Tennis Trailblazer Gibson Honored with Postage Stamp

This article was written by Teresa Akersten. 

A stamp featuring tennis icon Althea Gibson was unveiled on the grounds of the U.S. Open in Flushing, N.Y. last week, the U.S. Postal Service announced.

Tennis legends Billie Jean King and Katrina Adams presided over the ceremony to honor Gibson, who integrated the sport and became the first African-American of either gender to win Wimbledon — all in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. 

Throughout the 1950s, during her climb to become the top-ranked player in the world, Gibson stayed with the Darben family in Montclair. Rosemary Darben was a friend of Gibson's and fellow player on the American Tennis Association, the black tennis circuit. 

A First-Day-of-Issue Ceremony was held Saturday at the tennis court complex that bears her name in Essex County Branch Brook Park in Newark.

Gibson is the 36th inductee into the U.S. Postal Service's Black Heritage stamp series, which includes Harriet Tubman, Paul Robeson and Ella Fitzgerald. 

The forever stamp depicting the athlete in action is now available at usps.com/stamps, at 800-STAMP-24 (800-782-6724) and at Post Offices around the country.