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General First nameHowe
LastnameAtwater
GenderMale
CountryUnited States of America
Date of birth1926-06-07
Place of birthWichita, Sedgwick County, Kansa, United States of America
Date of death2008-07-01
Place of deathLancaster, PA, United States of America


About

Howe Atwater, 82, of Lancaster, PA died on July 1, 2008 at the Lancaster General Hospital. Born in Wichita, KS on June 7, 1926, Howe was the son of Pierce and Althea (Heitsmith) Atwater.

For 32 years, he was the husband of Sylvia E. Atwater.

Howe was adored and loved by friends and family alike. His unique charisma made him an "everyman," popular with a large and diverse set of people from athletes to intellectuals, hippies to marines. He had a gentlemanly charm and wit that many admired.

Atwater was a graduate of New Trier Township High School in Winnetka, IL and the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA.

At 17, he enlisted in the United State Marine Corps and served with the 1st Marine Division in the South Pacific, including in the Battle of Okinawa where he was wounded in combat and subsequently awarded the Purple Heart. After the war, he continued his service with the Marine Corps stationed in China.

Beginning in 1976, Atwater was President of Oblender's Inc., a retail furniture operation founded in 1894 and also President of the A&S Realty and Investment Corporation. He was employed by the respective firms for over 50 years.

Atwater's passion was the sport of tennis where he enjoyed enormous success from his youth through his mid 70's. Among his many achievements, he won the Illinois State High School Championship in 1943. In 1947 and 1948, respectively, Howe was a starter on the William and Mary NCAA Division One National Championship team. Locally, Atwater won the Lancaster County Open 10 times. In 1986, Atwater won the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Men's 60's Singles Clay Court Championship. Along with close friend, J. Scott Calkins, Atwater was two-time Canadian National Senior Doubles Champion as well as individually winning the event. Among the legendary players with whom Howe competed and enjoyed friendships were Bill Tilden, Don Budge, Bobby Riggs, Gardner Mulloy, Fred Perry, Newt Meade and Jack Kramer.

In recognition of his tennis accomplishments, Atwater was inducted into the Minnesota State Tennis Hall of Fame, the College of William and Mary Athletic Hall of Fame, the USTA Northern Hall of Fame, the Lancaster County Tennis Hall of Fame, the Susquehanna Valley Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame and, most recently, the USTA Middle States Hall of Fame.

During his business career, Howe served in various capacities with the American Cancer Society, Lancaster Chamber of Commerce, American Business Club, Sertoma, YMCA, Central Lancaster Development Corporation, Lancaster Downtown Merchant's Association, Pennsylvania Economy League, the Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic and the Credit Bureau of Lancaster County. Atwater was also a member of the Hamilton Club.

In addition to his wife, Atwater is survived by three children, Charlotte Atwater Miller (wife of S. Douglas Miller), Richard Howe Atwater (husband of Michelle Atwater) and Pierce Atwater III (husband of Elaine Atwater) and two step-children, Denise L. Hall (wife of Thomas Hall) and Daniel Rutledge, all of Lancaster. He is also survived by five grandchildren, three step-grandchildren as well as two great-grand children.

Media


Archive statistics Career1943 - 1970
Tournament wins10
Matches71
Match wins46


Tournament wins 1965 - Pennsylvania Clay Courts (Open)
1962 - Reading & Suburban (Open)
1961 - Delaware Valley (Open)
1961 - Philadelphia and District Clay Courts (Open)
1961 - Middle States Clay Courts (Open)
1960 - Delaware Valley (Open)
1960 - Middle States Clay Courts (Open)
1958 - Red Rose (Amateur)
1958 - Pennsylvania Clay Courts (Open)
1956 - White Rose (Amateur)


Tournaments Middle States Clay Courts - 1970 Reading & Suburban - 1970 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1969 Pennsylvania Clay Courts - 1968 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1967 Reading & Suburban - 1967 Eastern States Clay Court Championships - 1966 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1966 Middle States Clay Courts - 1966 Delaware Valley - 1966 Pennsylvania Clay Courts - 1965 Middle States Clay Courts - 1965 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1964 Middle States Clay Courts - 1964 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1963 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1962 Middle Atlantic Clay Courts - 1962 Red Rose - 1962 Reading & Suburban - 1962 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1961 Middle States Clay Courts - 1961 Red Rose - 1961 Delaware Valley - 1961 Middle States Clay Courts - 1960 Delaware Valley - 1960 Pennsylvania Clay Courts - 1958 Middle States Clay Courts - 1958 Red Rose - 1958 Red Rose - 1956 White Rose - 1956 Intercollegiate Championships - 1950 Intercollegiate Championships - 1948 US Open - 1947 US Clay Courts - 1947 Middle States Championships - 1943