Elizabeth Howe Constable

(1924- )

The dominant squash player of the 1950s, Betty Constable was a central force behind the growth of women’s squash in the U.S. Her mother won the nationals three times and her twin sister twice, and the Howe Cup competitions were named in honor of the three women. A lefthander with sizable power, Constable learned the game at the New Haven Lawn Club and won her first tournament match having never seen another woman play before. Besides her five national titles, she took three veterans (over 40) titles, three veteran dou­bles titles, with Peggy Carrott, and played in three Wolfe-Noel competitions (helping win America’s only victory ever in Great Britain, in doubles in Edinburgh in 1950). From 1970-1991 Constable coached the Princeton women’s squash team, leading them to twelve intercollegiate Howe Cups, and mentoring three intercollegiate champions, Wendy Zakarko, Nancy Gengler and Demer Holleran.

National Champion 1950, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959