Tennis legend Jack Kramer dies at 88

The 1940s tennis star Jack Kramer died at his home in Los Angeles on Sept. 12 at the age of 88. He had soft tissue cancer, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Kramer is widely considered the best tennis player of his generation and was one of the game's foremost promoters.

He won back-to-back U.S. Championships in 1946 and 1947, and won the Wimbledon tournament in 1947 wearing shorts — a first for the sport.

Jack Kramer helped form the Association of Tennis Professionals in 1972 and designed the "open" format for major tournaments.

More than a million "Jack Kramer" model wooden tennis racks from Wilson Sporting Goods sold during their heyday.

Beyond tennis, he owned more than 100 racehorses and managed a Los Angeles golf course.

His son, John Kramer, is a well-known Whitefish philanthropist who has helped raise funds for many projects in town, including the construction of The Wave and a renovation of the Whitefish Middle School auditorium.

Jack Kramer's wife, Gloria, died in 2008. He is survived by five sons and eight grandchildren.

Memorial donations can be made in his honor to the Whitefish Community Foundation, P.O. Box 1060, 214 West Second Street, Whitefish MT 59937, or online at www.whitefishcommunityfoundation.org or call 406-863-2628.