Mervin Andrew Heller, Jr. (June 10, 1947 - August 21, 2012) was a president of the

United States Tennis Association The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, ...

and completed his tenure in 2002. He began with the USTA in 1974 as President of the

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...

District

Tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

Association. In 1991, he was first elected to the

USTA The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, ...

Board of Directors, serving as its Secretary/Treasurer in 1993-1994. Then, in 1999, he became Vice President. Heller was involved in various functions of the

. He was Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee, the Individual Membership Committee and Constitution and Rules Committee. He was also a member of the Nominating Committee, Budget and Finance Committee, Long-Range Planning Committee and Executive Committee. Heller was a President, Vice President and Section Delegate of

Middles States Section. He was given the

Middle States Mangen Award for service to Middle States tennis in 1991. In 1998, Heller was inducted into the

Middle States Hall of Fame. In 1992, Heller established the

Berks County Berks County (Pennsylvania German: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading. The Schuylkill River, a tributary of the Delaware River, ...

Association (BCTA), a community tennis association serving his hometown of

Reading, PA Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philadel ...

, as well as the surrounding communities. In 1999, the ''Reading Eagle-Times'' newspaper recognized him as one of the 50 most influential sports figures over the past 50 years in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Heller graduated from East Stroudsburg State University (ESU). He played on the school's

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

team and went undefeated in conferences matches for his entire four years. Upon graduation, he held the school record for career wins in singles and doubles. In 1990, Heller was inducted into the ESU Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, Heller was recognized by his alma mater with the Helen G. Brown Award. This award is presented by the ESU Alumni Association to its most notable and successful alumni for their lifelong accomplishments. Heller went on to receive his law degree from the

University of Pittsburgh School of Law The University of Pittsburgh School of Law (Pitt Law) was founded in 1895. It became a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools in 1900. Its primary home facility is the Barco Law Building. The school offers four degrees: Master ...

and currently was partner in the law firm of Leisawitz Heller Abramowitch Phillips, P.C. Heller served for over ten years on the Board of Directors and as legal counsel for the

Chamber of Commerce which has a membership of over 2,100 businesses in

. He was a Chairman, and Finance Chairman, of the

Republican Party. Heller, 65, died from cancer on Tuesday, August 21, 2012.WFMZ-TV obituary
In 2014, the Berks County Tennis Association named the Merv Heller Memorial Scholarship in Merv's honor, awarding a $1,000 scholarship to one male and one female high school senior that has shown outstanding qualities on the court, in the classroom and in the community. The annual award is presented at the Berks County Tennis Night of Champions Dinner and Awards ceremony, held each June at the Hits for Hope Tennis Tournament.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heller, Mervin Jr. Sportspeople from Reading, Pennsylvania 2012 deaths Tennis people from Pennsylvania American tennis people 1947 births