Endeavor to Persevere: A Memoir on Jimmy Connors, Arthur Ashe, Tennis and Life - Paperback

by Douglas Henderson Jr (Author)

Author Douglas Henderson Jr. had a typical childhood as an African-American growing up in the Bronx in the late 1960's. Upon discovering tennis, his life would drastically change by bringing him together with Jimmy Connors. Thanks to this meeting, Henderson would become a close friend and confidante to the tennis pro and would go on to meet and work with other legendary players such as Arthur Ashe, Bjorn Borg and many more. Join Henderson as he takes you behind the scenes of the world of tennis from the years 1974-1997. Through his own unique voice, Henderson relays what really happened at some of the greatest matches, the locker room chats he engaged in and his own personal experiences both on and off the court. ENDEAVOR TO PERSEVERE is more than just an autobiography, but also a rare look into the world of tennis from someone with VIP access to some of the biggest names to ever play the game. More importantly, it's a love letter from the author to the sport that would forever shape his future. This work also contains many candid and rare photographs from the author's personal collection.

Author Biography

Douglas Henderson Jr. was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. He attended the prestigious Horace Mann School, annually recognized as one of the nation's finest private schools. He was graduated from Lehman College, which is part of the City University of New York (CUNY). He was also graduated from New York Law School, where he earned his J.D. degree. Henderson has had an eclectic employment career. In addition to working for Jimmy Connors, he was a top-notch administrator, one of the first Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Coordinator's in the New York State Supreme Court, and is credited with being a guiding force in spreading the ADR program throughout the state. While in law school, Henderson worked in the poorest section of his native South Bronx to help its residents gain meaningful employment. In addition to working for a law firm, Henderson was the Director of Operations for a private Manhattan company, where his duties included running the business, head researcher and co-hosting the company's top-rated radio show. He has since gone back to his roots and is involved in helping residents from his beloved Bronx find gainful employment. Henderson is single and lives in the Inwood section of Manhattan. He is heavily involved in mentoring the youth, and is a busy public speaker. He is a prolific reader and has written for a variety of publications. He is an avid golfer, playing on both the public courses in his beloved Bronx, as well as the finely manicured private courses throughout Connecticut.