On Wednesday, Aug. 19, the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club and Southern California Tennis Association Foundation are co-hosting a special night to celebrate the life and times of long-time San Diego and Rancho Santa Fe resident Charlie Pasarell, and the launch of his autobiography “Serving First: Dreams Realized and Lessons Learned from Family, Friends, and a Life in Tennis”, a news release stated.

Spanning over six decades, Pasarell is recognized as one of the most influential players, organizers, and promoters in tennis history. America’s number one-ranked player in 1967 and one of the best in the world over the course of a 15-year world career, Pasarell was both well-liked and highly respected by his peers, the news release stated.

In the late ‘60s, as the world of tennis transformed itself from the old school amateur days into a full-fledged professional sport, Pasarell was front and center at all stages. In addition to his on-court success, his early off-court activities included a leading role in the formation of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and co-founding the National Junior Tennis League (NJTL).

After hanging up his racquet in the late ‘70s, Pasarell took over an endangered ATP event in the Palm Springs area, which he transformed into the hugely popular Indian Wells BNPs Paribas Open. This event is unofficially considered tennis’ fifth most important tournament, ranking only behind the four majors. In recognition of his accomplishments both on and off the court, Pasarell was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013.

Richard Evans, a well respected long-time tennis journalist and author of 23 books, will join Pasarell for this special evening to trade behind-the-scenes stories and tennis history from the 1960s to the present day. Evans is a fellow inductee in the International Tennis Hall of Fame and a long-time friend of Pasarell. Finally, Joel Drucker, a historian-at-large for the Hall of Fame and co-author of Serving First, will moderate what is sure to be a lively and engaging conversation, according to the news release.

This special evening starts at 6:30 p.m. at the La Jolla Beach Club’s Spindrift Pavilion and will run through 9 p.m. A full bar, four stations of hors d’oeuvres, great stories, and autographed copies of Pasarell’s book for all attendees are included at a cost of $125 per person. All proceeds after costs will be donated to the Southern California Tennis Association Foundation (SCTA Foundation).

To reserve a spot for this special evening, go to the SCTA Foundation website atwww.sctafoundation.org or contact Linda Milan, executive director of the SCTA Foundation at lmilan@sctafoundation.org or 310-824-5139 (call or text).