The Flickr Altheagibson Image Generatr

While in Branch Brook Park, I came across this statue of tennis player Althea Gibson, who broke the color barrier in 1957 by winning at Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals (now the U.S. Open) and winning both again in 1958.

Oh yeah, she was also a professional golfer and an accomplished singer.

Althea Gibson was not a New Jersey native but lived in Essex County in the latter thirty-odd years of her life. Hence this , statue, sculpted by Thomas Jay Warren, near the courts (in background) on which she ran clinics for young players in her later years.

Sacramento, California 1960

This tennis racquet is from Althea Gibson's personal collection. Althea Gibson was one of the first black athletes to cross the color line of international tennis, and in 1956 became he first African American to win a Grand Slam title with her victory in the French Open. The following year she won both Wimbledon and the US Nationals (precursor of the US Open), then won both again in 1958 and was voted Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press in both years. In all, she won 11 Grand Slam tournaments: five singles titles, five doubles titles, and one mixed doubles title.

The Sports: Leveling the Playing Field exhibit, part of the Community Galleries on the third floor of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, explores the contributions of athletes, both on and off the field. Because sports were among the first and most high-profile organizations to accept African Americans on terms of relative equality, sports have a unique role in American culture.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), administered by the Smithsonian Institute, was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in September 2016. The 350,000-square-foot, 10-story (five above and five below ground) was built to the postmodern design of Phil Freelon's Freelon Group, Sir David Adjaye's Adjaye Associates and Davis Brody Bond. The above ground floors feature an inverted step pyramid surrounded by a bronze architectural scrim, which reflects a crown used in Yoruba culture. With more than 40,000 objects in its collection, although only about 3,500 items are on display, the NMAAHC is the world's largest museum dedicated to African-American history and culture.

The Smithsonian Institution, an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazines, was established in 1846. Although concentrated in Washington DC, its collection of over 136 million items is spread through 19 museums, a zoo, and nine research centers from New York to Panama.

Directed by Robert Altman

Queen Elizabeth II presenting Althea Gibson with the Venus Rosewater Trophy at the 1957 Wimbledon Women's Singles Championships. Gibson defeated Darlene Hard (left), her doubles partner; Hard and Gibson were the 1957 Wimbledon Women's Doubles Champions.

Photo credit: Associated Press

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Althea-Gibson-Queen-Eliza...

Special Attributes: 1st Edition, Illustrated
Language: English
Subject: Art & Photography
Topic: Fashion
Format: Paperback
Publication Year: 1994
Country of Manufacture: Unknown
Brand new
Full color dolls and costumes
Excellent resource for art and design
Includes detailed descriptive and informative information!
Great illustration
16 well-researched, accurately detailed dolls, each with one additional costume, represent such inspiring figures as Sojourner Truth, Mary McLeod Bethune, Zora Neale Hurston, Althea Gibson, Rosa Parks, Leontyne Price, Maya Angelou, Shirley Chisholm, Toni Morrison, and 7 others in an informative and inspiring collection. 32 color illustrations.
*Author: Tierney, Tom/ Tierney/ Paper Dolls *Series Title: Dover Paper Dolls *Binding Type: Paperback *Number of Pages: 32

Provenance:
FABRICFREAK DOT COM, PITTSBURGH PA 15215, USA

John Ford present in 1959 "Les Cavaliers" with John Wayne, William Holden, Constance Towers, Judson Pratt, Hoot Gibson,
Althea Gibson,...