President Kimberley Park Tennis Association Dream big dreams. I have four passions in my life: aviation, chess, art, and tennis. Each has played a unique role in shaping who I am and teaching me that with dedication, perseverance, and faith in yourself, dreams really can come true. My first passion was aviation. As a child, I would look up into the sky and watch airplanes flying overhead, dreaming that one day I would be up there flying one myself. That childhood dream became a reality when I earned my FAA pilot’s license in 1980. The feeling of accomplishment was indescribable. What began as a boy simply looking toward the sky became a lifelong achievement. My second passion is chess. I have been playing chess since elementary school. Over the years, chess became much more than a game for me, it taught me patience, discipline, strategy, and the importance of thinking several moves ahead. I served as president of Winston-Salem Chess, the city’s chess club, for four years and achieved a United States Chess Federation (USCF) rating of over 2000. My third passion is art. My love for art began with the drawings I created in elementary school and continued to grow throughout my life. Today, I am a member of Associated Artists of Winston-Salem, where I have had the opportunity to develop my skills as a professional artist. I paint landscapes, seascapes, and portraits. For me, art is another way of seeing the world and sharing that vision with others. My fourth passion is tennis. I started playing tennis during my sophomore year at Wake Forest University. I was inspired by Arthur Ashe, particularly by his historic victory at Wimbledon, and I became increasingly involved in the sport. Tennis eventually became more than a passion; it became a way for me to give back. For more than 20 years, I have coached junior tennis players. Since retiring, I have devoted myself as a full-time volunteer coach in our NJTL program, working with young people and helping them discover the opportunities that tennis can provide. Today, when I look back on my life, I see four passions that have taken me on four very different journeys. Aviation taught me to reach for the sky. Chess taught me to think strategically. Art taught me to see beauty and express what I see. Tennis taught me the importance of discipline, perseverance, and giving back. Most importantly, these passions have taught me one thing: dreams do come true. That is the message I want to share with every young person I encounter: Dream big. Believe in yourself. Work for your dreams. And never allow anyone to convince you that your dreams are too big. I once looked up at airplanes flying across the sky and dreamed of being up there. I made that dream a reality. Now, through tennis, I have the privilege of helping the next generation look toward their own dreams and believe that they can make them a reality too.