HR0320 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0320 LRB099 11595 MST 33304 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Katrina Adams on becoming the first African-American to be named CEO of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) on January 1, 2015; and

WHEREAS, Katrina Adams is only the fourth woman to hold the position and the first professional athlete; and

WHEREAS, Katrina Adams was born in Chicago and developed a love of tennis at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Boys Club on the West Side of Chicago; she played throughout the City of Chicago, including at the Prairie Tennis Club, the Hyde Park Tennis Club, and the Midtown Athletic Club; she attended Whitney Young High School and went on to attend Northwestern University, where she majored in communications; while at Northwestern, she helped lead the Wildcats to a Big Ten Championship in Tennis in 1986; she was an NCAA All-American in 1986 and 1987 and she was the first African-American to become NCAA doubles champion in 1987; and

WHEREAS, Katrina Adams played for 12 years on the Women's Tennis Association tour, where she was ranked as high as No. 67 in singles and No. 8 in doubles; she captured 20 career doubles titles; and

WHEREAS, After retirement, Katrina Adams served as a national coach for the United States Tennis Association Player Development division; and

WHEREAS, Katrina Adams has been inducted into the Northwestern Hall of Fame, the USTA Midwest Section Hall of Fame, the Chicago District Tennis Hall of Fame, and the Black Tennis Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, While CEO of the USTA, Katrina Adams will focus on growing the development of young players in African-American and Hispanic communities; she will also continue to run the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Katrina Adams on becoming the first African-American to be named CEO of the United States Tennis Association; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we recognize Katrina Adams on all of her accomplishments and wish her well in all her future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Katrina Adams as an expression of our esteem and respect.