In 1996, Ernest Hartzog, PhD., Assistant Superintendent of Portland Public Schools and Nancy Osmond, from the Pacific Northwest Section of the United States Tennis Association collaborated to create Portland After-School Tennis (PAST).  The mission was to provide children from low-income families the access to the sport of tennis. After-school tennis was offered at 18 schools throughout the Portland Public School District. In 2007, Dr. Hartzog brought Danice Brown on board as the Executive Director and over the next couple of years, she introduced an educational component by adding reading, life skills, and family engagement to the program’s offering. As a result, the organization changed the name to Portland Tennis & Education (PT&E) to reflect the broader mission of the non-profit organization.

Dr. Hartzog’s legacy continues on through the Dr. Ernest E. Hartzog Scholarship Fund. This fund provides continued support to PT&E’s graduating members of our year-round, K-12 programming. At PT&E, 100% of Scholar Athletes have graduated from high school on-time. While many have completed their bachelors, a few are still working towards their doctorates! Graduating PT&E seniors can apply for scholarships to put towards expenses on their post-secondary path.