Arthur Ashe Issued This Weekend
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Saturday, August 27th is the First Day of Issue for the Arthur Ashe .37-cent commemorative stamp in Flushing, New York. This stamp uses the 1992 Sportsman of the Year photo from Sports Illustrated. It is the first ever Sports Illustrated cover featured on a stamp.
The ceremony will happen at the Arthur Ashe Kids Day, which kicks off the US Open. The US Open facility is known as Arthur Ashe Stadium and Commemorative Garden.Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day honors the tennis legend and continues his mission of using tennis as a means to instill in kids the values of humanitarianism, leadership and academic excellence.
Arthur Ashe is most remembered for two things. He was a humanitarian and world-class tennis star. Henry A. Pankey, Vice President, Emergency Preparedness, U.S. Postal Service, said at the unveiling last year “Arthur Ashe was a man who was unafraid to redefine the boundaries of his world.” “Through his efforts - on and off the court - he pushed us all to make the world a better place.”
Ashe was the first African-American man to win Grand Slam tennis tournaments - Wimbledon, and the United States and Australian Opens. But as America came to know the man for his tennis abilities, they also began to embrace him for humanitarian endeavors, which continued during and after tennis.
Tackling social issues of the time, led Ashe to establish foundations that help disenfranchised youth, organized efforts to oppose South Africa’s apartheid rule and support the fight against AIDS. Ashe had contracted the horrible disease himself from a blood transfusion during heart surgery. Ashe passed away from AIDS-related pneumonia in 1993.
