July League & JTT Captains of the Month
Congrats to our Adult League and JTT Captains of the Month for July! The recipients are Helen Lee Campassi and Kevin Morrow!
Helen Lee Campassi, originally from Korea, moved to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, with her family in 1970. She pursued her undergraduate studies at William Carey College and graduated from the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in 1982. Shortly after graduation, she married her classmate, and they recently celebrated their 42nd wedding anniversary.
Helen's early career included a year at a public health clinic in Eutaw, Alabama, where she treated the indigent population. In 1983, she opened her private general practice in West Point, Mississippi, where she worked until her retirement in December 2019.
Helen has one daughter who resides in Collierville, Tennessee, and is the proud grandmother of two granddaughters, aged 9 and 5, both with auburn hair and hazel eyes. She often jokes about hoping no one calls an "Amber Alert" when she is out alone with her granddaughters.
In 1995, Helen began playing tennis as a way to cope with depression, improve her mental health, and make friends. She joined USTA league teams and quickly realized that captaining teams would allow her to play more frequently. Since about 1999, Helen has been captaining almost every season for the past 25 years, except for a few seasons due to injuries.
Helen's favorite part of being a captain is being part of a wonderful group of people. Her tennis friends have supported her during the lowest times of her life and shared in her happiest moments. Her teams have competed in many state championships, and her 40+ 3.0-4.0 Tri-Level Team won the state championship and advanced to the Southern Sectional.
Kevin Morrow of Pontotoc, Mississippi has been a JTT (Junior Team Tennis) captain on and off for at least 15 years. Since 1990, he has also served as the tennis coach at Pontotoc High School, using JTT to encourage his players to compete beyond the regular spring season.
Born and raised in Pontotoc, Kevin graduated from Pontotoc High School in 1978. He earned a Bible degree from a small college in Alberta, Canada, before living in Memphis and Colorado Springs. In 1986, he returned to Pontotoc to help his father, who had ALS, and took up a teaching position, teaching for 34 years until his retirement three years ago.
An avid tennis player himself, Kevin started playing league tennis in the early 2000s. His 3.5 team won the state championship in 2009 and competed at regionals in Birmingham, AL. He continued playing on a 4.0 team for several years. Although he has no wife or kids, he has 27 nieces and nephews.
Tennis is a big part of Kevin's life, and he enjoys teaching this lifelong sport to the kids in his community. With Pontotoc boasting a great facility with eight hard courts, he dreams of adding two indoor courts to provide year-round tennis. Now retired from teaching, Kevin is dedicated to growing tennis in Pontotoc and surrounding communities. Keep moving and keep swinging!
