Local tennis champion Patten dies

Les Patten was “a gentleman on and off the court,” friends and former rivals uniformly stated on Wednesday.

Patten, 81, died on Monday at Kootenai Memorial Hospital in Coeur d’Alene after an automobile accident. Patten was a legendary local amateur tennis player. He won a record 14 consecutive city championship titles from 1947-60. He is a member of the Inland Northwest Sports and Whitworth College halls of fame.

“No athlete, male or female, has ever dominated his or her sport like he did (in Spokane),” said longtime friend and local tennis historian Kent Brennan.

Dubbed “Perpetual Patten, King of the Courts,” the Lewis and Clark product was a top junior player and lost only one collegiate match in four years at Whitworth College. He once won 57 straight matches.

Patten had his studies at Whitworth interrupted after the first year by his service in the Army during World War II, where he served in the European theater. It was there that he met his wife, the former Georgene Summerson.

Patten graduated in 1950 and joined his father at Standard Finance, a small-loan company that he ran until his retirement.

Patten wasn’t an imposing figure on the courts and lulled many opponents into overconfidence.

“He wasn’t what you call your typical athlete,” said Dick Soss, a former singles opponent and a longtime doubles partner. “He wasn’t athletic. But he had a great deal of experience, great training, and knew the game so well that he could maneuver his opponent into corners.”

Patten took on any and all comers during his reign in Spokane – defeating them all.

“He was so consistent, you would have trouble winning points, never mind games,” said rival Dave Broom. “He did not take a point off. He was the steadiest groundstroker that I can recall.”

Rival players, friends and family members all cited consistency, based on unflappable concentration, and good sportsmanship as the hallmarks of Patten’s game.

“Les was a terrific tennis player because he had great ball control and great mind control,” said Soss. “He knew the game well and enjoyed every game he played.”

“He never beat himself,” added Broom.

The only opponent Patten couldn’t overcome was an aging body. His string of singles titles ended when a case of tennis elbow kept him out of the 1961 city tournament. After that, Patten dominated the doubles scene with a variety of partners until a degenerative shoulder condition limited his overhead activities.

“We had many good years together in doubles,” said Soss. “He was a gentleman on the court and winner for many years. It’s hard to put into words, but Les was such a fine human being and showed that off the court and on the court. It was just a lucky break for me that I got to be able to play with him.”

Patten, who is survived by his wife and three children, was an avid bridge player and attained the Life Master ranking.

In tennis, Patten competed in several Northwest tournaments but wasn’t able to travel a great deal because of family and business obligations.

“His family always came first,” said Georgene.

“He never said a bad word about a person,” said Soss. “He was the nicest, greatest person to have as a friend that you could imagine.”

A memorial service will be held on Monday at 11 a.m. at Manito Presbyterian Church, 401 E. 30th Ave. The family requests that memorial donations be made to church’s endowment fund or to the Whitworth College Scholarship Fund.