I acted as the moderator of a fascinating evening at the Racquet & Tennis Club earlier this month. It was a discussion with the brothers Bostwick, Pete and Jimmy and about their incredible athletic careers. We expected thirty people. Forty signed up. Seventy showed up.

The Bostwicks were hesitant about doing the event, thinking that they might run out of things to say. Instead, the conversational juices got flowing and I had to cut them off after two hours, and we had just lightly touched upon so many of their stories.

World champions in court tennis. Great ice hockey players (Pete tried out for the Olympic team) despite growing up in South Carolina. Pete played at Forest Hills, and in the 1959 U.S. Open in golf, at Winged Foot (missed the cut, but was one stroke better than Jack Nicklaus) and thus is probably the only guy to play in our national championship in lawn tennis, court tennis and golf.

Jimmy also qualified for the U.S. Open, in Rochester in 1968 (also missed cut) and won the French Amateur in 1964. Both won the Gold Racquets in court tennis and racquets, something no one else had done.

Pete told some stories about playing golf with Ben Hogan and lawn tennis with Nicklaus. Jimmy talked about Pierre Etchebaster. Pierre’s advice, every time, no matter who the opponent was or which court or what the tournament was, it was the same: “One point at a time. No mistakes.”