Some decades ago Labor Day was as spirited a time as any August day. The big event was the multiple-day Oak Bluffs Tennis Club tournament. The club was founded in 1959 by Sen. Ed Brooke, Lincoln Pope, Barbara Loatman and others.

The tournament took over all of the town courts in Niantic Park, the Island Inn courts and often the Tucker courts. Players would come from all over the country but especially Boston, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Washington, DC. Mayor Sharpe James would bring his boat up from Newark. NAACP Boston Branch president Jack E. Robinson played, Sheldon and Glenn Lloyd from Sportsmen Tennis club played, and so did locals like Jim Brannon, David and Lynn Edmonds and Ray Smith.

Brilliant tennis icon Althea Gibson had become the first Black athlete to cross the color line of international tennis when she won the French Open in 1956. The following year she won both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and in 1958 she would win both titles again. She would come to the Vineyard to play socially in August of  1960. During her weekend stay she was the guest of Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth McClane at their cottage on Dempster Park.

Arthur Ashe would follow and win the U.S. Open (1968), the Australian Open (1970) and Wimbledon (1975). In time, the fabulous Williams sisters would follow.

Evening cocktail sips, dinner dances, boat rides in Nantucket Sound, jazz brunches and cookouts were all part of the social milieu that surrounded the games in Oak Bluffs. The events welcomed all as it was an integrated set of matches, open to all.

But someone outside of the tennis world pushed many people away from tennis. His name is Tiger Woods. When Tiger won the Masters in 1997 many thought heretofore that golf, like tennis previously, was not a sport that all could enjoy. Both of these sports were shrouded in exclusively socially segregated environments. If you cannot belong to the country clubs how can you play tennis or golf?

Today the continued allure of golf and “pickle ball” have significantly diminished the enthusiasm for tennis. Pickleball, the new rage in amateur sports, has exploded all over the country.

Similarly, two social standards that many enjoyed over the years came to mind this weekend have also given way only to pleasant memories. Tom and Jackie Shropshire for many years hosted a lobster fete and dancing on their lovely lawn in Deep Bottom, followed by an equally as impressive party in East Chop hosted by Les and Adrienne Hayling. These two events were at the top of the Vineyard social scene decades ago. I miss them because of the care and attention to detail for hosting. Guests felt special. Today, very few people host at home as restaurants, eating and entertainment venues have stolen some of the old charm of treating friends as family.

Labor Day has a special symbolism for me on the Vineyard. Why? Because it is the seasonal labor that comes to the Island in the summer months to provide the oil for the summer machinery. Many struggle for decent, clean housing, they often walk to and from work, they come early and stay late. Many are fearful that they might be deported or worse. So when you get a chance to leave a good tip, do so and show your appreciation. Labor Day on the Vineyard is 90 days, so cherish those who labor so that we might enjoy life.

Paradise on earth is living the Vineyard experience. Enjoy it as life is fleeting.

Rest in Peace, Randall Edward Taylor.