SGM-621


 * __Althea Gibson__**

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-No player overcame more obstacles to become a champion than Althea Gibson. She became the first African-American woman to be a competitor on the world tennis tour. Althea Gibson was born on August 25, 1927 in Silver, South Carolina. She grew up in Harlem with her poor family. She was a right-hander. Althea didn't do well in school. She was in trouble most of the time. She did well in every sport, especially tennis. But she was banned from public courts because she was black. Althea started tennis lessons at the age of 13. She received her first tennis racket as a gift. A year after that, she won her first tournament. -Althea was offered to live with two doctors when she was 19. Dr. Eaton lived in Wilmington, North Carolina. Althea lived with him during the school year. She lived with Dr. Johnson in Lynchburg, Virgina during the summer. Since Gibson dropped out of high school she went to school in Wilmington. She trained with Dr. Johnson in Lynchburg. He also took her to ATA competitions. -July 6, 1957 was a very special day for Althea. That was the day that she became the first African American, boy or girl, to win at Wimbledon. She was the first African American to win Championships at Gram Slam tournament. She earned 56 singles and doubles titles in the 1950's. She won 11 major titles in the late 1950's. Including singles titles at the French Opening (1956), Wimbeldon (1957, 1958) and the U. S. Open (1957, 1958), as well as three straight doubles crowns at the French Open (1956, 1957, 1958). In 1957, she was the first black to be voted by the Associated Press as it's Female Athlete of the year. She won that same honor again in 1958. -Althea Gibson wrote her autobiography in 1958. It was titled "I Always Wanted to Be Somebody". After Althea received her second U. S. Championship she became professional. Since they didn't have any professional tennis tours then she turned torwards the pro golf tour. After open season began in 1968 she played a few events. But her younger opponents were beating her. She then stopped competing and started teaching tennis pro. She was in the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971. http://www.tennisfame.com/famer.aspx?pgID=867&hof_id=119 She became the New Jersey State Commisioner of Athletics in 1975. She held this position for ten years. After this she served on the State's Athletic Control Board until 1988. Then the Govener's Council until 1992. -Althea Gibson was a tennis legend, a golfer, a singer, an actress, and a role model to many. She recorded her own album, Althea Gibson Sings. She also had a small role as the maid in the 1959 John Wayne film, The Horse Soldiers. After Gibson's tennis career she took up golf. She became the first African-American player for the LPGA. Tennis was always her passion though. She married Will Darben, then got divorced. After that she married Sidney Llewellyn, and got divorced. -On September 28, 2003, Althea Gibson died at the age of 76. She died in New Jersey at East Orange General Hospital. She had a long illness of respitory failure. To tennis fans, she will always be someone special and a tennis sensation. Though she didn't go looking for the role of a pioneer, she was one. -My book was Althea Gibson Tennis Champion by Tom Biracree. This book provided a lot of information. It basically told about her whole life. The only thing that i didn't like about this book was it was written in 1989. Which was before Althea Gibson died. So it never told when she died or what caused it. In 102 pages you can learn a lot about her. -I liked Althea Gibson. When I started the project I had no idea who she was. Then I found out all of the great things that she did. She was amazing and she never gave up when people tried to push her down. During her tennis years there were many white people who said that African-Americans shouldn't be able to play tennis. Althea Gibson was a tennis legend, she made it easier for blacks who wanted to play tennis too. [|www.nndb.com/people/758/000026680/] http://www.altheagibson.com/biographical.htm [| www.britannica.com/eb/art/print?id=59476&arti...] [|www.rootzoo.com/articles/view/1513/]