[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 41 (Thursday, March 13, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E461-E462]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                ARTHUR ASHE: GENTLEMAN AND REVOLUTIONARY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 13, 2003

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of my colleagues I rise to 
share an important article which appeared in the New York Times on 
February 9th that details the legacy of Mr. Arthur Ashe. The article 
entitled, ``A Gentleman, A Revolutionary'' was written by Mr. Donald 
Dell, former United States Davis Cup team captain, a leader in the 
sports marketing industry and a close personal friend of Mr. Ashe.
  The article discusses Arthur Ashe's lifelong commitment to making a 
difference and his selfless work for causes of freedom and justice 
throughout the world. It is a poignant piece and one that I believe 
gives a compelling example of what a principled and moral individual 
can accomplish for his community and his nation.

                [From the New York Times, Feb. 9, 2003]

                      A Gentleman, a Revolutionary

                          (By Donald L. Dell)

       The Arthur Ashe I knew was not only a tennis player, an 
     activist, a thinker, a writer; he was also a man of uncommon 
     grace and power. On this, the 10th anniversary of his death--
     Arthur died on Feb. 6, 1993--I want to express my sentiments 
     about my good friend of 23 years.
       When I first met him, he was a skinny young man with a 
     whippy tennis game. He had great wrist action in his strokes, 
     on both his forehand and his backhand. He had a tremendous 
     arsenal of shots; he could hit his backhand about seven 
     different ways. He was shy, introverted, but he was a risk 
     taker. He was never afraid to take a chance to win a point. 
     Even then, there was a touch of the quiet revolutionary in 
     him.
       As he matured, he developed into a genuinely intellectual 
     man: inquisitive, studious, a man who loved learning. This 
     side of his nature is what led him to champion so many 
     causes, rationally and reasonably. To say that Arthur Ashe 
     transcended tennis is an understatement.
       Yet it was tennis that remained a passion. Arthur was 
     focused on being the best player he could be. He achieved 
     that zenith in 1975 with his victory over Jimmy Connors to 
     win Wimbledon--in my opinion, his greatest triumph on the 
     court. That match remains a classic example of brains over 
     brawn. Connors's combination of power and consistency was 
     considered invincible, and yet Arthur diffused that force, 
     thinking and calculating his way to the signature 
     championship of his exceptional 15-year career.
       Of course, Arthur always knew that he carried more 
     obligations than merely winning tennis matches. He knew that 
     he was representing his race at all times. The demands of 
     such a burden are difficult to fathom, certainly for those of 
     us who have never experienced it. Through it all, Arthur 
     remained patient, always willing to give of his time to meet 
     with people, to sign autographs or to conduct a clinic for 
     underprivileged kids.
       I was surprised when I read Arthur's quote that the 
     toughest obstacle he had faced was not his two open heart 
     surgeries, or even AIDS, but rather, as he put it, ``being 
     born black in America.'' We had a long discussion about it. 
     He told me that regardless of how prominent you were, each 
     day every black person in this country was made aware that he 
     or she was black. Arthur had faced racism as a young man 
     growing up in Richmond, VA, and regardless of his success, he 
     continued to have to deal with it his whole life.
       His commitment to making a difference, along with his sense 
     of justice, led him to become a leader in the anti-apartheid 
     movement. He assumed the role in his usual intellectual way. 
     He first visited South Africa in 1973, largely as a learning 
     experience. At the time, he was denounced by the black 
     community, much of which felt that he was being

[[Page E462]]

     used as a pawn by the South African government. But Arthur 
     believed that you could not speak out against apartheid 
     unless you knew something about it. He also thought it was 
     important for young blacks there to see a free black man, one 
     of accomplishment and stature in his chosen field.
       Arthur's sense of responsibility to his race, again coupled 
     with his intellectual curiosity, led to one of his proudest 
     achievements. While attempting to research the heritage of 
     black athletes, he found no definitive work on the subject. 
     In typical Ashe fashion, he set out to produce one. He 
     invested three years of his time and money and employed three 
     research assistants to write ``A Hard Road to Glory,'' a 
     three-volume history of the black athlete in America. That 
     work, published in 1993, is a milestone in the field of 
     historical sports writing; the script for the television 
     version, which Arthur also wrote, won three Emmys.
       For all his public achievements, I was always struck, in my 
     personal relationship with him, by his overriding sense of 
     trust. That trust pervaded my professional dealings with him 
     as his lawyer for 23 years. We never had a formal contract. 
     After an initial letter of agreement in 1970, he and I 
     renewed each year with a handshake. Trust came naturally to 
     him. He strongly believed--and we would debate this long and 
     often--that there was a lot more good in people than bad.
       But that trusting nature belied his toughness. Clearly, 
     Arthur was tough on the tennis court, but off the court, he 
     was just as strong-willed. One need look no further than the 
     strong, unpopular stands he took on issues like more 
     stringent academic standards for college athletes. Often 
     swimming against the tide, Arthur always chose what he 
     believed to be the moral and principled course.
       And, obviously, Arthur had to be a man of great courage to 
     deal with his medical traumas. Not once, when he learned that 
     he had AIDS, did he say, ``Why me?'' He felt that same 
     question could be asked of all the wonderful things he 
     enjoyed in life. Why did he win Wimbledon? Why did he marry a 
     beautiful, talented woman, Jeanne, who was such a major force 
     in his life, and become father to a loving, precious child, 
     Camera? No. When it came to adversity, Arthur preferred to 
     pose the question differently. ``Why not me?'' he would ask.
       When our group was leaving South Africa in 1973, someone 
     handed my wife, Carole, a newspaper. Rolled inside it was a 
     poem from Don Matera, a South African poet and freedom 
     fighter who had recently been banned and was therefore 
     prohibited from meeting with Arthur in public. I think that 
     poem really captures the essence of Arthur Ashe.

     I listened deeply when you spoke
     About the step-by-step revolution
     Of a gradual harvest,
     Tendered by the rains of tolerance. . . .
     and I loved you brother--
     Not for your quiet philosophy
     But for the rage in your soul,
     Trained to be rebuked or
     summoned. . . .

       These lines reveal the true Arthur Ashe: a man of quiet 
     philosophy, with a raging, noble soul--a man I loved so much. 
     We may never see his like again.

                          ____________________