"Baron Uberto Luigi de Morpurgo? A Jewish tennis champion, and a baron?! How the heck does that happen?" — Jew or Not Jew, 2008

It's come to that: we're quoting ourselves! Eight years ago we wrote the above in the Kerri Strug profile, and haven't addressed it since. So, how the heck does that happen?

Hubert Louis De Morpurgo was born in Trieste, Austria-Hungary. His father was Baron Julius von Morpurgo, who came from the famed Jewish Morpurgo family (other Morpurgos included an Italian politician, an English writer, and a Croatian artist). His mother was the Englishwoman Mary Branson, which makes us believe that Hubert was only half Jewish. Nevertheless...

De Morpurgo was an amateur tennis champion in England and France, before moving to Italy. Now known as Uberto Luigi De Morpurgo, he became one of that country's best players. De Morpurgo got as far as the semifinals of the French Open and the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, but his biggest triumph was winning the bronze medal at the 1924 Olympics in Paris.

So, a Jewish tennis champion, and a baron. That's how that happens.