The Marshall Family Foundation is named after Mr. Ben Marshall and his lovely wife of 52 years, Lena Marshall. Its the selfless life work that both of them live by and teach others. Mr. Marshall worked as a school teacher at Flint Northwestern from October 1969 until his retirement in 2000. Mr. Marshall was was Head of the English Department, the Honor Roll Society, and worked as an announcer at countless football and basketball games. With no professional tennis experience, he asked and become the Head Coach of the boys' tennis team in 1978, and was appointed to the same position with the girls' tennis team in 1980. Tennis was not a popular sport in the inner city so my dad had to recruit and promote the sport, and sometimes beg kids to try the sport. After much promoting he was able to get kids to try and play the game of tennis. His motto was simple, discipline first and tennis second. From 1982 until 1998 he was also the Head Coach for the Northwestern center for the summer National Junior Tennis League (NJTL). Through word of mouth kids for other schools signed up and my disciplined and coached. His coaching prowess helped him win 4 NJTL summer Championship trophies during his tenure as coach. My father passionately taught tennis to many area kids that didn't even attend Northwestern. When my father retired from coaching tennis at Northwestern and the summer NJTL in 1998, Derik Johnson, a student that my dad introduced the game of tennis to him when he was a sophomore, replaced him as coach. My father introduced was the one that introduced Arthur Grundy to the game of tennis. Mr. & Mrs. Marshall helped educate, cultivate and open up many doors for many area kids by teaching them the game of tennis. He built a tennis program from the ground up and positively influenced hundreds of kids through the sport of tennis in the Flint area. I can't think of a more deserving person to name this Foundation after that I've started because in essence my life's work is trying to do what I've watched Mr. Marshall do my entire life, and that's teach & inspire the minds of tomorrow, today.....Its in these two great people's energy, faith and spirit that our group be known AS Ben & Lena Marshall Foundation March 27th 2015...
