Remembering Arthur Ashe: February 6: Snapshots in History
February 7, 2015 | John P. | Comments (0)
During Black History Month, it is appropriate to acknowledge the contributions of professional tennis player Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. (Born: July 10, 1943 in Richmond, Virginia; Died: February 6, 1993 in New York City, New York). Ashe was the first African-American player chosen for the United States Davis Cup Team, and the only African-American man to win the male singles Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, or the Australian Open as well as be ranked number one in the male professional tennis world. For those not as familiar with professional tennis history, Arthur Ashe was involved in the formation in 1969 of what later became the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) as a means to facilitate the growth of prize money to the top players in keeping with other sports. Ashe also became known as an activist when he was denied a visa to play in the South African Open on account of his skin colour by the then-apartheid supporting regime in South Africa. Ashe called for the expulsion of South Africa from the professional tennis circuit and from Davis Cup play.
In 1975, Arthur Ashe reached the pinnacle of his career by winning the singles title at Wimbledon and attaining the world number one ranking. A heart attack in 1979 and subsequent bypass surgery led to his retirement in 1980 from professional play. However, Arthur Ashe became involved in sports commentary on television, a columnist for the Washington Post and Tennis magazine, served as captain of the American Davis Cup team, wrote books about the athletic history of African-Americans, and was involved in several philanthropic initiatives.
Arthur Ashe also had heart bypass surgery in 1983. In 1985, Ashe was elected to the Tennis Hall of Fame. In 1988, after brain surgery, Arthur Ashe learned that he was HIV-positive as a result of tainted blood that he received during his second heart bypass surgery in 1983. Initially, Ashe was able to protect his privacy but rumours persisted and he announced to the world on April 8, 1992 that he had AIDS. Ashe became involved in raising awareness about the disease. Less than a year later, on February 6, 1993, Arthur Ashe died.
As one remembers this tremendous athlete and activist, consider the following items for borrowing from Toronto Public Library collections:
Books:
DVDs:
Please also view Snapshots in History: February 6: Remembering Bob Marley.
