Selwyn Francis Orcutt
Selwyn Francis Orcutt was born April 1, 1908 in Hyde Park, Massachusetts to Leon Forrest and Bertha Louis Orcutt (Packard). Selwyn and grew up at 1650 East 46th St. in Brooklyn, New York.
In June 1926, he graduated from Haaran High School in Brooklyn and from 1926 to 1927 attended New York University.
As a youth, Selwyn played tennis and according to The Washington Post in 1923, was ranked #16 in the nation in the Boys Singles Division, and 2nd in the nation in the Boys Doubles Division ( In the 1920's and 30's, Selwyn worked for a bank in New York, where he met Mary Wilhelmina Plenkers, a bank teller. Selwyn was the official tennis player for the bank's tennis team.
Selwyn and Mary married April 19, 1934.
In the 1930's, he served as a tennis instructor and taught such national professional tennis champions as Dodo Whalen. For a while Selwyn served as an instructor and player in California and teamed at times with such Hollywood notables as Gilbert Roland, Arthur Murray and Fred Astaire. He also taught other high profile individuals such as the U.S. Ambassador to England John Hay Whitney (1957 - 1961) and the president of MacDonald Aircraft Corporation (the company that built the Mercury 7, Gemini 4 and Apollo 11 spacecraft).
From 1943 to 1945, Selwyn served as the recreational officer for the American Red Cross assigned to the US Army's 75th Division located at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri.
In 1945, He moved to North Carolina and served on the Secretary of the Army's Advisory Board at Fort Bragg in connection with recreational facilities.
From September 1947 to May 1950 Selwyn was the Director of Parks and Recreation for the town of Monroe, NC.
In June 1950 Selwyn was hired as the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation for the city of Fayetteville, NC and stayed there until April 1962.
From May 1962 to September 1967 he worked as the Director of Youth/Community Activities at Camp Lejeune, NC.
On November 5, 1970, Selwyn was awarded a special Citation by the North Carolina Recreation and Parks Society for his work in the promotion of recreation.
Selwyn Orcutt died on October 27, 1983 at Johnston Memorial Hospital in Smithfield, NC. He was cremated and his ashes spread in Maggy Valley, NC in the North Carolina mountains.
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