In ceremonies at the 2017 International Championships in West Allis, Gladys Leonard was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the Athlete category. From Eclectic, Alabama, she spent many years in the Washington, DC area playing with the Fort Myer military base group. They introduced her to the NMRA about a decade ago and she earned a medal whenever she competed since then. Her regular Mixed Doubles partner, Scott Kraemer, delivered her HOF introduction with a delightful presentation featuring pictures from her past. Everyone asks to play with Gladys — who is a great competitor and so worthy of the Hall of Fame.
Mike Martin from Golden, Colorado, was also inducted for his amazing contributions to the organization and specifically on behalf of the 75+ players. At 90, Mike has been a dues-paying Member for over 15 years, entered almost 30 NMRA tournaments, and won 34 medals in Singles and Doubles. He’s also been an active participant in the annual Man of October tournament in Sun City West, Arizona, since its founding in 2011. Mike had more than enough medals (gold and non-) to qualify for an Athlete induction, but the committee of about 30 voters decided he would be designated a Contributor. Although not on the board in an official capacity, he has volunteered countless hours to survey the 75+ players, and then make sure they get to the tournaments. He calls them individually to keep them up-to-date and find them doubles partners. He has sponsored our tournaments himself for years and identified other sponsors. His induction speech and slideshow were most charming — it’s always so fascinating to find out how players came to find our NMRA family and then become so involved.