Simon Piacente Memorial

Honoring Simon piacente

Simon was Certified Tennis Pro (2009-2024) and Tennis Director (2020-2024) of the Western Springs Recreation Department’s Tennis Program. He inspired a lifelong love of tennis in our community.

Our foundation is collaborating with the Western Springs Tennis Community, Western Springs Recreation Department and Western Springs Park District to fund a memorial plaque in honor of Simon, who unexpectedly passed away on January 2nd, 2024, at age 50.

Simon’s Memorial Dedication Update

A beautiful dedication ceremony was held in honor of Simon on June 22, 2024 by the entrance of the tennis courts where his memorial plaque is now installed. Close to 100 people attended, and some shared their personal Simon stories. Following the dedication, members of the tennis community had drills with Simon’s favorite tunes.

4 scholarships, each in the amount of $1,000 were awarded to the following athletes during the July 2024 park district meeting.

  • Mason Mazzone (University of Missouri, International Business)

  • Theo Bourgeois (Purdue, Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering)

  • Scarlett Rahman (University of Iowa, Finance)

  • Melissa Blouin (Clemson University, Special Education)


Scholarship Fund Update (June 7, 2024):

Please see scholarship details and application link below(clicking on the graphic below will open the application form). For any questions or scholarship candidate recommendations - please feel free to reach out to Lisa directly.

Application deadline is Tuesday, June 26th.


Scholarship Fund Update (May 25, 2024):

With the generosity of our community, we were able to fund the commemorative bronze plaque, and set aside $5,000 for youth tennis scholarships!

The Park District of Western Springs has established a series of scholarships to honor the “legacy of a legend”, Head Pro and Program Director of the Spring Rock Tennis Center, Simon Piacente. 

The first will be a scholarship to cover some college expenses for one or more upstanding students entering or returning to college this Fall.

The next will award local youths with first-rate tennis instruction packages in the summer of 2025. 

Awardees will demonstrate a passion for tennis and an energetic, kind and sportsmanlike “Spirit of Simon”. 

Stay tuned as we roll out the first of the series, the college scholarship, very soon. Information on the application process will be available on our website, in addition to the email broadcasts by the scholarship committee.

Thank you for all of your generous donations making Simon’s plaque complete and his scholarship fund available. We’ll see you at the plaque dedication at Spring Rock Park Saturday, June 22!

Scholarship Fund Update (April 26, 2024):

Donations for Simon’s Scholarship Fund due May 17, 2024!

This memorial scholarship is being established in honor of a beloved fixture in the Western Springs tennis community, Coach Simon.

As Simon taught youth tennis lessons over the years, he stressed the importance of practice and good sportsmanship. Similarly, when he hired his team of Junior Pros each summer, he often touted about their dedication, strong work ethic and solid character.

This scholarship fund will honor one or more local area youths, who exemplify these qualities, both in tennis and their everyday lives. Each upstanding youth will be presented with recognition and an award in the form of college tuition or tennis instruction.

While Simon’s leadership, warmth and smile will be sorely missed on the courts this summer, your donation to this scholarship fund will keep alive his spirit in our strong, unwavering tennis community.

Lisa Sher is coordinating the efforts on this front, for any questions or scholarship candidate recommendations - please feel free to reach out to Lisa directly or you can contact the foundation board directly via our email. Once the scholarship committee has a process established for scholarship applications - we will publish those details on our website.

Fundraising Update (April 2024):

We’re pleased to announce that based on overwhelming response from our tennis community, we have already reached our fundraising target for Simon Piacente bronze memorial plaque. We are working with a local company in La Grange on the design of the plaque, and hope to dedicate it later this summer. Thank you Tom Scaletta for coordinating the efforts with Simon’s family, tennis community, park district and the foundation.

We are also happy to announce that additional funds raised after the cost of the memorial plaque will be allocated to promote youth tennis in our area in Simon’s memory, in the form of some tennis scholarships,.

Thank you for your support!