On the cusp of the spring season, a cherished piece of Martha’s Vineyard history is preparing to resurge on the tennis courts.
The Oak Bluffs Tennis Club, founded in 1959, was once a cornerstone in the Black community on the Island, where local families practiced excellence, competition, and unity. After a three-decade hiatus, the club’s revival is set to be heralded in September by the re-launch of its historic Labor Day weekend tournament.
Gatbsy Coram, a fifth-generation Vineyarder and seasonal resident, along with his wife Donella Coram, are stewarding the club’s return. Their goal is not to reinvent the club, but to continue its service to the Island, and preserve its legacy by honoring its historic roots.
“I am a fifth generation Vineyarder, and this work is deeply personal for me,” Gatsby Coram told The Times in an email. It is rooted in family history, responsibility, and a desire to give something meaningful back to a place that has shaped generations before me.”
The club started as an impromptu round-robin tournament at Niantic Park in 1959, organized by Oak Bluffs residents Gloria Pope and Lincoln Pope Jr. What started as a small gathering of friends, including Island families like the Downings and Haylings, grew into a beloved annual Labor Day event that features singles, doubles, and mixed doubles play, drawing the increasing attention of families, competitors, and spectators to the competition from 1960 to 1980, before the tradition faded in the mid-1990s.
The Labor Day tradition started and grew amid the times of the Negro Motorist Green Book, a travel guide published from 1936 to 1967 aimed at helping Black travelers identify safe locations, accommodations, and work during the era of segregation and the Jim Crow laws. Oak Bluffs was noted by the Green Book as a welcoming and safe destination on Martha’s Vineyard, with Black-owned inns listed, such as Shearer Cottage, a family owned business that opened in 1903, according to the Smithsonian. Shearer Cottage was the first inn to serve as a sanctuary for Black visitors on the Island and contributed to making Oak Bluffs a safe haven where Black families could build communities.
One of Coram’s major priorities is expanding opportunities for children, particularly through scholarships, free or low-cost lessons, and clinics.
With the blessing of Lance Pope, son of Gloria and Lincoln, the Corams are carrying the club’s legacy forward. Coram said the club will be revived with a focus on a civic mission called “tennis with purpose,” focused on creating opportunities for the youth and broader community through philanthropy, and community connection.
The Labor Day weekend tournament is only the beginning of the club’s revival. The goal is to create a more consistent presence on the Island by offering free or low cost lessons, and clinics that introduce families to tennis in a welcoming way.
Coram, an artist, actor, and designer who runs Walker Noble Studios, believes it’s important to introduce kids, and particularly children of color, to less mainstream sports, like tennis or golf, early.
“Not every kid is going to be 6 [foot] 8 [inches] and be able to play basketball or football at a high level, the barrier for those sports is very high. It’s very hard to make it and that’s not to say tennis isn’t hard to make it at all but if we introduce kids to these other sports we will have more Serena and Venus Williams and Tiger Woods,” said Coram. “I think it’s just about possibilities and exposure. There are so many different avenues for all children to express themselves and find joy in sports… let the kids decide.”
Coram’s motivation to reestablish the club also stems from his family. He and Donella have two children and he wants a space where they can grow up learning and competing in tennis on the Island.
“I have two young children, ages three and four, and part of my motivation is building something they can grow up around. Tennis has the ability to open doors early, and I’d love to see more Island kids have access to that opportunity,” said Coram.
Coram said they are still finalizing discussions for locations for the tournament on Labor Day weekend, with a couple possible avenues available. Similar to the tournaments from the 1960s, this will include singles and doubles divisions but also feature a kids section. Time will also be set aside for lessons, clinics, and providing gear to participants. Coram said they are also in talks with the American Tennis Association and the United States Tennis Association for the club’s future with youth programming and long-term sustainability.
The club’s revival has been underway since late 2025, with an official public presence on Instagram and the club’s website.