IAN
FROMAN
Country: South Africa
Born: May 6, 1937, in Johannesburg, South
Africa
Ian Froman is one of six founding members of the Israel Tennis Centers
(ITCs) and ITC’s Israel countrywide program. Froman conceived the
idea
for the ITCs in 1973, and within a year, met four Americans—Rubin
Josephs, Harold Landesberg, Dr. William Lippy, and Joe Shane—and
English
tennis star Angela Buxton, who agreed to secure the necessary funds
and sites to make the dream a reality.
In the summer of 1976, a 14-court Tennis Centre was opened at Ramat
Hasharon. It would be the first of what now is 12 centres throughout
the
State of Israel—Arad, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Beersheva, Haifa, Jaffa,
Jerusalem,
Kiryat Shemona, Ofakim, South Tel Aviv, Tiberias, and Ramat Hasharon.
A
Johannesburg dentist who “made aliyah” (immigrated to
Israel) in
1964, Froman has devoted all his time to the establishment and development
of the Israel Tennis Centres. A longtime tennis enthusiast, Froman
represented
his native South Africa in Davis Cup competition and at Wimbledon.
Since
the outset, Froman accepted the hands-on responsibility for
ITC’s program’s development. The ITCs have brought
the world of tennis
to 190,000 children since 1996, giving them an opportunity to not
only enjoy
a lifetime sport, but offering an environment of social integration
among youngsters of a multi-cultural nation.
In presenting the Israel Prize to Froman in 1989, Israeli President
Chaim Herzog stated, “You have created a virtual social revolution
throughout Israel.” |