Robert Walter Johnson

Robert Walter Johnson
Born	16 April 1899(1899-04-16)
Died	28 June 1971(1971-06-28) (aged 72) Lynchburg, Virginia, USA
Nationality	United States
Fields	Internal medicine, sports medicine
Institutions	Lynchburg General Hospital
Alma mater	Lincoln University, Pennsylvania Meharry Medical College

Robert Walter Johnson (16 April 1899 – 28 June 1971) was an American physician and founder of the American Tennis Association Junior Development Program for African American youths, where he coached and fostered the careers of tennis greats, Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson.

Biography

Johnson graduated in 1924 from Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, a historically black college. He was a classmate of Melvin B. Tolson.

Johnson was the first African-American physician to receive practice rights at Lynchburg General Hospital in Virginia.^[1] Johnson continued his medical practice in Lynchburg for his entire career.

Known as the "godfather" of black tennis, Johnson founded an all-expenses-paid tennis camp for African-American children and hired instructors.^[2] In these years in the segregated South, they had no public courts where they could learn tennis, and many did not have money for lessons. Johnson was instrumental in encouraging the athletic careers of both Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe, whom he personally coached.^[3]

Legacy and honors

• Johnson was nominated as a contributor in 2007 for the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
• His home and training center, the Dr. Robert Walter Johnson House and Tennis Court, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.^[1]
• The Walter Johnson Health Center, a large medical care and community health education center in downtown Lynchburg, Virginia, was named in his honor.^[4]
• The Dr. Robert Walter Johnson Memorial Invitational, Petersburg, Virginia^[5]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Heritage Sites & Organizations; Dr. Robert Walter Johnson Home and Tennis Court". The Virginia African American Heritage Program. http://www.aaheritageva.org/search/sites.asp?MailingListID=566. Retrieved 2007-08-14. 
2. ^ Smith, Doug (August 2004). Whirlwind: The Godfather of Black Tennis: The Life and Times of Dr. Robert Walter Johnson. Blue Eagle Publishing. ISBN 0974811106. 
3. ^ Carter, Bob. "Ashe's impact reached far beyond the court". ESPN Classic. http://espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/Ashe_Arthur.html. Retrieved 2007-06-30. 
4. ^ "Practice Information: Lynchburg--Walter Johnson Health Center". The University of Virginia Health System. http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/familymed/student-programs/clerkship/preceptors/walter-johnson.cfm. Retrieved 2007-08-14. ^{[dead link]}
5. ^ VSU Athletics (2008) (.PDF). Second Annual Dr. Robert Walter Johnson Memorial Invitational. Virginia State University. http://150.174.33.55/~jjunot/tennis-m/walker-brochure-blue-08.pdf. Retrieved 2008-01-17. 

External links

Tennis portal

• Elect Whirlwind Johnson campaign
• International Tennis Hall of Fame

Persondata
Name	Johnson, Robert Walter
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1899-04-16
Place of birth
Date of death	1971-06-28
Place of death	Lynchburg, Virginia, USA