Nehemiah Atkinson

Atkinson's family moved to New Orleans just before the Great Depression as his father became bishop of the Christ Holiness Church there.

[1] He began playing tennis at age nine, learning without the benefit of professional instruction, being attracted to the sport despite its dominance by white people.

[3] Atkinson subsequently returned to New Orleans, where he obtained employment with the Dryades Street branch of the YMCA.

During this time, he gained the attention of the local Coca-Cola Bottling Company which was a sponsor of the Dryades Street YMCA and gave Atkinson employment as a night supervisor.

This facility, on South Saratoga Street in New Orleans, welcomed African-Americans to play tennis.

[5] He also helped Pettis obtain a scholarship from the Southern University men's tennis team, an indication that he broke boundaries in both race and gender relations.

[6] Much of Atkinson's career coincided with the era of the Jim Crow South, and he frequently was taunted at integrated tennis tournaments in which he participated.

[1] After segregation in the Deep South subsided, Atkinson became a member of the New Orleans Lawn Tennis Club, from which he had previously been excluded for racial reasons.

In 1993, Atkinson was named Player of the Year for the United States Professional Tennis Registry.

[2] With regard to his success in senior competitive tennis, Atkinson stated:[4] "I’ve got better wheels than most people I play.

"Atkinson died of cancer at the Kenner Regional Medical Center in 2003[2] and was then interred at the Biloxi National Cemetery.

[10] The Professional Tennis Registry Foundation awards the Nehemiah Atkinson Humanitarian Grant, given to an individual distinguished by actions aimed at improving the lives of others.