To protest South Africa's apartheid system of government,
Ashe calls for the nation to be expelled from the
International Lawn Tennis Federation. Ashe requests a visa
to travel to
South Africa, but his application is
denied.
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South Africa grants Ashe a visa. He becomes the first
black pro to play in South Africa's national
championships.
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Ashe defeats Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 to win the
Wimbledon singles title. Ashe is the only black man to win
the world's most prestigious grass-court
tournament.
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Ashe marries Jeanne Moutoussamy, a photographer he met
during a tennis tournament four months earlier. Andrew
Young, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, performs
the ceremony at the U.N. chapel in New
York.
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Ashe suffers a heart attack while taking part in a tennis
clinic in New York. He is hospitalized for 10
days.
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Ashe undergoes quadruple-bypass
surgery.
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After suffering chest pains during training, Ashe retires
from competitive tennis. His professional
record: 818 wins, 260 losses. He won 51
titles.
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Ashe becomes captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team. The U.S.
will win the Davis Cup in 1981 and
'82.
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Ashe serves as national chairman of the American Heart
Association.
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Because of continuing heart trouble, Ashe undergoes
double-bypass surgery. After the operation, Ashe feels sluggish
and uncomfortable. He receives a blood transfusion to
bolster his
strength.
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Ashe is arrested outside the South African embassy in
Washington during an anti-apartheid
protest.
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Ashe is voted into the
International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport,
R.I.
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A daughter, Camera, is born to Jeanne and Arthur in New
York.
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After feeling numbness in his right hand, Ashe is
hospitalized. Tests show that he has toxoplasmosis, a
bacterial infection often present in people with HIV.
Further tests show that Ashe has HIV, the virus that can
cause AIDS. The source of his
exposure is believed to be a blood transfusion he received during
his 1983 bypass
surgery.
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As part of a 31-member delegation of prominent
African-Americans, Ashe returns to South Africa to observe
political changes in the country as it approaches
integration.
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Believing
USA Today is about to report that he has AIDS, Ashe calls a press
conference and makes the announcement
himself.
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While protesting the U.S. crackdown on Haitian refugees,
Ashe is arrested outside the White
House.
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On World
AIDS Day, Ashe addresses the United Nations General Assembly. He
implores the delegates to boost funding for AIDS research
and to increase knowledge of the disease and its
effects.
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 Ashe is named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the
Year.
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Ashe, 49, dies of
AIDS-related pneumonia in New York. His body lies in state at the
Governor's Mansion in Richmond. More than 5,000 mourners
line up outside to file past the casket. Ashe is the first
person to lie in state at the mansion since Confederate general Stonewall
Jackson in
1863.
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Ashe is laid to rest in Richmond. Nearly 6,000 people
attend the funeral, including New York City mayor David
Dinkins, Virginia governor L. Douglas Wilder, Secretary of
Commerce Ron Brown and Rainbow Coalition chairman Jesse
Jackson. Andrew Young,
former U.N. ambassador and Atlanta mayor, delivers the
eulogy.
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On what would have been his 53rd birthday, a statue of
Ashe is dedicated on Richmond's Monument Avenue. The statue
is a striking contrast to the Confederate war heroes whose
monuments line the avenue. Ashe is depicted carrying books
in one hand and a
tennis racket in the
other.
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Want to learn more about Arthur Ashe? Click here for a suggested reading list.
Research by Alec
Morrison
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