Clinton, William Jefferson. Document signed as President, 1p, 11 x 14", The White House, Washington, D.C., June 20, 1993. Awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Arthur Ashe, Jr. for his "extraordinary accomplishments in tennis and philanthropy and human rights…matched only by the elegance and the intelligence with which he pursued each of them. A pioneering African American athlete and champion, he co-founded Artists and Athletes Against Apartheid, and founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS. An historian, writer and passionate advocate of education, his enduring legacy includes the award that bears his name for public service by an athlete. The United States honors this deeply moral man, who used his voice and his example to offer hope and inspiration to people everywhere." The document is housed in an 11¼ x 14½" holder and is in very fine condition.
Arthur Ashe (1943-93) became the first African-American male player to win the U.S. Open and Wimbledon, as well as the first black American to be ranked No. 1 in the world. Ashe was already an activist, pushing to create tennis programs for inner-city youth and speaking out against apartheid, and after learning that he had contacted AIDS from a blood transfusion received during a heart operation, he threw himself into raising awareness of the disease to which he succumbed on February 6, 1993.
Estimated Value $4,000 - 6,000.
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