James Alton "Mutt" Schulze passed away in Denton on Saturday, 12-26-09 at the age of 89. Born 10-28-20 in Abbott, TX, he was preceded in death by his parents, Georgie Lee and James Henry Schulze, his brothers, David Schulze of Detroit, MI, and Jesse Schulze of Waco, TX, and sisters Alma Knoph of Waco, TX and Dixie Weatherall of Denton, TX. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Margaret, of Denton and his daughter, Dixie McMath and husband, Bill McMath of Corinth.
Mr. Schulze graduated from Waco High School in 1938. He then attended East Texas State University in Commerce (now Texas A&M Commerce) on a tennis scholarship where he graduated in 1945 with a BS in Industrial Arts and in 1946 with an MS in Education. His college years were interrupted by WWII from 1942-1944 when he was a US Air Force pilot in the 439th Troop Carrier Group, 93rd Squadron, Europe.
While serving in the Air Force, he was part of the D-Day invasion of Europe and dropped paratroopers and towed Horsa gliders into France. He participated in the invasion of Southern France and was part of the Rhine-Arno Campaign and the Battle of the Bulge. His military honors include the Air Medal w/Oak Leaf Clusters, Distinguished Unit Citation for European-African-Middle Eastern Ribbon w/ 7 Battle stars, Bronze Star to ETO Ribbon, and Special Citation for Smoke-Screen Missions.
Upon leaving the service, he began 13 years of coaching tennis and teaching at Commerce High School followed by Greenville High School where he developed state tennis champions at both schools. He influenced hundreds of young players, many of whom have stayed in contact with him through the years. While in Commerce he also built his own house, doing all of the inside and outside work except foundation, plumbing, and electrical. Living in Greenville he continued his love for flying by purchasing a Stinson 10 airplane which he started restoring in his garage. After moving to Denton in 1960, he later finished the plane and commuted to his job in Amarillo, TX as an employee with the Texas Highway Department, Material and Tests Division.
In 1967 he was hired by Wilson Sporting Goods as a Tennis Sales/Promotion Representative. He umpired and called lines for many major tournaments. He called the service line for the famous "Battle of the Sexes" match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in Houston. He enjoyed his 15 years of employment with Wilson and his association with top tennis athletes. Upon his retirement from Wilson in 1983, he became the tennis coach at Texas Woman's University for 13 more years of wonderful tennis experiences.
During his years on the tennis scene, he accomplished many personal honors. In 1953, at age 33, he won the Texas Sectional Men's Open Singles as well as the Texas Men's Doubles in 1946 and 1948, and Mixed Doubles in 1946 and 1958. He was honored for his many years of contributions to the sport of Tennis by being inducted into the East Texas State University Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco, Texas in 1990. He finished his tennis career by taking the Senior Olympic Games by storm winning 13 Gold Medals from 1984-1999, playing his last competitive match at the age of 82 in Baton Rouge, La. He was inducted into the Senior Olympic Games Hall of Fame in Oct. of 2004.
Mr. Schulze was an accomplished athlete, artist, and craftsman. His cheerful personality and love of laughter made him a joy to his family and friends. He had an incredible love for animals, especially his beloved dogs, Harold and Buffy, and a host of adopted stray cats. He was a gentle, kind man with a big heart and a wonderful sense of humor and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Family visitation will be from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday December 28, 2009 at the funeral home. A Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 PM December 29, 2009 in the chapel of Mulkey-Mason, Jack Schmitz and Son Funeral Home, 705 N. Locust, Denton, TX.
The family has requested that memorial donations be sent to:
Texas Tennis Hall of Fame
1108 South University Parks Drive
Waco, Texas 76706.