Arthur Ashe

ARTHUR ASHE

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, Arthur Ashe said: "True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost." This is more than an eloquent definition of heroism; it was how Arthur Ashe lived his life.

Ashe emerged from segregated Richmond, VA, to become one of the finest individuals to play the game of tennis. He shattered barrier after barrier and showed the world that anyone who worked hard enough and trained could rise to the top. Ashe's triumphs began in Maryland in 1957 when he was the first African American to ever participate in the Maryland boy's tennis championships. After graduating first in his high school class, he attended UCLA. At UCLA, he helped his team win the NCAA Championship in 1965 by winning the individual championship. Ashe became the first African American ever to be appointed to the Davis Cup Team and played for the team from 1963 to 1970, and also in 1975, 1976, and 1978, and served as captain in 1980.

The world also admired Ashe for his great individual victories. He won the U.S. Open in 1968, the Australian Open in 1970, the French Open in 1971, and no one can forget his victory over Jimmy Connors in the Wimbledon Championship of 1975. Each victory, from the Maryland boy's championship to the triumph at Wimbledon, earned Arthur Ashe a spot in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985.

But tennis is just one part of Ashe's legacy. He was in the military. He was an author, a husband, and a father. He understood that with great success came even greater responsibility. And in the early 1970s he denounced apartheid and worked tirelessly for South Africa's expulsion from the International Lawn Tennis Association. Ashe was the first African-American professional to play in South Africa's national tennis championships. He seized that moment in the spotlight to highlight the struggle of the South African people against the terrible oppression of apartheid. And when the South African Government refused reforms, Ashe refused to play and was even arrested in 1985 outside the South African Embassy while protesting apartheid.

Ashe never wavered in his commitment to use his position to help further important causes. Whether it was the plight of Haitian refugees or creating the USTA National Junior Tennis League to help young inner-city athletes, each effort was a measure of a man determined to make this world a better place.

Then the news came in 1992 that Ashe was HIV positive. As the news traveled to all who were inspired by Ashe, sadness spanned the globe. But once again, Ashe used his position in the world to further one last cause. He went before the General Assembly of the United Nations and called for an increase in AIDS funding and research, and he started the Arthur Ashe foundation to promote these and other causes. Arthur Ashe passed away on February 6, 1993, but his legacy continues thanks to his dedicated wife Jeanne who serves as the chairperson of the Arthur Ashe Endowment for the Defeat of AIDS, his daughter Camera, and all of those who admired this truly heroic individual.

A decade ago, the world lost one of its great heroes. And on this day, in recognition of all of his accomplishment for athletes, and the exemplary role he fulfilled as activist, author, husband, father, and individual, we salute Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr.