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 Jena Marcovicci, 62
October 29, 2007
RICHMOND - Jena Marcovicci, 62, of Rossiter Road died Monday, Oct. 29, 2007, at home.
Born on April 22, 1945, in Sedalia, Mo., the son of Mary V. Troy and the late Alex Marsten, he grew up in the Berkshires and graduated from Pittsfield High School in 1964. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Pepperdine University, his master's in education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and his doctorate from the University of California at Santa Barbara. A former tennis pro, he toured on the international circuit from 1972 to 1976. He returned to Richmond in the 1970s.
Mr. Marcovicci was a sports pyschologist and a practicing psychologist at Canyon Ranch in Lenox and privately from his home.
Through Pepperdine, he initiated the Dance of Tennis Project in 1967 in South Los Angeles; it was taken over by a VISTA program in 1971. It was rekindled in 1991, with former participants becoming teachers in communities across the nation and, two years later, became the nonprofit Joy of Athletics Foundation. Marcovicci was executive director of the program for more than 30 years.
Marcovicci taught Dance of Tennis workshops to thousands of inner-city children over the years. Using music and elements of tai chi, yoga and meditation, the workshops are designed to teach the fundamentals of conflict resolution and anger management. The Inner-City Project was an approach to tennis to help youngster develop six major life skills: cooperation, relaxation, imagination, focusing, conflict resolution and self-esteem.
Besides his mother, of Laguna Hill, Calif., he leaves his wife, Skye Beard Marcovicci; four sisters, Margo Shapiro of Los Angeles, Pamela Nagy of Sutton, Susan Heravi of Laguna Hills and Michelle Schneider of South Africa, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and friends.
FUNERAL NOTICE - A Mass in memory of Jena Marcovicci will be celebrated on Friday, Nov. 2, at 10 a.m. in St. Mark's Church in Pittsfield. There will be no calling hours.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Jena Marcovicci Memorial Fund through Finnerty and Stevens Funeral Home, 426 Main St., Gret Barrington, MA 01230. Remembrances, memories and reflections may be sent to the family through www.danceoftennis.com or www.finnertyandstevens.com .
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