Harriet Somerville collected her share of tennis awards and accolades in a competitive career spanning decades.
Perhaps more enduring will be a legacy of sharing her passion for the sport over a lifetime on the court.
“It was her home, no doubt,” said Betsy Purpura, the youngest of Somerville’s four children, “the tennis court was her home.
“Whether it was through teaching or playing competitive tennis, her joy was on the tennis court and she really loved teaching and sharing that joy with her family and friends.”
A member of the Hawaii Tennis Hall of Fame and matriarch of one of the state’s most influential tennis families, “Hattie” Somerville died Thursday on Kauai at age 81 having devoted much of her life helping others feel at home on the court.
A top-ranked age-group competitor into her 70s, Somerville contributed to the growth of local tennis with her husband, John, as a player and teacher and was inducted into the USTA Hawaii Pacific Section Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007. In recent weeks, she remained active in the tennis community, stringing rackets and running group lessons at Poipu Kai Tennis Club.
“She was very strong and a very proud lady, but she was very compassionate,” said Henry Somerville, one of her twin sons and director of tennis at the Oahu Club. “It wasn’t about her. She was so unselfish, it was always about everybody else and she was always the last one.
“I think that’s what everybody really understood about Hattie. … She would put in that kind of time to make sure everybody felt they were wanted and that they belonged. Those things were so important to her.”
Born on Maui and raised on Oahu, Harriet Metcalf graduated from Punahou and later married John Somerville. They eventually worked together at Waialae Country Club, where John served as director of tennis for more than two decades while Hattie ran the tennis shop.
They introduced their children to the sport as toddlers and the Somerville siblings went on to win five high school state championships.
“She would teach us strategy, she was always watching us play, she would spend countless weekends at various tennis tournaments trying to help us develop as players,” Henry Somerville said. “But a lot of it was she taught us life skills. How to pick yourself up when you’re down or how to maintain a lead and be strong and how to problem solve.”
Henry won the state boys singles championship while leading Kalani to the team title in 1980. Jim Somerville won the 1982 title with the Falcons and Betsy Somerville won three girls singles championships at Punahou (1983, ‘84 and ‘86) before earning All-America honors at Arizona and playing on the Women’s Tennis Association tour.
Betsy Purpura later teamed up with Hattie to win three National Senior Mother-and-Daughter Grass Court Championships and joined her mother in the Hawaii Tennis Hall of Fame in 2011.
“She was an excellent competitor,” Purpura said. “She really could handle in those tough match-point scenarios, and when the match got a little bit close … she was a clutch player.
“She always had a smile on her face and always complimented people on ‘nice shot’ or ‘good match’ and was always really friendly. She’s also a really intense competitor. I think we definitely recognized that and tried to be like that.”
Along with providing an example of balancing fun and competition on the court, Hattie instilled in her children the importance of giving back to the tennis community.
“I cannot even believe how many hours she would give to children to help them learn the basics of the game,” said Purpura, who was recently named the girls varsity coach at Punahou. “When they would come for a one-hour lesson with her, she would give them two and it would just be a one-hour charge.
“It’s just touching people’s lives through a sport and trying to make that sport enjoyable and fun … and that is really in a nutshell what they provided to a lot of people.”
Harriet Somerville is survived by her husband, John, and four children, Hannah (Sirois), Henry, Jim and Betsy (Purpura), and six grandchildren. A celebration of life will be held Sept. 13 at the Poipu Kai Tennis Center on Kauai. Plans for an Oahu memorial are pending.
