Courtesy photo The Escanaba Area Public Schools accepted a $50,000.00 donation toward the improvement of district tennis facilities. Jeff Abrahamson presented the donation on behalf of his mother, Patricia Abrahamson, who intends to donate a total of $200,000 to resurface existing tennis courts, construct four new courts, and build a pavilion for players and spectators. shown, from left, are Tom Penegor, Coby Fletcher, Jeff Abrahamson, and Kristen Farkas.

ESCANABA — On Tuesday, November 23, the Escanaba Area Public Schools accepted a $50,000 donation toward the improvement of district tennis facilities. Jeff Abrahamson presented the donation on behalf of his mother, Patricia Abrahamson, who intends to donate a total of $200,000 to resurface existing tennis courts, construct four new courts, and build a pavilion for players and spectators.

“It’s been a couple of years since I first started talking with my mom about making improvements to the tennis program,” said Abrahamson. “And now that she’s on-board with funding, we can be assured that the new facility will be first-class — to include a handsomely designed and upscale tennis pavilion as well as new state-of-the-art tennis court colors used by the U.S. Open and many college facilities. This will be a great help to Eskymos tennis and to the broader tennis community in the area. It will also build on the success of the boys and girls tennis programs over the years. Tennis is such a great sport, no matter if you’re young or old.”

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our tennis program,” said Boys Tennis Coach Tom Penegor. “Both our girls and boys teams have done very well lately, and this donation will make our facilities top notch. We also won’t have to spread out as much when we host meets. We will even have enough courts to host the UP Finals for the first time in our history.”

Currently, the district uses its own courts and other courts throughout the city when meets take place. This can make it difficult for teams and coaches, who have to drive to different locations for matches. Having eight courts on a single site will significantly cut down on travel.

Dr. Coby Fletcher, superintendent of schools, noted the ongoing generosity of the Abrahamson family. “A few years ago, a donation from Mrs. Abrahamson allowed us to make huge upgrades to our softball facilities. With this donation, we’ll be able to do the same for tennis. I’m continually amazed at the giving nature of our community.”

Work on the new courts is expected to begin in the spring and will be completed in time for the 2022-23 tennis seasons.