 Thank you all so much for being here today. My name is Henry Simon and I'm the Assistant City Manager of Operations for the City of Columbia. We would like to welcome you. Just thank you so much for your presence, taking just a moment as we recognize two special people that have successfully blessed this community for many years. Today's been, we have worked tirelessly on the craft and today we are pleased to recognize and salute Mr. Jeff Krufalis and of course the great Mr. Bill Mason for their passion, for their perseverance and love for the game of tennis. Your love for the game of tennis has impacted me and your dedication to the game of tennis have created opportunities for the girls across the City of Columbia as well as the state. Today we are truly grateful to have Jeff continuing to work with the City of Columbia here at the Columbia Tennis Center and we also of course recognize Mr. Bill Mason for leaving a lasting legacy, a footprint that would never never be forgotten. His work will go on for years to come. I think I may or may not recommend City Council members present for this today. Councilman Will Brennan is here with us who represents District 3 State Representative Seth Rose who represents District 72. I'm also hearing that Seth Rose is a excellent tennis player and I want to also share that as well. Also want to acknowledge Jerry Oda who's not here and Shirley Mills who is here. Thank you so much for your presence on today. Shirley as well as Jerry I talk with very often and they're partly responsible for ensuring that the tennis community was present when we recognize others like Domino Bowl where I agree with you as well as those who are recognizing today they're responsible for helping us with having the tennis community to be here so thank you Shirley for your for your presence on today. I also want to acknowledge our City Manager Theresa Wilson with our staff on the inauguration of our new Maryland. Mr. Rickerman I also want to thank the leadership of the Corporation Division, Mr. Ray Dales, Mr. Dales the Director, Doug Elliott, Cary Ridge, Kevin Crawford, Scott Garrett with us. Thank you all so much for your continued support. Councilman Will Brennan will bring some remarks before you also and help be followed by Representative Seth Rose. Councilman Brennan I tell you it's like winter caught up to us today a little bit. I'm going to get this one in but I think Bill wanted us to get this match in so he gave us a little sunshine. You know Bill, Bill taught tennis in 1984. He was the king of the clay courts at Uncanny Humor. Bill worked as a professional tennis instructor here at Columbia for over 35 years. Of course he's still nice and fast but he made it fun and he's making it and he made it so much fun for so many children and adults in the city. Almost 45 years adopted into the University of South Carolina to this hall of fame 2011-77. Professional member of the United States Charter member of the South Carolina professional. Get to meet wonderful due diligence and new residents to come come and enjoy this this athletic rose. We are working hard to get you those upgrades that you need here Jeff that you want here. With that said I'd like to hand it over to Representative Seth Rose. Seth Rose, I serve in the state legislature. I actually represent this area in the South Carolina House of Representatives and during my business week I've been working for three sacrifices and done amazing things for our city and state. What it's rare for me to be able to speak when we are honoring two people that I've known. I was going to pass up here and I've known Jeff and Bill for 22 years. I remember the fall of 1999. It's hard to believe. I see some of the birthdays when kids in college now are more and more I've been looking at 99 the first resurfacing of the courts at our Marseille Tennis Center. So we started the first time I ever did it. I was right here at these schools and I've got Jeff Jeff on the occasions and when you battle with somebody you know I don't carry my basketball in Carolina you can tell you the profound impact a coach can have on you but also the camaraderie and when I see Jeff you've had to see him before a year or a couple months it's just like yesterday and the lies that he's touched coaching the support of tennis. Teach many kids go to some neighborhoods where a lot of kids might have had the opportunity or ever seen a tennis racket they've taught them tennis and the thing about this sport is that it really teaches you a lot of life lessons. One of the things I remember I had in childhood coaches would be to ask to sit back for a bad call or bad luck for Jeff to be able to go to this sport up to various communities and any kids that wouldn't have had the opportunity because it would be an area to think about. 