Junior squash in the United States has grown substantially in both the number of players and the quality of the game over the past 10 years. In 1996, the United States Squash Racquets Association sanctioned only a few dozen junior tournaments. Today, the Association sanctions nearly 150 junior tournaments with many hundreds of players participating. The considerable growth of junior squash over the past decade can be attributed to the individual efforts of several outstanding individuals, none of whom was more important than Carl Stanford Forsythe III, who passed away at the age of 66 on July 12, 2009, after a battle with cancer.
Carl, known to his friends simply as “Mouse,” was born to Virginia Dae Cluff Forsythe and Carl Stanford Forsythe in 1942. After attending Phillips Andover Academy, Carl attended Yale University and then Columbia University Law and Business Schools. A life-long resident of Greenwich (CT), Carl ran a local law firm in which he was the lead partner. He was an active volunteer and board member of many clubs and associations. He shared his many stories and expertise with the Bruce Museum, the Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich, the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and the Yale Alumni Association among many others. Carl was also an accomplished athlete, staying active with squash, tennis, paddle tennis, and skiing well into his later years.
Some of Carl’s greatest contributions, however, were in the squash community. He was one of the original benefactors of the Junior Development Fund (founded in 1996 by Camille and Bill Broadbent) and was a consistent supporter of the Fund throughout the remainder of his lifetime. Today, the Junior Development Fund has grown to nearly $1 million with the support of many generous donors like Carl . The Junior Development Fund distributes money to programs or organizations providing squash instruction to junior players in an organized, structured manner, with the primary focus of providing affordable access to squash to those who wish to learn. Portions of the distributions also support the U.S. Junior Team to ensure that any player who qualifies for the team is able to compete internationally, regardless of his or her financial means. The Junior Fund is managed by the U.S. SQUASH Investment Committee.
Those in the squash community remember Carl as a generous, engaging man who had a passion for the game of squash. Bill Broadbent recalls when he first met with Mouse to discuss the junior development fund initiatives, “Mouse was a quick study who understood the impact that racquet sports had on so many young men and women. He immediately became an enthusiastic supporter of our endowment program.” Palmer Page, CEO of U.S. SQUASH from 2003 to 2004, remarks: “I enjoyed getting to know Carl and found him to be a very warm and friendly man as did everyone who was fortunate enough to get to know him. He was very modest about his own accomplishments both on the courts and off, but bold in his contributions to help others.”
Carl Forsythe’s contributions to the squash community, including his support of the Junior Development Fund, were incalculable. Carl was a caring, generous man who will be missed in the squash community and beyond.
