401 S 10th St, Wilmington, NC 28401, United States
The current building of Williston School (Williston Industrial High School at the time) where Althea Gibson studied from 1946 to 1949.
College/University
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1601 S Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Tallahassee, FL 32307, United States
Florida A&M University where Althea Gibson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1953.
Career
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1953
Ranelagh Gardens, Fulham, London SW6 3PR, United Kingdom
Althea Gibson enjoys a round of golf at the reception for overseas entrants in the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships, held at the Hurlingham Club, London. Photo by Ron Burton/Keystone/Hulton Archive.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1949
New York City, New York, United States
Althea Gibson as she watches a match, New York City, New York. Photo by Gordon Parks/The LIFE Picture Collection.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1949
New York City, New York, United States
Althea Gibson and George Stewart talk at an outdoor tennis club, New York City, New York. Photo by Gordon Parks/The LIFE Picture Collection.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1950
Althea Gibson (left) and four-time net champion, Alice Marble, are leaving the courts at the West Side tennis club, amidst the applause of onlookers, after Miss Gibson became the first member of her race ever to appear in the National Women's Amateur Singles championship.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1950
1 Tennis Pl, Forest Hills, NY 11375, United States
Althea Gibson, early in her tennis career, preparing to work out at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1951
London, United Kingdom
Althea Gibson in a Wimbledon match which she lost to Beverly Baker.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1951
London, United Kingdom
Althea Gibson and Beverly Baker walk onto the court at Wimbledon, London, on the fifth day of the tournament. Photo by Reg Burkett/Keystone/Hulton Archive.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1951
Althea Gibson. Photo by Harold Clements/Express.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1951
Kent, United Kingdom
Althea Gibson in action during her match against Margaret Carlisle at the Beckenham Lawn Tennis Championships, Kent. Photo by Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1951
New York City, New York, United States
Althea Gibson shows baseball legend Jackie Robinson her backhand grip at the ANTA Theater Tennis Tournament in Manhattan. Photo by Harvey Weber/Newsday RM.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1956
2 Avenue Gordon Bennett, 75016 Paris, France
Althea Gibson on the court during a Women's Singles match at the French Championships (later renamed the French Open) at Roland Garros Stadium, Paris, France. Photo by Thomas D. McAvoy/The LIFE Picture Collection.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1956
2 Avenue Gordon Bennett, 75016 Paris, France
Althea Gibson on the court during a Women's Singles match at the French Championships (later renamed the French Open) at Roland Garros Stadium. Photo by Thomas D. McAvoy/The LIFE Picture Collection.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1956
2 Avenue Gordon Bennett, 75016 Paris, France
Althea Gibson prepares to serve on the court during a Women's Singles match at the French Championships (later renamed the French Open) at Roland Garros Stadium. Photo by Thomas D. McAvoy/The LIFE Picture Collection.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1956
2 Avenue Gordon Bennett, 75016 Paris, France
Althea Gibson returns with a backhand shot on the court during a Women's Singles match at the French Championships (later renamed the French Open) at Roland Garros Stadium, Paris, France. Photo by Thomas D. McAvoy/The LIFE Picture Collection.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1956
2 Avenue Gordon Bennett, 75016 Paris, France
Althea Gibson returns with a forehand shot on the court during a Women's Singles match at the French Championships (later renamed the French Open) at Roland Garros Stadium, Paris, France. Photo by Thomas D. McAvoy/The LIFE Picture Collection.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1956
Althea Gibson with a bouquet of roses in one hand and a pair of tennis raquets and a trophy in the other after her victory in the French Championships (later the French Open), Paris, France. Photo by Thomas D. McAvoy/The LIFE Picture Collection.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1956
London, United Kingdom
Althea Gibson hits the ball during a match at the Wimbledon Championships. Photo by Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1956
Paris, France
French Open winner Althea Gibson kissing her trophy.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1957
Althea Gibson. Photo by Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1957
London, United Kingdom
Althea Gibson and her tennis partner Darlene Hard with the women's doubles trophy at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships. Photo by Reg Birkett/Keystone.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1957
London, United Kingdom
Darlene Hard kisses Althea Gibson after Gibson defeated her 6-3, 6-3, in the finals of the Women's singles tennis championship at Wimbledon.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1957
London, United Kingdom
Her majesty Queen Elizabeth awarded the Wimbledon trophy, symbolic of the tennis singles championship of the world, to Althea Gibson (center, back to camera), as Darlene Hard, at left, looks on.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1957
London, United Kingdom
Althea Gibson and Christine Truman (left) shaking hands after the latter won their semi-final match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, London. Photo by Reg Burkett/Keystone.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1958
London, United Kingdom
Althea Gibson as a second-time winner of the Women's Singles finals at Wimbledon where she beat Angela Mortimer of the United Kingdom. Photo by Keystone.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
Paris, France
Althea Gibson kisses the cup she was rewarded with after having won the French International Tennis Championships in Paris.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
1 Tennis Pl, Forest Hills, NY 11375, United States
Althea Gibson in the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
2 Avenue Gordon Bennett, 75016 Paris, France
Althea Gibson receives the trophy following her victory in Women's Singles at the French Championships (later renamed the French Open) at Roland Garros Stadium. Photo by Thomas D. McAvoy/The LIFE Picture Collection.
