About

Hilary Paul McGuire had a classical education taught by Benedictine monks at St. Gregory’s High School and College in Oklahoma. He joined the faculty as Brother Hilary, named after the famed Bishop Hilary of Poitiers, France.

Apart from academics, he was a protégé of Paul Duffield, dean of Oklahoma tennis. Mr. Duffield coached Patsy Rippy who played twice at Forest Hills in some of the same tournaments as Pat Stewart. While heading the math department, Hilary started men’s and women’s tennis teams at Saint Gregory’s (Back Cover Photo) and spent two summers coaching at the Kings Highway Tennis Club in Brooklyn, New York.

Brother Hilary was always looking for ways to broaden the lives of his students. In 1970, he was inspired by a production in Texas to create his own theatrical version of the rock opera “Tommy” by permission of The Who. It was similar to the music videos of today with the actors adding dance and drama to the music. “Tommy” was not professionally produced until the Seattle Opera did so in 1971.

Hilary developed a line of unique and philosophical sculptures, employing the medium of antique iron from Oklahoma farm equipment and railroad steel. These are reflective of his philosophy background and the approach he uses in teaching math. His most notable piece, "Justice?," appeared in a full-page photo with the artist in Southwest Art magazine, March 1977.

After ten years teaching math and tennis in Oklahoma, Hilary was sent to teach math and English in East LA. He started a National Junior Tennis League team with the organizational backing of famed tennist Gussy Moran. Local Chicano gang members joined his private school students and learned discipline the fun way. At the same time, he founded the tennis team at Cantwell High School in the nearby city of Montebello.

After two years in LA, his teaching continued in Oklahoma where he coached his men’s team to 18th place among 36 entries at the Junior College Nationals in Ocala, Florida in 1971. For his 15 years of gratis work promoting tennis, Hilary was awarded an honorary lifetime membership in the USPTA.

Since leaving the monastic life, Mr. McGuire has taught math and some tennis for the San Diego Community College District. He met his wife of 36 years on a tennis court in San Diego. They have three grown children and enjoy playing tennis together on local courts.

His work with the gangs in East Los Angeles as a monk and later as a math teacher at San Diego City College forms the basis for his first two books "Hopie and the Los Homes Gang" and "Homeboys in College." It is because of his membership in the USPTA that Hilary met Pat and Pam Stewart and undertook writing their story in the book "Tennis Saves: Stewart Orphans Take World by Racket."

His motto is, "There's not much I can do for the world, but what I can, I do."