The vision of a premier tennis and sports facility that would be one of the finest in the country became a reality in the mid 1960’s when W.E. “Slew” Hester, a Jackson native and former USTA president, became the key founder and charter member of River Hills Club.  Slew was a pioneer in the explosion of tennis nation-wide.  Slew was known and respected throughout Mississippi and the entire tennis world.

As President of the USTA, he had hopes of accomplishing something of lasting value during his tenure.  He was the catalyst behind building the U.S. Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow, New York, and subsequently moving the US Open, the most prestigious tennis tournament in America, from the West Side Tennis Club at Forest Hills.  The new facility was aptly called “The House That Slew Built”.  Slew’s dream became a reality and the US Open moved successfully into a new era of prosperity.