Gallery of Althea Gibson
Berrylands, Surbiton KT5 8JT, United Kingdom
Althea Gibson hits a return shot to Mlle Monnot during her singles match at the Surrey Grass Court Championship, held at the Surbiton Racket and Fitness Club.
Achievements
1987
East Orange, New Jersey, United States
Althea Gibson, portrayed with her trophies at her home in East Orange, New Jersey. Photo by Yvonne Hemsey.
Althea Gibson (left) and four-time net champion, Alice Marble, are leaving the courts at the West Side tennis club, amidst the applause of onlookers, after Miss Gibson became the first member of her race ever to appear in the National Women's Amateur Singles championship.
Althea Gibson and Beverly Baker walk onto the court at Wimbledon, London, on the fifth day of the tournament. Photo by Reg Burkett/Keystone/Hulton Archive.
Althea Gibson in action during her match against Margaret Carlisle at the Beckenham Lawn Tennis Championships, Kent. Photo by Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive.
Althea Gibson shows baseball legend Jackie Robinson her backhand grip at the ANTA Theater Tennis Tournament in Manhattan. Photo by Harvey Weber/Newsday RM.
Ranelagh Gardens, Fulham, London SW6 3PR, United Kingdom
Althea Gibson enjoys a round of golf at the reception for overseas entrants in the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships, held at the Hurlingham Club, London. Photo by Ron Burton/Keystone/Hulton Archive.
Althea Gibson on the court during a Women's Singles match at the French Championships (later renamed the French Open) at Roland Garros Stadium, Paris, France. Photo by Thomas D. McAvoy/The LIFE Picture Collection.
Althea Gibson on the court during a Women's Singles match at the French Championships (later renamed the French Open) at Roland Garros Stadium. Photo by Thomas D. McAvoy/The LIFE Picture Collection.
Althea Gibson (center) plays cards during a break in the on-court action during the French Championships (later renamed the French Open), Paris, France. Photo by Thomas D. McAvoy/The LIFE Picture Collection.
Althea Gibson prepares to serve on the court during a Women's Singles match at the French Championships (later renamed the French Open) at Roland Garros Stadium. Photo by Thomas D. McAvoy/The LIFE Picture Collection.
Althea Gibson returns with a backhand shot on the court during a Women's Singles match at the French Championships (later renamed the French Open) at Roland Garros Stadium, Paris, France. Photo by Thomas D. McAvoy/The LIFE Picture Collection.
Althea Gibson returns with a forehand shot on the court during a Women's Singles match at the French Championships (later renamed the French Open) at Roland Garros Stadium, Paris, France. Photo by Thomas D. McAvoy/The LIFE Picture Collection.
Althea Gibson takes photos, away from the court, during the French Championships (later renamed the French Open), Paris, France. Photo by Thomas D. McAvoy/The LIFE Picture Collection.
Althea Gibson with a bouquet of roses in one hand and a pair of tennis raquets and a trophy in the other after her victory in the French Championships (later the French Open), Paris, France. Photo by Thomas D. McAvoy/The LIFE Picture Collection.
Althea Gibson portrayed during the French Championships (later renamed the French Open) at Roland Garros Stadium, Paris, France. Photo by Thomas D. McAvoy/The LIFE Picture Collection.
Althea Gibson and her tennis partner Darlene Hard with the women's doubles trophy at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships. Photo by Reg Birkett/Keystone.
Her majesty Queen Elizabeth awarded the Wimbledon trophy, symbolic of the tennis singles championship of the world, to Althea Gibson (center, back to camera), as Darlene Hard, at left, looks on.
Althea Gibson receives a hero's welcome on Broadway, New York City, after she became the first black player to win the Ladies Singles Championship at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships. Photo by Paul Popper/Popperfoto.
Althea Gibson and Christine Truman (left) shaking hands after the latter won their semi-final match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, London. Photo by Reg Burkett/Keystone.
Althea Gibson as a second-time winner of the Women's Singles finals at Wimbledon where she beat Angela Mortimer of the United Kingdom. Photo by Keystone.
Althea Gibson receives the trophy following her victory in Women's Singles at the French Championships (later renamed the French Open) at Roland Garros Stadium. Photo by Thomas D. McAvoy/The LIFE Picture Collection.
