Dr. Reginald Weir, The Winged Mercury at the
Seventh Regiment Armory, March 1948
Images by Ralph Morse, Courtesy of Life
Dr. Reginald Weir Serving at the Wood- Slatted Seventh Regiment
Armory in Manhattan's Harlem, March 1948
Images by Ralph Morse, Courtesy of Life
It's the cold of winter and my friend Herb (who plays tennis at NYU) and myself (on the Columbia College Freshman team) are playing singles at Manhattan's 369th Regiment Armory, located in the heart of Harlem.
The game of playing on' boards'-- wood slats-- is unlike any other surface.
It's fast, much faster than grass, the ball doesn't rise as on clay and favors the player with quick reflexes. (remember, this was the age preceding the yellow, more visible tennis ball!)
The lighting is meager; while there are lights suspended from the high ceilings, most light filters in from high narrow window 'slats.'
Playing on the next court is a black tennis legend, Dr. Reginald Weir. He is tall and lanky and dressed in long whites and moves around the court like a winged Mercury.
Little did I know then he was the first black tennis player to break the tennis color barrier. In March of 1948, he was the first black to play in the National Indoor Tennis Championship at this very venue.
Playing on the next court is a black tennis legend, Dr. Reginald Weir. He is tall and lanky and dressed in long whites and moves around the court like a winged Mercury.
Little did I know then he was the first black tennis player to break the tennis color barrier. In March of 1948, he was the first black to play in the National Indoor Tennis Championship at this very venue.
He made it through the first round and then was soundly beaten by the top-seeded Billy Talbert, 6-1, 6-1.
Reggie as he is known is fondly known as being to Tennis what Jackie Robinson was to baseball; He always exhibited grace under pressure, a fighter to the very end.
He opened up the prestigious US Lawn Tennis Association sanctioned tournaments to two gifted stars, Althea Gibson and then Arthur Ashe, both winners of major Grand Slams.
I recently learned that Reggie passed on in 1987.
Kudos to a tennis great, who modestly exhibited his sterling character both on the court and as a caring physician serving the community of Manhattan near the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.
.I recently learned that Reggie passed on in 1987.
Kudos to a tennis great, who modestly exhibited his sterling character both on the court and as a caring physician serving the community of Manhattan near the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.
1 comment:
Sorry, but your second photo is definitely NOT Reginald Weir, who was a neighbor, and whom I knew very well from my childhood and beyond.
Adele Logan Alexander
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