Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 117.djvu/2986

 CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS—NOV. 22, 2003

117 STAT. 2967

ALTHEA GIBSON—ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENTS

Nov. 22, 2003 [H. Con. Res. 69]

Whereas Althea Gibson was born on August 25, 1927, and lived with her family in Harlem during the 1930’s and 1940’s; Whereas Althea Gibson was first introduced to tennis on the Harlem River Tennis Courts and went on to dominate the all-black American Tennis Association tournaments throughout the early 1940’s, when racism and segregation prevented her from participating in tournaments sponsored by the American Lawn Tennis Association; Whereas Althea Gibson graduated from Florida A&M University in 1953, and was an athletic instructor at the Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri; Whereas Althea Gibson was the first African-American player, either male or female, to be allowed to enter the Forrest Hills, New York, Championship in 1950, after her talents and celebrity forced the American Lawn Tennis Association to reevaluate its policy; Whereas Althea Gibson was the first African-American invited to Wimbledon in 1951, eventually winning both the women’s singles and doubles in 1957, after which she was greeted by New York City with a ticker tape parade; Whereas Althea Gibson was the first African-American woman to win the championship at the French Open, in 1956; Whereas Althea Gibson after finishing her amateur tennis career became a professional golfer in 1959 and won the women’s tennis professional singles in 1960; Whereas Althea Gibson was Athletic Commissioner for the State of New Jersey from 1975 to 1977; and Whereas Althea Gibson was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971, and to the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1980: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that Althea Gibson should be recognized for her ground breaking athletic achievements and for continuing to serve as a role model for the Nation’s youth. Agreed to November 22, 2003.

RALPH BUNCHE—HUMAN RIGHTS CONTRIBUTIONS

Nov. 22, 2003 [H. Con. Res. 71]

Whereas Ralph Bunche’s life of achievement made him truly one of the twentieth century’s foremost figures and a role model for youth; Whereas Ralph Bunche graduated valedictorian, summa cum laude, and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1927 with a degree in International Relations; Whereas Ralph Bunche was the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. in Government and International Relations at Harvard University in 1934;

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