player – Tennisarchives.com

General First nameJames (Jim)
LastnameBrink
GenderMale
CountryUnited States of America
Date of birth1925-06-08
Place of birthSan Diego, San Diego County, California, United States of America
Date of death2017-03-12
Place of deathOregon, United States of America

About

With family at his side, Jim died Sunday night March 12, 2017, at Legacy Emanuel Hospital after fighting a brief battle with cancer. The cancer took his life, but not his sense of humor which endured to the end. Jim was born in San Diego, where he discovered his talent for tennis. At twelve years of age he was bringing home trophies such as the 1938 San Diego County Boys Singles Tournament. In 1940, his parents, Siegfried and Adeline, and family moved to Seattle where he continued to excel at tennis and attended Roosevelt High School and the University of Washington where he joined Phi Gamma Delta and began friendships that endured for years. Jim was one of the tennis greats of his time playing with and against such famous names as Jack Kramer, Pancho Gonzales, and Robert Faulkenberg. A few highlights of his racket accomplishments include 1) ranked ninth in national men's singles in 1943, 2) a four set win over Arnold Saul in the 1949 Cincinnati Open, 3) a 1949 NCAA doubles title that he shared with Fred Fisher, 4) induction into the University of Washington Husky Hall of Fame in 1989 (Jim is 1 of 203 inductees), 5) induction into the USTA Pacific Northwest Hall of Fame in 2010, and 6) crushing his oldest son in squash in 1968 at the Multnomah Athletic Club (MAC) where he was a member for over sixty years. Jim played tennis until the age of 90 when the desire to win was still in play, but the body was not. Jim never took the court to play. His goal was always to win. Jim met his wife Bonnie at the University of Washington. They were married in October of 1947 and almost made it to 70 years of marriage. Jim moved the family to Portland in 1951 where he worked for Holman Distribution Company for more than 30 years as a sales manager. Jim retired in 1983. Jim and Bonnie then began a second career in the purchase and management of commercial buildings which allowed Jim the opportunity to make more friends. Jim and Bonnie were blessed with five sons, nine grandsons, and three granddaughters. They attended countless baseball games and other sporting events and Jim made sure the umpires knew that he was in attendance. Jim will surely be remembered for his kind heart. Throughout his life, in ways known and unknown, he provided a helping hand to many. From stopping to give a homeless person a few bucks to helping tenants that were struggling financially, Jim always had a soft spot in his heart for those in need. Jim is survived by his wife, Bonnie; sons, Jim, Bob, Mike, Steve, and John and their respective families; and his sister, Bertie Perry.

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