Reginald Storum Weir (September 30, 1911 – August 22, 1987) was an American tennis player and physician.

Tennis

Weir was captain of the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

men's tennis team. After graduating from CCNY in 1931, he was American Tennis Association (ATA) national champion in 1931, 1932, 1933, 1937, and 1942. With the support of the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

, Weir and a partner originally attempted to play at a

United States Lawn Tennis Association The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, ...

's (USLTA)-sponsored indoor tournament in 1929, but they were turned away when organizers realized he was African-American. Later, in 1948, he successfully gained entrance to the USLTA's National Indoor Tournament in New York, becoming the first African-American man to play at a USLTA event. He won his first-round game on March 11, 1948, but did not advance further. His entrance to the tournament was the result of several years of lobbying by the ATA, and paved the way for Althea Gibson to be accepted and advance to the quarterfinals the following year.

Outside of tennis

Weir was born on September 30, 1911 in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

to parents,

Felix Weir Felix Weir (October 8, 1884 – 1978) was an active African-American violinist during the early 20th century. He was a prominent performer, winning recognition for his virtuosity at a young age. He studied at the Chicago Musical College and the ...

, American violinist and educator, and Ethel Storum Weir. A resident of Fair Lawn, New Jersey, he died there on August 22, 1987. Weir was a graduate of the medical school of

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

and practiced family medicine from 1935 to 1985.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weir, Reginald 1911 births 1987 deaths African-American male tennis players American male tennis players African-American history of New Jersey American primary care physicians City College of New York alumni People from Fair Lawn, New Jersey New York University Grossman School of Medicine alumni 20th-century African-American sportspeople