M Club Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1997
Bonnie Dondeville-Farley, a native of Memphis, grew up playing tennis at John Rogers Tennis Center. Her game began at age five and by the age of 12, she was winning junior tournaments in the city. After claiming state open titles in Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee and being named to the 1958 Southern Wightman Cup Team, Dondeville-Farley found herself ranked #15 in the United States and #1 in the South in the fifteen and under division. She came to the University of Memphis in 1962 and since there was not a women’s team, she tried out for the men’s squad. Thus she became the first woman to compete on a men’s athletic team in the United States. She played the number five singles player and a member of the number one doubles team with Kenny Lewis. She and Lewis were undefeated in doubles play. In June of 1963 she won the number five spot in the Men’s Tennessee Intercollegiate Championship. Dondeville-Farley currently teaches special education in Memphis.
