The Scoop: FRIDAY, MARCH 14

Carol Newsom: leading tennis photographer dies
Loses three-year battle with breast cancer

By Sandra Harwitt
tennisreporters.net

tennisreporters.net is saddened by the loss of Carol Newsom, our photographer colleague and good friend, who helped blaze a path for women photographers in sports. The 56-year-old native Bostonian passed away at Metro West Medical Center in Framingham, Mass on Thursday morning after a three-year battle with breast cancer.

Dedicated to the art of photography, Carol did not miss a Wimbledon, Roland Garros or US Open while undergoing treatment for breast cancer these past three years. She also continued to work at her craft the past 12 years that she's been battling multiple sclerosis, despite the fact that the disease did take a toll on her eyesight.

Formerly a math teacher at a Boston high school, Carol began photographing tennis on the side in 1974. It wasn't long after her initial introduction to photography that her days teaching ended and she started to chronicle the sport of tennis with her pictures.

In 1980, Carol joined the elite of the sports photography world when she became the first woman in history that Wimbledon provided with a photographer's working pass to Centre Court. Her pioneering spirit opened doors for others to follow and led to Carol becoming the official tournament photographer at the Longwood Cricket Club as well as the official Virginia Slims Tennis tour photographer for a 10-year period.

During her career, Carol was honored with the Kodak Photojournalism Award in 1986, the WTA Tour's Media Person of the Year in 1987 and the Spirit of Wimbledon photo competition in 1988.

Up until a few weeks ago, Carol was still planning on covering the French Open this May, even though it would mean she would be missing her induction into the New England Tennis Hall of Fame.

In an obituary written by Bud Collins in the Boston Globe on Friday, Collins remembered that at the US Open last September Carol commented, "I have two jobs – pictures and fighting [the cancer]. It's a good fight."

Collins also recollected Carol's approach to her career in her own words – "[I'm] always looking for a wow! With my camera."