Raising her glass of milk in a toast, Althea Gibson, the women's Wimbledon singles champion, shows she's glad to be home, as her proud parents, Annie and Daniel Gibson, stand by at the Gibson home.
Althea Gibson hits a return shot to Mlle Monnot during her singles match at the Surrey Grass Court Championship, held at the Surbiton Racket and Fitness Club.
Althea Gibson was an American tennis player. The first African-American to compete in major tennis championships, she dominated these women's competitions in the late 1950s, winning the French Championship (present-day the French Open), Wimbledon, and US Nationals (present-day U.S. Open). At the beginning of the 1960s, Gibson got involved into the Women's Professional Golf Tour, also the first black female athlete in the history of the event.
Background
Althea Gibson was born on August 25, 1927 in Silver, South Carolina, United States. She was a first-born of five children in a poor family of Daniel Gibson, a qualified mechanic, and Annie Bell Gibson, a homemaker, who were sharecroppers on a cotton farm. Althea had three sisters and a brother.
Education
Althea Gibson's family was forced to relocate to Harlem, New York City's neighborhood, because of the consequences of The Great Depression. They took up residence not far from the local Police Athletic League playground so Gibson, as other children of the surrounding area, had a possibility to play organized sports. Althea had become the city's women's champion in paddle tennis by 1939. A year later, Gibson left school and got involved into the so-called street life, which common activities were street fighting, girls basketball, and watching movies. She lived in a protective shelter for abused children for a while.
Gibson's prowess in paddle tennis caught the attention of a musician Buddy Walker who also served part-time as a recreation department employee. He decided to bring Gibson to regular tennis and began from introducing her to the members of the interracial New York Cosmopolitan Tennis Club who, in their turn, agreed to finance her junior membership and training. A professional, named Fred Johnson, gave Gibson private lessons.
The sponsorship paid off in 1941 when Gibson won her first important tournament, the American Tennis Association (ATA) New York State Championship. It was followed by other victories during the next few years, including the New York State Negro girls' singles championship and the National Negro girls' championship.
Gibson's achievements were noted by Dr. Robert Walter Johnson of Lynchburg, Virginia, who was associated with the African-American tennis community. He proposed her a room, board and payment for further tennis lessons on the condition that she would finish high school at the same time. Gibson accepted the offer and moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, where she became a student of the Williston Industrial High School (present-day Williston School) in 1946.
Gibson graduated three years later and reached the quarter-finals of the United States Lawn Tennis Association National Indoor Championships in 1950. She decided to pursue her studies at Florida A&M University (FAMU), Tallahassee. Althea wanted to study music, as she could play the saxophone and had a fine singing voice. Counselors at the institution persuaded her to keep on going with tennis. She majored in physical education and graduated in 1953.
Althea Gibson's career in adult sport began while she still attended Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. She continued to play in tournaments around the country, and in 1951, she became the first black person to compete in the All-England Tennis Championships at Wimbledon.
The following year, Gibson was ranked seventh nationally in women's singles, and in 1953 she dropped to 70th. She seriously considered retiring from tennis completely, especially after she graduated, and took a teaching position in the athletic department of the Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri.
Encouraged to return to the circuit by her former Harlem coach, Sydney Llewellyn, she was chosen in 1955 as one of four American women sent on a "good will" tennis tour of Southeast Asia and Mexico. In the months that followed those trips, Gibson also played in tournaments in Sweden, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, and Egypt, winning in 16 of 18 appearances.
In 1956, Althea Gibson was the first African-American athlete ever to appear in prestigious Wimbledon tournament. She lost to Shirley Fry in the final Wimbledon attempt for Fry in her long career. Fry also defeated her at the U.S. Open that year. The next year turned out to be noteworthy for Gibson. In January, the athlete was Australian Open runner-up and after that she came back to the grass court of Wimbledon and defeated Darlene Hard in the singles competition, 6-3, 6-2. She then teamed with Hard in the victorious doubles match.
In 1958, Althea proceeded to defeat her old rival Louise Brough at the U.S. national championships, Forest Hills, that made her the world's top ranked female player. Returning to Wimbledon that same year, she beat Angela Mortimer of the United Kingdom 8-6, 6-2 in singles and then paired with Brazilian star Maria Bueno for the doubles victory. Yet another U.S. national championship followed that summer.
Although Althea Gibson had just turned 30, she was at the top of her game and had achieved international acclaim. Her decision to retire from the sport at that moment shocked the world. The athlete stated that the major reason was the financial problems caused by the insufficient number of tournaments and prizes for women at that time. After publishing her first memoir I Always Wanted to Be Somebody in 1958, Gibson embarked on a singing and acting career. The athlete took part in the Ed Sullivan Show and, having fine singing voice, released several albums, including the solo one, titled Althea Gibson Sings. She even appeared on the screen, in a John Ford western, The Horse Soldiers, where John Wayne and William Holden were among her partners.
