At our annual banquet at Guadalajara's Restaurant on July 20, 2023, the Spearfish Tennis Association inducted Walter(Walt) Cook and Joe Doerges into the Spearfish Tennis Association Hall of Fame.

After Kent Meyers introduced Walt and Kyle Doerges introduced Joe.
Paul Soriano presented certificates inducting them into the STA Hall of Fame.
Tom Fitch then presented them with court signs which will be mounted at the Spearfish High School Tennis Courts

Walt Cook and Joe Doerges have supported tennis in the community for many years, and each in his own way has been instrumental in nurturing players and expanding opportunities for play.

Walt Cook

Walt Cook was one of the original members of the Spearfish Tennis Association and was on the board of directors for twenty years. A strong believer in the idea that the health and growth of tennis in the community depends on cooperation, he was a persistent force in convincing city administrators and the school to work together with the STA. His mediation was instrumental in the planning and construction of the high school courts, and the model of cooperation he instituted continues to be a vital part of Spearfish’s tennis community. As a teacher, coach, and advocate, he started a tennis program in the Physical Education department at BHSU, worked with young players in the Spearfish Summer Recreation program, and was a volunteer coach for several years for the Spearfish Junior High program. In order to more effectively work with students, he got a Professional Tennis Teaching certificate late in his life. Walt’s influence on tennis in Spearfish is long-lasting and resides in the physical infrastructure itself, the positive working relationship the STA has with the city and the school, and in the numerous students and players who have learned from his instruction.

Joe Doerges

Joe Doerges has been involved with tennis for over five decades. He was the head boys’ tennis coach in Clear Lake, Iowa for 16 years, and was involved with the Winterset, Iowa parks and rec tennis program for nine years. Soon after arriving in Spearfish in 2012, Doerges joined the STA, and has been a board member ever since, serving at various times as president, vice-president, and treasurer. He has been a volunteer coach for both boys and girls tennis in the school and was influential in forming an after-school program for boys and girls, grades 6-8, during the regular season, which provides a foundation for upcoming varsity players. Doerges has also been an important contact between the STA and the USTA, and has guided the organization through several grants that have improved the facilities in important ways.