Quote of note:
"It was a terrific concept," Allen said. "To come to a black club, to be taken care of by black families…Most tennis experiences I had were run by white folks.
"It was a very inspiring weekend. It was the first time I had ever walked into a tennis club and everyone didn't turn their heads and stare. Most other places, I had to explain why I was there. But in the Sportsmen's Club, there was no baggage. I didn't have to explain myself to anyone."
Winning lessons in the game of life
Gibson visit still vivid, 25 years later
By Jackie MacMullan, Globe Staff
They remember her vividly, their vision uncluttered by the 25 years that have passed. Memories tend to fade like the photographs that chronicle the moment, but Althea Gibson was -- is -- unforgettable. A quarter of a century ago, she came to Dorchester to train four top young African-American tennis players for a week.
In seven days, she changed their lives.
Zina Garrison, Leslie Allen, Kim Sands, and Andrea Buchanan learned so much more than tennis when they arrived at the Sportsmen’s Tennis Club in Dorchester. They learned about life skills, about succeeding as a minority in an overwhelmingly white culture, about handling themselves with the grace and dignity that made the late Gibson one of the most revered sports figures in history.
‘‘It feels like yesterday,’’ Sands said. “I was 22 years old, meeting an American legend. It had a tremendous impact on me.”
