Robert Walter Johnson
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Dr. Robert Walter Johnson (1899 - 1971) was a physician and tennis coach in Lynchburg, Virginia. Dr. Johnson graduated from Lincoln University, Pennsylvania in 1924 and was a classmate of Melvin B. Tolson. He was the first African American physician that received practice rights at Lynchburg General Hospital.[1] Known as the "godfather" of black tennis[2], he also founded an all-expenses-paid tennis camp for African-American children in the segregationist South, and was instrumental in jump-starting the careers of both Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe.[3]
Dr. Johnson was nominated for the International Tennis Hall of Fame as a contributor in 2007, but did not receive the necessary 75% positive vote for induction. However, his home and training center, the Dr. Robert Walker Johnson House and Tennis Court, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.[1] In addition, the Walter Johnson Health Center, a large medical care and community health education center in downtown Lynchburg, was named in his honor.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Heritage Sites & Organizations; Dr. Robert Walter Johnson Home and Tennis Court. The Virginia African American Heritage Program. Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
- ^ Smith, Doug (August 2004). Whirlwind: The Godfather of Black Tennis: The Life and Times of Dr. Robert Walter Johnson. Blue Eagle Publishing. ISBN 0974811106.
- ^ Carter, Bob. "Ashe's impact reached far beyond the court", ESPN Classic. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
- ^ Practice Information: Lynchburg--Walter Johnson Health Center. The University of Virginia Health System. Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
