78S30735 MMS-D

By:  Davis of Dallas                                              H.R. No. 228



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, With the passing of tennis legend Althea Gibson on 
September 28, 2003, at the age of 76, the United States has lost a 
heroic sports figure, a woman who was both an outstanding athlete 
and a pioneer in breaking the color barrier; and
	WHEREAS, Ms. Gibson was born in Silver, South Carolina, on 
August 25, 1927, and raised in Harlem; at the age of 15 she won her 
first tennis tournament, the New York girls' state championship for 
African-American players sponsored by the American Tennis 
Association (ATA); in 1947 she won the first of 10 straight ATA 
national championships; and
	WHEREAS, Three years later, she became the first African 
American to compete in the National Grass Court Championships, the 
forerunner of the U.S. Open, and the following year, she became the 
first African American to play at Wimbledon; in 1955, she was 
selected by the U.S. State Department to participate in a 
nine-month goodwill tour of Asia and the Far East, and her stunning 
success--winning 14 of 17 tournaments and reaching the finals of 
the remaining three--launched her into the top tier of her sport; 
and
	WHEREAS, Ms. Gibson won her first major singles title in 1956 
when she captured the French Open; she triumphed both at Wimbledon 
and the U.S. national championship at Forest Hills in 1957 and again 
in 1958; and
	WHEREAS, Renowned for her overpowering serve and aggressive 
volleys, Althea Gibson won a total of 11 Grand Slam titles during 
her career, including five doubles championships and one mixed 
doubles championship; she retired from amateur competition 
following the 1958 U.S. championship and went on to win the pro 
title; she also toured with the Harlem Globetrotters, playing 
exhibition tennis during halftime; and
	WHEREAS, After her 1957 Wimbledon victory, Ms. Gibson was 
feted with a ticker-tape parade down Broadway; the Associated Press 
named her Female Athlete of the Year in 1957 and 1958, the years she 
was ranked number one in the world, and in 1971 she was inducted 
into the International Tennis Hall of Fame; and
	WHEREAS, This accomplished woman also made her mark in golf, 
becoming the first African American to compete on the women's 
professional golf tour; altogether, she appeared in 171 tournaments 
in the 1960s and 1970s; and
	WHEREAS, For a number of years she was a public official in 
the State of New Jersey, where she served as commissioner of 
athletics, as a member of the state athletics control board and the 
governor's council on physical fitness, and as recreation director 
for the city of East Orange; her commitment to helping others was 
also manifested by her creation of the Althea Gibson Foundation, 
which supports urban youth who want to pursue tennis or golf at the 
college level; and
	WHEREAS, Althea Gibson overcame poverty and segregation to 
dominate women's tennis in the 1950s, and her exceptional 
achievements and contributions throughout her life are indeed 
worthy of remembrance; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby pay special tribute to the 
life of Althea Gibson and commemorate her courageous and generous 
spirit.