Inductee: Arthur Ashe
Our next inductee is one who, unfortunately, I narrowly missed in my lifetime. I instead have learned of this man through stories of his passion, bravery, service, and outstanding ability on the tennis court. Arthur Ashe won three Grand Slam titles in his career. He was selected to the Davis Cup team and won the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. But, amazingly, he did so in the face of adversity. Arthur Ashe was the first black man to accomplish these feats. But, he started leaving his mark on this world far before that. When he was younger, he had to break down the barriers of segregation just because he was too good at tennis. He constantly needed new opponents and he needed to be trained according to his outstanding talent. This carried on through college. Then, upon graduating, Arthur enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served for two years and reached the rank of second lieutenant. Please take a moment to thank him for his service. A