Thomas Cundy to Receive 2006 ITA Achievement Award, Presented by Tennis Week Magazine and Rolex Watch U.S.A.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Casey Angle
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08/24/06 - Skillman, N.J.--Thomas Cundy (Florida State University '55), Chairman and CEO of CUNDY, Inc., is the winner of the 2006 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Achievement (ITA) Award presented by Tennis Week magazine and Rolex Watch U.S.A. Cundy will be honored in New York next month during Tennis Week magazine's U.S. Open party.

The ITA Achievement Award was created in 1994 to pay tribute to past participants in the world of collegiate tennis who have achieved excellence in their chosen careers. These distinguished people are honored for both their professional successes and their contributions to society.

Over the past 50 years, Cundy has built one of the largest privately held employee benefit consulting firms in the United States. Among CUNDY, Inc.'s clients are Anheuser-Busch, Ford Motor Company, Huizenga Holdings, Inc., McDonald's and Viacom/CBS. He has been a member of the insurance industry's Million Dollar Round Table for 48 consecutive years.

Cundy, who resides in Miami Beach, is a major advocate of educational and youth programs in his home state of Kentucky, providing equipment and scholarships to students throughout the state. He has also funded a Holocaust Studies Program at his alma mater and is a contributor to the Florida State tennis program. He served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Florida State University Foundation, the International Tennis Hall of Fame and First Serve.

Cundy captured the 1951 Kentucky State High School Tennis Championship and attended Florida State on a tennis scholarship. He earned varsity letters all four years, graduating from FSU in 1955 with a Baccalaureate Degree in Industrial Psychology. In 1953 he helped the Seminoles to a 15-2 record, the program's best season ever.

"The lessons learned on the court over a period of four years are a vital companion to the academic lessons of higher education," said David A Benjamin, ITA Executive Director. "The winner of the ITA Achievement Award is an individual who benefited from the experience of intercollegiate competition, went on to great accomplishments, and has made significant contributions to his community."

At Tennis Week magazine's U.S. Open party, tennis legend Stan Smith will present Cundy with the ITA Achievement Award, which will include a distinctive Rolex timepiece. Cundy and his wife, Janie, will also receive special box seats, courtesy of the USTA, for a session at this year's U.S. Open. The ITA will also award the Florida State men's tennis program with a $1,000 donation.

The ITA Achievement Award candidates are nominated by their past tennis coaches or by the current coaches of their alma mater's tennis programs. From these nominees, finalists are selected by the ITA, which serves as the coaches' association governing body of collegiate tennis. The winner is then determined by the ITA Achievement Awards Selection Panel: David A Benjamin, ITA Executive Director; Dr. Henry S. Bienen, President of Northwestern University; former Senator John Breaux, 1995 ITA Achievement Award recipient; Chris Evert, former tennis champion and President of Chris Evert Enterprises; Alan Schwartz, Immediate Past President of the U.S. Tennis Association; Stan Smith, former tennis champion; and Mark Stenning, Executive Director of International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Past ITA Achievement Award Winners

1994
Judge Peggy Brenden, Luther College '76
Athan James Shaka, Harvey Mudd College '80

1995
Dr. Rebecca Birchmore Campen, University of Georgia '63
Senator John Breaux, University of Southwestern Louisiana '64

1996
Wilma A. Lewis, Swarthmore College '78
Roger B. Porter, Brigham Young University '69

1997
Lisa Hoffstein, University of Pennsylvania '81
Dr. Bert Vogelstein, University of Pennsylvania '70

1998
Lieutenant Colonel Gail Allen, U.S. Air Force Academy '82
Dr. William Bowen, Denison University '55

1999
Christine Grant, Swarthmore College '69
Governor Pedro Rossello, University of Notre Dame '66

2000
Dr. Ruth M. Haude, Indiana State Teachers College of Pennsylvania '58
Dr. Michael P. Johnson, Clark University '79

2001
Patricia Beckford Acheson, Queens College (N.C.) '72
Judge Gerald E. Rosen, Kalamazoo College '73

2002
Jack Blanton, Sr., University of Texas '47

2003
Gene Sperling, University of Minnesota '82

2004
Dr. George Fareed, University of California, Berkeley '66

2005
Steve Appleton, Boise State University '82

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