Following her retirement in 1971, Gibson was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Beginning in 1975, she served 10 years as commissioner of athletics for New Jersey State. She was also a member of the governor’s council on physical fitness.
Gibson’s last few years were dominated by hardship. She nearly went bankrupt before tennis great Billy Jean King and others stepped in to help her out. Her health, too, went into decline. She suffered a stroke and developed serious heart problems.
On September 28,2003, Gibson died of respiratory failure in East Orange, New Jersey.
FollowBlack History Month: J Mac Highlights Althea Gibson was originally published on theboxhouston.com