ALTHEA GIBSON

Althea Gibson was an African-American tennis player who left an indeliable mark upon the sport. In her debut at the 1950 U.S. Nationals, Gibson beat Barbara Knapp in straight sets. Her second-round match on the grass of Forest Hills was against Louise Brough, who had won the previous three Wimbledon’s. After being routed 6-1 in the first set, Gibson recovered to win the second set 6-3 and led 7-6 in the third when a thunderstorm struck, halting the match. When it resumed the next day, Gibson dropped three straight games to lose the match. It took her a while to adjust to the stronger competition. She also remained unwelcome at some clubs where tournaments were held. She won her first major in 1956, the French championships on the clay courts in Paris. The next year, she made more history by winning Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals, the first black to win either. Even while winning tournaments she was denied rooms at hotels. One refused to book reservations for a luncheon in her honor. Gibson has turned into a recluse in her well-kept garden apartment in East Orange, N.J., according to sources she is suffering in silence from a series of strokes and ailments.

JOHN BROOKS DENDY

John Brooks Dendy was an African-American golfer who won the Southern Open at the tender age of eighteen. He repeated this feat in 1934 and 1936. One of the greatest stories regarding Dendy's talent happened at a 1933 exhibition in Jacksonville, Florida. After arriving late because of problems with his bus, Dendy went straight to the first tee. Without warming up, he laced a drive over the dogleg and down the hill toward the green, 342 yards away. When he got to the green, the ball was in the cup. He played the next three holes 2-3-4 (all of them birdies), and finished the round with a score of 59. By 1940, Dendy found there wasn't enough money in competitive professional golf, so he took a full-time job as a locker-room attendant at Asheville Country Club. Soon he moved on to Biltmore Forest Country Club, working in the grillroom and locker room until his retirement in 1980. During that period, Dendy's interest in golf was limited to a casual round with his sons and an annual pilgrimage to the Masters at Augusta National GC as a spectator. John Brooks Dendy died in 1985 from dementia and kidney failure.