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Distinguished Women of Past and Present
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Special thanks to the Microsoft Corporation for their contribution to this site. The following information came from Microsoft Encarta:
Althea Gibson
Gibson, Althea (1927- ), American professional tennis player and golfer, who was named woman athlete of the year for 1957. She was born near Sumter, South Carolina, and educated at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. At the age of 15 she was New York State black girls' singles tennis champion; this was the first of many titles she would hold during the next 15 years. In 1957 she won the All-England women's singles championship at Wimbledon, the United States women's clay court singles championship at River Forest, Illinois, and the U.S. Open at Forest Hills in New York City. For these achievements she was named woman athlete of the year for 1957 by the Associated Press. After repeating as Wimbledon and U.S. national champion in 1958, she played professional exhibition tennis in 1959-60 and joined the Ladies Professional Golf Association in 1963. She was named in 1971 to the National Lawn Tennis Hall of Fame.
"Gibson, Althea" Microsoft(R) Encarta.
Copyright(c) 1995 Microsoft Corporation.