Artwork of Rosie Casals is by Miki de Goodaboom
The year is 2101. Someone walks by a grave in Palm Desert. “They Called Her Rosebud. / They Called Her General.” Few know what the epitaph means. In California, women and men share economic power. In half the world, men and women share economic power.
The epitaph almost read: “Here Lies Rosie Casals with a Scattering of Ashes from Every Member of the Original Nine, Those Women who Risked Being Banned from all Future Tournaments to Create the Women’s Professional Tennis Tour: Billie Jean King, Nancy Richey, Julie Heldman, Valerie Ziegenfuss, Judy Dalton, Kerry Melville Reid, Peaches Bartkowicz, and Kristy Pigeon.” A series of discussions led somewhere, then religion intervened. And Gladys was not there to tie the bow.
Someone walks by tennis courts in Golden Gate Park. No words are found for the role El Salvador played. Tio’s teaching, his gift of wood. A racquet, a ball, a wall. The art of hitting a way of self-expression from the wrong side of the tracks, so Rosie played and played till she was beating nice shoes and white clothes and Cadillacs. No words from El Salvador but words from Ecuador are enough: “Tennis is democracy in action. . . . Just me and you, baby, in the arena. Doesn’t matter how much money you have, or who your dad is . . . Just me and you” (Pancho Segura).
The year is 2201. Women and men share economic power.
Learn more about Rosie Casals and the Original Nine from their sites with the International Tennis Hall of Fame: Rosie Casals, The Original 9.
Rosie Casals is also the co-founder of the Love & Love Foundation, which is hosting the 10th Anniversary of the Annalee Thurston Reception at the BNB Paribas Open on October 10 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Original 9 and their induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. More information on this event and on all the great work of this foundation can be found on their website: Love & Love Foundation.
Artist Bio: Born in the French Pyrenees, Miki de Goodaboom moved to Goettingen, Germany at age 19 to study mathematics and physics. After graduating, she worked for many years in German industry as a mathematician and consultant until she moved to Spain, Andalucia, where she lives now. A self-taught artist, Miki kept creating more and more art until it finally became her full-time profession. She most enjoys painting sport themes since she loves movement and the challenge of reducing it to 2 dimensions on paper or canvas. If you check out her countless “Sport Art” paintings and posters on her website, you will see almost 300 images from the entire world of sport. But as you can see from her website, she loves to paint almost anything she encounters in the world.
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