Jacobs, Helen Hull, 1908-1997

Helen Hull Jacobs (b. Aug. 6, 1908, Globe, AZ–d. June 2, 1997, East Hampton, NY) was a tennis player nad author. She earned a degree at the University of California, Berkeley before playing professional tennis. Jacobs won five Grand Slam singles titles and was an eleven-time Grand Slam singles runner-up, three Grand Slam women's doubles titles and one in mixed doubles. She also won the singles and women's doubles titles at the Italian Championships in 1934 and was a member of the U.S. Wightman Cup team from 1927 through 1937 and again in 1939. In 1933, Jacobs became the first woman to break with tradition by wearing man-tailored shorts at Wimbledon.

Hull was also an author of fiction and nonfiction. She published several books: Modern Tennis (1933), Improve Your Tennis (1936), Storm Against the Wind (1944), Beyond the Game (1936), Gallery of Champions (1949). She also served as a commander in the U.S. Navy intelligence during World War II, one of only five women to achieve that rank in the Navy.