35 years to think about the number of lies they've touched and the impact and I can tell you first me and Jeff might have a future in politics if he wants it because everybody in the city of Colombia knows Jeff Kapalos and what a good man he is a new Bill Mason and what a good man he was. I can tell you it's through college law school now having a wife and family Jeff's taught my two young boys tennis here and teaches my in-laws now but for me to come here and not see Bill Mason was a constant here somebody would always ask everybody how's your day going up to house life it just doesn't feel the same and so I want to say thank you to councilman Brennan city parks and staff for recognizing these two extraordinary people who have touched so many people's lives so many kids' lives and I want to say thank you to each of you for coming out bringing the cold weather as we honor Jeff and Bill and on a personal note I want to say thank you to Bill's family you know for sharing him with us all these decades I know my life is better by my conversations with him and obviously with Jeff I'm not sharing that I didn't grow up with a you know I'm at my father's the first time when I was 25 years old I was raised by my grandmother and my mom along with the tennis player who played nice with tennis and you know Jeff is kind of like a father to me and plus I have to say really nice things about Jeff because he has some college stories I don't want to share there's no marifiable proof of that so you can either confirm or organize them but in all seriousness to Bill and Bill's family and Jeff thank you for bringing me you know the kids' lives you've touched and I just want to say thank you to each of my daughter Rollins and I want to say I feel very blessed Representative Rose was talking about my father which is my explanation it's tough to lose experience about Bill he has left a lasting legacy he came in contact with through the game that he loved and oftentimes we wait too late to give someone their flowers instead of doing it while they're here wait so this is bittersweet we still have Jeff with us and we want to continue to give him his flowers while he is still here present and engaged and training and impacting people and at the same time we have Bill's sister here with us that we can share this moment with so I want to give this sister such a Kathy an opportunity to come to make some more Kathy thank you so much Bill's path here to the tennis center was not on a straight narrow one he started out the budget and control board working in data processing and then after about eight years he got very ill with food allergies and had to medically retire then he when he got strong again he started thinking about what could he do in life he would really enjoy and tennis just was at the top of the list so he started going to little tennis courts in Bishopville and Camden and teaching lessons and just plowing through I remember one night I was sitting with him and I said you know Billy tennis is a fun hobby but I don't think you'll never ever make a career out of it thankfully I was wrong about that and he should prove me wrong but as a brother and as a tennis coach he was the best I want to thank everybody that's here and everybody that touched his life too because he didn't ever get married he didn't have a family but he felt like he had a family here through the city of Columbia and with Jeff and Ken and the whole group of the community around him he gave him an acceptance and he gave him a support and he gave him concern here and particularly with Jeff even to the very end so thank you all so much for honoring him I'm sure he would be humbled and he would um as Jeff said probably go in the background and say yes I'll bring him up soon so we thank you again for being here for the way that we live thank you we have something that we want to present to you on behalf of on behalf of Bill Randy Canyon when you all get this for me um I'm going to take some pictures as well this is something that um we thought about and we wanted to put something in your hands for you to remember remember Bill so we want to present this to you and this reads in honor of Mr. William Bill Mason for over 35 years of dedicated and committed service to the Columbia Tennis community this is for Bill this is for his family this is for the tennis community thank you so much for sharing Bill and Jeff you didn't you didn't say a whole lot but a lot of times when men don't say a whole lot they they they let their actions action speak and you again taught a lot of people and again we want to thank you so much for your ongoing service and commitment to the Columbia Tennis Center the city of Columbia and the tennis community so thank you and congratulations we hope that you are around for a little while longer citizens of the city of Columbia thank you so much Jeff right that that concludes our ceremony for today again thank you Kathy and Ted for your presence on today representing your your brother thank you again Jeff and your family for being with us today thank I want to thank the Tennis community um Kathy um Shirley excuse me do you have anything you would like to share Shirley I know I'm putting you on the spot but you were you were important to this event so I want to give you that opportunity good afternoon I really don't have much to say I'm just so thrilled to be here and know that the city of Columbia recognizes the impact that that Tennis has on our community and I'm so proud that they've made this commitment to the facilities and also recognize the commitment that people maybe in here I'm so glad to see Seth Rose because I know he's going to help us secure revenue that we need at the State House I want to thank Henry what a great leader he is for parks and recreation and all the other things that fall under his purview and to all the staff that are here from the city thank you all for your commitment to recreation it's so important every day I have to come so concerned when I hear the numbers on the pandemic and I realize how it's more and more important for us to provide outdoor recreation activities for our community and Tennis it's just the one that you know the entire family no matter how old as you can see I'm old and hippy hoppy and but we're playing tennis as often as we possibly can so thank you all so much for being here and for this opportunity to say hey