Remembering the Peters Sisters

Before I get into the gist of this column, I have to be totally honest and admit, that before I recently began researching the history of African-American tennis players, I knew absolutely nothing about two unbelievable sisters who sported two of the greatest athletic nicknames I have ever heard in connection with any professional sport.

That's right, before I took up the sport of tennis this past summer (and became a pretty good player if I may say so), I admittedly knew zilch about the historical sisters, Margaret "Pete" Peters and her sister, Matilda Roumania "Repeat" Peters.
Fortunately, after some intense research, I am now very much aware of the historical significance of the sisters and their contributions to the sport of tennis - and want to take the time to educate as many young people as I can about both, their impact on the sport - and society - as a whole.

Long before current stars, Venus and Serena Williams were even thought of being brought into this world - and even tennis legend Althea Gibson made a name for herself for that matter - there were "Pete" and "Repeat."

The Tuskegee University sisters dominated the national tennis scene from the late 1930s into the early 1950s and, in doing so, forged a path for other black players to succeed in today's times.

Yet, despite their tremendous success on the court, the Peters sisters are, unfortunately, mostly forgotten names in the annals of tennis history, at least until a few years ago that is, when the United States Tennis Association inducted the legends into the USTA's Mid-Atlantic Section Hall of Fame on Nov. 15, 2003, some 26 years after they were inducted into the Tuskegee University Athletic Hall of Fame.

"They are a shining example of a tennis legacy that's unknown to most of America," said Camille Riggs Mosley, an author who co-wrote "Outside the Lines," a history of blacks in tennis several years ago.

The once unbeatable doubles pair were honored with an achievement award in 2003 at the USTA Federation Cup tournament in their native Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, the belated accolades came from an organization that would not allow the sisters to compete in its tournaments in the prime of their playing days.

In the midst of immense racial segregation, the sisters joined, and flourished in, the American Tennis Association, an organization that was created in 1916 to allow blacks to play competitively. The sisters won an incredible, record, 14 ATA doubles championships on two streaks from 1938-41 and 1944-53.

Roumania also won ATA singles titles in 1944 and 1946, the latter coming at the expense of Gibson, who began in ATA, competed professionally against whites for the first time in 1950 and has long been considered the most successful black woman in tennis history.

Mosley said at the time, their success inspired blacks to do more than just play tennis. "In large measure, because of the success of the Peters sisters, tennis introduced the whole notion that college is something 'I can do,' 'I'm expected to do,' 'I should do,' and 'There are people who look like me who are doing this,"' Mosley said.

The pair began their respective tennis careers on the clay courts of Washington, playing what many at the time considered to be a white person's game. Playing in the ATA, Margaret first gained the attention of Tuskegee Athletic Director Cleveland Leigh Abbot in 1935. Abbot offered Margaret a full scholarship, but she decided to wait until Roumania graduated from high school - and the two entered college together in 1937.

"They were very close," said Frances Weekes, Roumania's daughter.

Eventually, the two sisters headed to the South together - and into the very heart of segregation.

"Imagine piling into the car to drive south to college to play tennis and not being able to use the bathrooms when you stop for gas because you were black," Mosley said.

The two persevered, not only excelling on the court, but also by graduating in 1941 with degrees in physical education.
After getting their masters' degrees from New York University, Margaret and Roumania eventually settled back in Washington D.C. Roumania married James Walker and started a family, including her daughter Frances and son James. She also held tennis camps in the D.C.-area to expose underprivileged blacks to the game and also coached high school basketball. Margaret was a special education teacher who enjoyed working with the underprivileged. Weekes and her brother say their famous relatives made tennis a center-point of family activity, but also never spoke of the racial injustices they battled just to play the game they loved so much.

"They weren't bitter about anything," Weekes said. "They were never disappointed they couldn't play with white players. Race was never an issue with them."

In fact, both siblings say it wasn't until they read about their mother and aunt in books and saw them inducted into the Tuskegee Hall of Fame that they realized what kind of impact they had.

"I was shocked," Walker said. "I used to use my mother's trophies as toy soldiers, there were so many of them. But as a kid, you don't recognize those things."

Weekes and Walker weren't the only ones who failed to recognize the soft-spoken sisters, Mosley said.

"They were reflective of people of color who resisted segregation, but were not going to put they're lives on hold because of it," she said. "They succeeded in spite of the obstacles."

Because they succeeded, new paths were laid for players like the Williams sisters, whom the Peters watched closely as they emerged into stardom.

"When Serena and Venus won their Wimbledon titles, I told my aunt, 'It should have been you all,"' Walker said. "She said, 'No. It's their turn now."'

John Collins, president of the ATA's Southern Region, said the Peters sisters were "truly trailblazers."

"They opened doors we are trying to reopen," he said. "It shows our kids there is a history, a foundation for successful tennis competition."

Weekes said her mother, had she lived to the time of the sisters' award recognition, would have been ecstatic.

"She didn't worry about getting honors, but she would have been very honored to receive these awards," Weekes said of her mother. "I really wish my mother were here to see this," Weekes said at the time.

The sisters' impressive 14-year reign in the American Tennis Association laid the groundwork that now exists for the future of African-American Tennis in this country. The legacy of athletic excellence they have left at their alma matter is remarkable - and unmatched.

The Williams' sisters impact on the game may reach further than that of the Peters sisters because of today's tremendous media availability, which literally reaches every corner of the world, but to put it mildly, there will never be another "Pete" or "Repeat."