Who would’ve thought that two tennis rackets as a gift from her Uncle would produce one of the most celebrated female athletes in Kashmere’s history? She was the 1966 Tennis Single State Champion and a member of three consecutive Volleyball City Championship 1964, 1965 and 1966 to name just a few of her accolades. She also graduated in the top five percent with honors in 1967 from Kashmere Gardens Junior-Senior High School. Inez’s God-given talent as a superior athlete was at a time when racism and prejudice were so widespread in the sports of tennis.
Reared in a Christian home in the Fifth Ward area Inez was taught God first, family second, education third and then athletics. Inez father who was a minister made sure that she stayed humble and kept all things in perspective as she multi-task her four goals in life. Inez stated: after receiving the rackets she began playing in the streets and later made the transition to the courts at Finnegan Park. She would always seek out boys to play against, knowing that would take her game to greater heights. As for volleyball, her brothers rigged up a net in the yard and she would practice hours in spiking the ball. Inez vows to her sibling that she would be a starter as a ninth grader. This was a major accomplishment to start on a program that had won six consecutive city titles under the leadership of Coach Gladys Williams. The team would win three more titles before finishing as runner-up Inez’s senior season.
Her most gratifying tennis moment was winning the State Single Championship as a junior defeating C. Brown of Beaumont Charleston Pollard. Her senior year she would finish runner-up in state, she was coached by Ozell Harris in tennis. Her aspiration was to attend Tennessee State University on an athletic scholarship but doing the 60’s female sports wasn’t publicized as in today’s time. Her interest in sports began to fade as she concentrated more on her education, as she prepared herself to enter Texas Southern University.
Inez Tates-Varner Biography
Kashmere Gardens Jr. & Sr. High School c/o 1967
3-year Volleyball City Champs (1964, 1965, & 1966), All-District Selection in Tennis & Volleyball (1965, 1966, 1967)
Most Athletic Female Kashmere Gardens Senior Class 1967
Tennis Single’s State Champ 1966, Single’s State Runner-up 1967
1976 Singles Champ Bicentennial Tennis Tournament, New Orleans, Louisiana
Post Education and Affiliations:
Received Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree from Texas Southern University
Member of St. Rose Church of God in Christ, mission work in Africa, Costa Rico and Cuba for the church
Widowed with one daughter, D’Andre Dillard / son in law Mark Dillard/ grandchildren: De’Marcus and Markesha
Current hobby is working at the Fish and Loaves Soup Kitchen providing for the homeless
Previous owner of Tates Fish Market and Inez Mobile Seafood Truck
Educational Work History:
Taught Physical Education for 5 years at Texas Southern University
Taught Health and Education at Booker T. Washington High School from 1999-2013
Coached Volleyball, Golf, and Tennis 1999-2013, Volleyball District “Coach of the Year Award 2011
Retired in 2013 with an overall record of 80 wins and 30 losses in volleyball