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Jane "Peaches" Bartkowicz
■ Age: 71
■ Hometown: Hamtramck, Michigan
■ Bio: Bartkowicz was a dominant juniors player but her pro career was short; she retired at age 21 a year after the Original 9 tournament in Houston, in part because of her aversion to the promotional work required to help launch the fledgling Virginia Slims Circuit. Bartkowicz helped pioneer the two-handed backhand shot.
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Rosie Casals
■ Age: 71
■ Hometown: San Francisco
■ Bio: Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1996, the self-declared “rebel” won seven majors doubles titles alongside her close friend, King. Casals won 112 pro doubles championships overall, second all-time only to Martina Navratilova, and was an accomplished singles player, too.
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Judy Dalton
■ Age: 82
■ Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
■ Bio: Dalton was the oldest member of the Original 9 and a highly successful doubles player. She won doubles titles in all four Grand Slams and even after retirement continued to promote women’s tennis as president of the Australian Fed Cup Foundation.
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Julie Heldman
■ Age: 74
■ Hometown: Berkeley, California
■ Bio: Gladys Heldman’s daughter, she was a talented pro player, reaching a No. 5 ranking twice. Heldman was a late addition to the momentous Virginia Slims of Houston tournament after realizing she didn’t want to miss out on contributing to sports history, despite an elbow injury. Heldman later became a lawyer and author, writing a book about her life, her mother and her Original 9 experience.
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Billie Jean King
■ Age: 76
■ Hometown: Long Beach, California
■ Bio: Famous for her on-court success — she won 39 singles and doubles major titles, including a record 20 Wimbledon titles, and became the first woman athlete to earn $100,000 in a season — and promotion of the sport and social justice cause, King helped found the WTA and World TeamTennis, is an International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee and a Presidential Medal of Honor recipient.
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Kristy Pigeon
■ Age: 70
■ Hometown: Danville, California
■ Bio: Pigeon was one of the younger members of the Original 9 in September 1970, playing professionally part of the year, then attending college the other part. Pigeon was close with Original 9 organizer Gladys Heldman. Pigeon played professionally until 1975, and later started a ranch for therapeutic horseback riding in Idaho.
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Kerry Melville Reid
■ Age: 73
■ Hometown: Mosman, Australia
■ Bio: Reid won 26 titles, including the 1977 Australian Open singles crown and the 1968 Wimbledon and 1978 Australian Open doubles titles, during a successful pro tennis career in which she was a top-10 regular. Queen Elizabeth II made Reid a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1979.
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Nancy Richey
■ Age: 78
■ Hometown: San Angelo, Texas
■ Bio: An International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee, Richey reached No. 2 in the world in 1969 and won 69 singles titles in her two-decade career. She won Australian Open and French Open singles championships and four majors doubles titles, while playing around the same time as her equally talented brother, Cliff.
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Valerie Ziegenfuss
■ Age: 71
■ Hometown: San Diego
■ Bio: Ziegenfuss won six titles as a doubles player, as well as a bronze medal in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City with doubles partner, and fellow Original 9 member, Jane “Peaches’’ Bartkowicz. Ziegenfuss still lives in her hometown of San Diego and has an active career in real estate.
