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- The Buffalo News, New York, Tuesday, May 21, 2002
General G. Bass Dies, Civil Leader, Tennis Icon
General G. Bass, a community leader and local tennis icon who gave many inner-city children a rare opportunity to learn the sport, died Friday (May 17, 2002) in Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, Amherst, after a lengthy illness. He was 82.
Bass, who lived up to his first name in many respects, was a pioneer, with a list of firsts for Buffalo's African-American community.
He was one the first African-American men to graduate from Canisius College, among the city's first black police officers and became one of the first local African-American coaches when he coached women's tennis.
He was an all-round athlete, but tennis was his passion. After seeing his first tennis match, Bass embraced the sport that was traditionally white and upper-class.
He learned the game when he was 30 from local pros and became dedicated to sharing it with African-American youngsters, most of whom only had been exposed to basketball and football.
Youth tennis became a lifetime commitment, and some of his students went on to win college scholarships for their play.
Bass, a Buffalo teacher for 30 years, first introduced it to students at a junior high school where he was teaching.
Bass went on to develop programs at the JFK Center, Humboldt Park and Martin Luther King Jr. Park for inner-city youths.
Until last summer, Bass still was instructing youngsters at Martin Luther King Jr. Park.
"Tennis has given me a great life, and I just want to share it with as many people as I can," Bass said in 1996.
He was born in Calhoun Falls, S.C., and his family moved to Buffalo when he was 6 months old. He was a baseball and basketball star at Hutchinson-Central High School.
Baseball was his first love. He played for the Buffalo Negro Giants, a barnstorming team that played regional exhibition games.
Bass served in the Army during World War II in North Africa, France and Sardinia.
He graduated from Canisius College in 1951 and received a master's degree from Buffalo State College in 1962.
He worked as a special-education teacher and served as project administrator for several city high schools. At the same time, Bass was a police officer for 19 years and ran the Buffalo's Police Athletic League. He retired from the school district in 1985.
In 1983, he took over a losing Canisius women's tennis team. Five games were the most the team had ever won. During his first year, the team won only two games, but they were successful after that, winning 10 straight and 12 overall. He retired from that position in 1996, with a 129-62 record.
He received many honors and awards for his trailblazing life and community service.
He and his wife, the former Beatrease Love, were married in 1959.
In addition to his wife, survivors include two sons, Leonard of Buffalo and Kevin of Atlanta; two sisters, Beatrice Stenson and Clydean Amaker, both of Buffalo; eight grandchildren; and five great grandchildren.
Services will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday in Bethel AME Church, 1525 Michigan Ave. Burial will be in Forest Lawn.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1921 - 2002 (81 years)