Dr. Shamsher Singh raises over $17K for Southeast Florida Honor Flight at Tennis Doubles Tournament.
By: Jarret Romanello, info@stluciepost.com
Photos by: MaryAnn Ketcham
February 16, 2022
On Saturday, tennis enthusiasts hit the courts for the Southeast Florida Honor Flights Doubles Championship at the Legacy Golf and Tennis Club in Port St. Lucie.
The Tournament featured twenty-six teams competing in 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0 men’s and women’s double categories.
Fort Pierce Central High School’s JROTC Color Guard kicked off the patriotic day by Presenting the Colors as Jackie Ward sang the National Anthem.
The Tournament’s presenting sponsor, Dr. Shamsher Singh, has championed Southeast Honor Flight’s cause since a patient encouraged him to guardian a WWII veteran on an Honor Flight a decade ago.
He’s sponsored six doubles championships and volunteered as a guardian on 30 Honor Flights, all to send aging veterans on a trip to Washington D.C. to visit memorials built in their honor.
After the doubles play began, Dr. Singh’s guest of honor arrived. That’s because the host dressed to impress – head to toe in Red, White & Blue went to pick up 100-year-old WWII Veteran Ray Glansberg.
For Glansberg, tennis served as therapy for the horrors he saw as a young staff sergeant when he stormed Omaha Beach on D-Day and liberated the Buchenwald concentration camp in 1945. He played until he was 95 years old, and now he enjoys watching the sport with his good friend Dr. Singh. “You keep them happy as long as you can. They earned it,” Dr. Singh said.
Fans watched the action on Saturday & Sunday, with 3 of 5 divisions finishing before inclement weather moved in. “It was a great weekend of tennis fun and honoring our veterans,” Legacy Tennis Club Director Aldo Burga said.
Luisa Subia and Christina Acevedo won the Woman’s 4.0 Division, Martha Winter and Martha Elrod won the Woman’s 3.5 Division, and Daniel and Kenneth Lieberman won the Men’s 3.0 Division.
Glansberg and so many other veterans accomplished tasks in the military, despite the resistance they faced. So, a little inclement weather didn’t stop the veteran’s tournament; it just postponed some play for this week. “Just another beautiful day in paradise,” Dr. Singh told Glansberg.
This week, Scott Sweeney and Roland Fournier will face Javier Jairala and Steve Frogatt in the Men 3.5 Division. Zara Chowdhury and Felicia Nuelle Daniel will compete against Dani Padovano and Leann Kilareski in the Woman’s 3.0 Division.
Southeast Florida Honor Flight sends veterans and guardians to Washington D.C. four times a year. With 400 veterans on a waiting list, WWII and Korea War veterans get priority. Each flight costs about 125K, and the organization relies on donors and community support to fulfill its mission. “We are grateful for Dr. Singh’s financial support,” Southeast Florida Honor Flight Chairwoman Janet Hoose said.
For more information about Southeast Florida Honor Flight, visit www.honorflightsefl.org.