Local tennis is mourning the loss of a stalwart this week, with the passing of former Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association president Allan Simmons at the age of 87.

Simmons occupied many roles in tennis — leading singles player, coach, umpire, vice-president, president — before being given the title of honorary life vice-president.

“This allowed him to stay around the table,” said David Lambert, another former BLTA president, in recognising the vast experience Simmons had as an administrator. “This is a great loss when it comes to tennis in Bermuda.”

Simmons, who retired as an insurance executive in 1995, served his three-year term as president from 1989 to 1992. He received a Special Achievement Award at the Government Sports Awards in 1995.

“Mr Simmons accomplished everything that one could,” Lambert added. “He was a former No 1 junior and in the open era he won hundreds of titles, both local and overseas.

“He went on to become a director, tournament referee and ran many tournaments, and was one of the founding members of the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association. He is a former president of the BLTA, formed in 1973, and most presidents served the three-year term, but some of us did more than one term.

“Anyone who has played tennis has benefited from Mr Simmons’s wealth of knowledge and his far-reaching contacts.”

Before speaking to The Royal Gazette yesterday, Lambert was on the phone with David Dinkins, the former Mayor of New York City and an old friend of Simmons. They met when Dinkins attended the first Elbow Beach Celebrity Tennis Classic in 2001.

“Allan Simmons knew everyone,” Lambert said. “Whenever I travel, the first thing I was asked when they found out I was from Bermuda was ‘how is Allan doing? Is he here?’ I just spoke to Mayor Dinkins, who sends his condolences. The news is getting out and if it is in The Royal Gazette you can pick it up anywhere in the world. People are calling from all over offering their condolences.

“I remember when Mr Simmons was very instrumental in having Bermuda join the International Tennis Federation as full members. What that did was allow all our national players to travel, and now we have a team overseas competing in the Junior Davis Cup. Much of this is down to Allan Simmons and his efforts, encouragement and persuasion.”

Lambert added: “I remember all those years ago when Allan Simmons and I would go to the airport to welcome the ITF officials, and as soon as they saw him at the airport, they thought, ‘Oh, somebody must be coming in for tennis’.

“Many people saw Allan Simmons as ‘Mr Tennis’, and during my time in office, I was very fortunate to have access to Allan Simmons. I remember when Allan Simmons was the No 1 player in the 45-and-over, but he was also the No 1 player in Bermuda; almost unheard of nowadays.”

Even after his playing career ended, Simmons remained committed to the sport, always available to help in the administration. He was director of the Bank of Bermuda Foundation Tournament for many years.

“Whenever something happened, I would call him at 6.30 in the morning or 11 at night, such as a team stuck in Bolivia or one of our players missed a flight,” Lambert said. “He would say, ‘All right, give me a half-hour, I think I have someone to call’. If he didn’t have the solution, he knew a way to get the solution.

“History is what you lose when you lose someone like Allan Simmons. What I appreciated when Allan Simmons came to meetings is he always carried his files; very much an administrator who believed in facts, rules and regulations.”

Vernal Davis, a former top player in the 1970s and 1980s was also saddened to learn of the passing of Simmons, a player he met many times on the court. “I’m very touched by it,” he said. “Allan was a great friend and a great person.

“He was little bit older than me, but he was competitive, No 1 at one stage, a good administrator who got along with everybody. God made some special people and he was one of them. He always had a very smooth head.

“I knew he was sick and got down to see him in the early part of the year. It’s a big loss. Anybody who has played tennis and knew him had a high regard for him.”

Michael Wolfe, president of the BLTA, said Simmons will be a great miss to a sport that he loved passionately.

“With the passing of Mr Simmons, Bermuda has certainly lost a local tennis legend,” Wolfe said. “If you spent any time around the local tennis scene, you certainly knew of Mr Simmons. He was a man who truly loved the sport and was in one way or another involved in every aspect of the sport.

“From his days as the No 1 player in Bermuda, to his period serving as president of the BLTA, to his many hours spent as a spectator at so many tournaments, he always was around the sport he loved.

“The tennis community certainly will miss him. On behalf of the BLTA, I would like to extend our sincere condolences to his family.”