The drive for sports was more powerful, however. In 1963, Gibson qualified for the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), again the first African-American member to achieve that honor, and competed in the association tournaments till 1967. The success with golf wasn't the same as she had with tennis. Gibson never won a tournament and took home little prize money. In 1968, she released a second autobiography, So Much to Live For, and retired from professional golf two years later. As late as 1990, Gibson made an attempt to resume with the LPGA but failed to qualify.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Althea Gibson served as a tennis coach and a mentor to athletes, especially young black women. She monitored the tennis stars of that time and showed a particular admiration for Martina Navratilova.
Having married a New Jersey businessman, Gibson concentrated her efforts in Essex County, where she served for many years on the Park Commission. From 1975 to 1977, she served as an athletic commissioner for boxing and wrestling at the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board and also took posts with the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness.
In 1977, the former athlete attempted to run for New Jersey State Senate but lost three-way Democratic primary in Essex County. Althea Gibson retired in 1992 and continued to appear personally at the events, connected with golf or tennis.
(A second memoir by Althea Gibson co-written with Richard ...)
1968
Views
Althea Gibson was a co-founder of the Althea Gibson Foundation which still functions, supporting minority athletes and helping impoverished youth to gain education. Gibson herself once said that helping children was "probably the best thing" that she had ever done.
Quotations:
"The loser is always a part of the problem; the winner is always a part of the answer. The loser always has an excuse; the winner always has a program. The loser says it may be possible, but it's difficult; the winner says it may be difficult, but it's possible."
"I knew that I was an unusual, talented girl, through the grace of God. I didn't need to prove that to myself. I only wanted to prove it to my opponents."
"No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped you."
"Being champion is all well and good, but you can't eat a crown."
"In the field of sports you are more or less accepted for what you do rather than what you are."
"Most of us who aspire to be tops in our fields don't really consider the amount of work required to stay tops."
"I want the public to remember me as they knew me: athletic, smart, and healthy... Remember me strong and tough and quick, fleet of foot and tenacious."
Membership
Althea Gibson was a member of the Beta Alpha, chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
Beta Alpha
,
United States
Personality
Physical Characteristics:
Althea Gibson was 1.80 meters tall.
Quotes from others about the person
Alan Schwartz, former President of the United States Tennis Association: "It was the quiet dignity with which Althea carried herself during the turbulent days of the 1950s that was truly remarkable... When she began playing, less than five percent of tennis newcomers were minorities. Today, some thirty percent are minorities, two-thirds of whom are African-American. This is her legacy."
David Dinkins, former mayor of New York City: "Althea built many bridges over her seventy-six years on this earth to ease our crossing... She fought the good fight, she finished her course, she kept her faith, and she can rest-game, set, and match."
Billie Jean King, former tennis player: "She just meant so much to me. I've always felt connected to her and thankful and grateful for what she's done for people of color and me."
Venus Williams, tennis player: "I am grateful to Althea Gibson for having the strength and courage to break through the racial barriers in tennis. She knocked down walls that gave us more freedom to concentrate on the game... Althea's accomplishments set the stage for my success, but she also made a difference for people of all backgrounds in all areas. Through beneficiaries like me, Serena, and many others to come, her legacy will live on."
Bob Ryland, tennis player and coach: "She is one of the greatest players who ever lived. Martina [Navratilova] couldn't touch her. I think she'd beat the Williams sisters."
Interests
music
Connections
Althea Gibson was married twice. She was introduced to her first husband-to-be, a New Jersey businessman William A. Darben, by a best friend and fellow tennis player Rosemary Darben, William's sister. The wedding ceremony took place on October 17, 1965 in Las Vegas. William and Althea divorced eleven years later.
Gibson's tennis coach, Sydney Llewellyn, under whose guidance she had won at Wimbledon, became her second sweetheart. They entered the wedlock on April 11, 1983. The marriage ended in divorce in 1988. Althea Gibson had no children.
The Match: Althea Gibson and a Portrait of a Friendship
The incredible story of what happened when two outsiders – one an emerging champion who happens to be Jewish, the other, the first black player to win Wimbledon – pair up not only to form a winning team, but also an enduring friendship.
2005
Nothing but Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson
Sue Stauffacher's lively text, paired with vibrant paintings by artist Greg Couch, captures the exuberance, ambition, and triumph of this remarkable woman. Readers will cheer from the stands as Althea transforms from playground tomboy to Wimbledon champion.
2007
Althea Gibson: The Story of Tennis' Fleet-of-Foot Girl
A spirited picture book biography about Althea Gibson, the first black Wimbledon, French, and U.S. Open tennis champion, from debut author Megan Reid and Coretta Scott King Honor-winning illustrator Laura Freeman.