Flashback: Arthur Ashe's Race Served Controversy in Dallas Tennis Tournament

Editor's note: Take a look back into The Dallas Morning News archives. Though three women of color from the U.S. are competing in the US Open finals tonight, it was not that long ago when race played in a role in accesibility for even the best tennis players.In 1966, the Dallas Tennis Association inherited from the all-white Dallas Country Club the Dallas Invitational Tennis Tournament. The DTA moved the event from the Dallas Country Club to the Samuell-Grand Tennis Center in East Dallas. The initial reasoning for the move by country club board members was "limited stadium facilities." However, some speculated that the board members gave up the tournament because they refused to open their venue to Arthur Ashe, a black tennis player.  Continue reading...