By John Tarantino with Rudy Stadlberger

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John started playing handball at the Jewish Community Center in San Francisco in the mid 1960's.  He became handball commissioner for about three years and during that time they remolded the courts to regulation length.  While at the JCC he helped run the Bay Counties Handball League for several years.  He moved to the South End Rowing Club early in 1970 where he continued with the Bay Counties League.  After a few years at the SERC he became president for three years and during that time helped settle the lawsuit against the club and  negotiate a fifty year lease with the City of San Francisco for the South End Rowing Club.  He later took change of the famous Memorial Day Tournament at the South End and ran that event for several years.  He raised several thousand dollars which was used to improve the South End courts.