Julius Heldman

Julius Heldman (May 9, 1919 – September 22, 2006) was born in Los Angeles, California. He attended Hollywood High School in Los Angeles and entered UCLA at age 15. He was the Tennis Team Captain at UCLA and became the National Junior Tennis Champion in 1936. He was taught tennis by legendary tennis teacher, Dick Skeen. He received a Doctorate from Stanford University in physical chemistry and became a Shell Oil executive and worked on the Manhattan Project. He died in Albuquerque, New Mexico at age 87.

Life and career

Heldman was a Hollywood High School student when he captured the United States Junior (18 & under) Outdoor Singles and Doubles Championships. He was a child prodigy and entered UCLA at the age of 15 (1934), won the National Juniors in 1936, and was the Pacific Coast's Intercollegiate Singles Champion in 1937. He was the captain of the UCLA tennis team until 1939 when he graduated and left to obtain his Doctorate in physical chemistry from Stanford. He was a National Research Fellow from 1942 to 1943. During World War II, he was asked to be part of the Manhattan Project and he relocated the family to Oak Ridge, Tennessee. After the war, Heldman joined Shell Oil in Houston and New York where he worked as an Executive from 1945 to 1980