[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 117, 108th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
ALTHEA GIBSON--ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENTS
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Whereas Althea Gibson was born on August 25, 1927, and lived with her
family in Harlem during the 1930's and 1940's;

Whereas Althea Gibson was first introduced to tennis on the Harlem River
Tennis Courts and went on to dominate the all-black American Tennis
Association tournaments throughout the early 1940's, when racism and
segregation prevented her from participating in tournaments
sponsored by the American Lawn Tennis Association;

Whereas Althea Gibson graduated from Florida A&M University in 1953, and
was an athletic instructor at the Lincoln University in Jefferson
City, Missouri;

Whereas Althea Gibson was the first African-American player, either male
or female, to be allowed to enter the Forrest Hills, New York,
Championship in 1950, after her talents and celebrity forced the
American Lawn Tennis Association to reevaluate its policy;

Whereas Althea Gibson was the first African-American invited to
Wimbledon in 1951, eventually winning both the women's singles and
doubles in 1957, after which she was greeted by New York City with a
ticker tape parade;

Whereas Althea Gibson was the first African-American woman to win the
championship at the French Open, in 1956;

Whereas Althea Gibson after finishing her amateur tennis career became a
professional golfer in 1959 and won the women's tennis professional
singles in 1960;

Whereas Althea Gibson was Athletic Commissioner for the State of New
Jersey from 1975 to 1977; and

Whereas Althea Gibson was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of
Fame in 1971, and to the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame
in 1980: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That it is the sense of Congress that Althea Gibson should be recognized
for her ground breaking athletic achievements and for continuing to
serve as a role model for the Nation's youth.

Agreed to November 22, 2003.