“I am honored to have followed in such great footsteps. Her accomplishments set the stage for my success, and through players like myself and Serena and many others to come, her legacy will live on.” – Venus Williams
Althea Neale Gibson was born in Silver, South Carolina, to Annie Bell and Daniel Gibson, sharecroppers on a cotton farm. In 1930, the family relocated to New York City. Based on the census records I found, it looks like 2-year-old Althea was sent first and the family followed.
In this 1930 census, Althea is living at 302 W. 146th Street in Manhattan with her aunt Sally Dwyer, a domestic who was born in South Carolina. Also present is a roomer, John Ridgeway, a laborer also from South Carolina. This is dated April 7.
The residents of this block are all from the southern U.S. states, or the British West Indies. All are in support type jobs (domestic, porter, laundress, etc..) except for one actor, Richard Wells. Could this be Mr. Harlem, Dickie Wells? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Wells_(dancer)
This is the 1930 census for Silver, South Carolina, which shows Althea’s parents still living there on April 17.
Later life
When Althea lived on 143rd Street, her block was designated a Police Athletic League play area which meant the street was blocked off in daylight hours to allow children to play. She played basketball and was taught boxing by her father, but excelled in paddle tennis and was the NYC girl’s paddle tennis champion by age 12.
She dropped out of school at 13 and lived a life she called “street fighting,” including living for a while in a Catholic protective shelter for abused children due to her father’s violence.
Her tennis career started when her neighbors took up a collection to finance a junior membership and lessons at the Cosmopolitan Tennis Club. Her success in the American Tennis Association tournaments drew the attention of Walter Johnson of Lynchburg, Virginia, who was active in African American tennis. Under his patronage (he later mentored Arthur Ashe), Althea gained access to advanced instruction and more important competitions. Under another sponsor, she enrolled in and finished high school and then entered Florida A&M University with a full athletic scholarship
After many battles for the right to enter tournaments, Althea began moving up in rankings and playing internationally. She won her first international tournament in 1951.
In 1956 she won the French Open becoming the first African American to win a grand slam. She ended up winning 5 individual Grand Slam titles, 5 doubles Grand Slam titles, and 4 mixed doubles Grand Slam titles.
She died on September 28, 2003, from complications following respiratory and bladder infections.
For the complete story of Althea Gibson, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Althea_Gibson
Other Happenings on August 25, 1927:
- Paul Redfern left Brunswick, Georgia, at noon, flying his Stinson Detroiter Port of Brunswick to attempt a solo non-stop flight to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He disappeared the next day and was never seen again; his plane is believed to have crashed in a jungle in Venezuela.[65]
- Born: Albert Uderzo, French cartoonist who illustrated the Asterix comic books (d. 2020)
Tomorrow – A first on a Presidential Ticket
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Sources
- Wikipedia.org
- Ancestry.com
- Onthisday.com
- Picryl.com
- Youtube.com
Famous People and Their First Census 