of his favorite subjects for years following Princeton. He frequently lectured on and wrote about his encounters with the man and about their common philosophies.

Sprague met his wife, the former Marianne Litkei, in Vienna. They were married for more than fifty-three years. Sprague worked in several professions throughout his life, including the lumber industry. He enjoyed construction, and one summer, he built an unusual home improvement project – a clay tennis court on his parents' estate in Canada. Much like his first meeting with Marianne Litkei, it was love at first sight. Sprague, already a tennis player, found a way to combine his deep and abiding interest in history with his passion for the sport of tennis, and began researching different courts, different building methods, and different surfaces. His interest in the past gave him a special affinity for grass courts.

Sprague became known to ASBA members when he founded Sports Surfaces and Structures, which remained a member company of the Association until his retirement from the industry. (He was made a Life Member upon his retirement, and continued to keep up with his friends from the Association.) Sprague served as construction editor of Tennis Industry Magazine and also was an expert witness, traveling the country to testify about sports facility construction. He gave grass court presentations at countless ASBA Technical Meetings.

Even after retirement, Sprague remained active in his community, as a volunteer in the local hospital, at a food bank and in his beloved church, Trinity Episcopal. Services were conducted on November 15 at Trinity, with interment at Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Sources

"United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X7C1-PBR : accessed 21 January 2019), John Sprague in household of John S N Sprague, Buffalo (Districts 251-352), Erie, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 294, sheet 9B, line 98, family 49, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1432; FHL microfilm 2,341,167.

The Sprague Project- http://www.sprague-database.org/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I306338&tree=SpragueProject

"Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV2P-YQDK : 13 December 2015), John S Sprague, 2003; Burial, Buffalo, Erie, New York, United States of America, Forest Lawn Cemetery; citing record ID 75055163, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.