Herbert Warren Wind Award – Ashley Brown, Ph.D.: “Serving Herself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson”
This compelling biography explores Gibson’s relentless drive to become the best athlete in not just one, but two competitive sports – and her incredible journey that would eventually break the color barrier in both. Brown, who picked up the game of golf in her 20s, draws on her historical expertise and lifelong love for the sport to tell the story of Gibson’s wholehearted pursuit of excellence, first in tennis where she became a paid professional in 1959 and then in golf, becoming the LPGA Tour’s first Black player.
Through this insightful look at the cultural influences that shaped women’s sports in the 1950s and beyond, Brown shows us a trailblazer who put herself and her ambitions first, to show the world how much she loved being an athlete. That same drive carried through the rest of Gibson’s life, propelling her to obtain her college degree after initially leaving school at age 14, to pursue careers in the music and movie industries, and to later advocate for education, physical fitness and youth development through participation in sports, as the book chronicles in vivid and inspiring detail.
Brown is the Allan H. Selig chair in the history of sport and society and an assistant professor of history at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
The Herbert Warren Wind Award recognizes and honors outstanding contributions to golf literature. Brown’s book will be on display at the USGA Golf Museum and Library, home to the world’s largest collection of golf books and periodicals, with more than 100,000 individual volumes.
In addition to Brown, Coble and Farren, the USGA recognizes 10 Ike Grainger Award recipients, presented to those who have reached a 25-year milestone in volunteerism with the USGA. This year’s recipients include Barbara Barrow of San Diego, Calif.; Steve Block of Bethesda, Md.; Scott Brooks of Wichita, Kan.; Sandy Dowling of Osterville, Mass.; Larry Kniseley of Daphne, Ala.; Ellen O’Hara of Mesa, Ariz.; Thomas Schmidt of Brookfield, Wis.; Leslie Schupak of Orlando, Fla.; Leslie Sirbaugh of Jacksonville, Fla.; and Thomas Snell of Diamondhead, Miss.
The USGA’s Bob Jones Award recipient will be announced at a later date and celebrated during U.S. Open week in Pinehurst this June.
For more information and a list of past recipients of the USGA’s Annual Awards, see usga.org/awards-and-honors.html.