Arvelia Myers

Arvelia Myers (25 February 1927 – October 25, 2017) was an American tennis player, wife, mother, coach, entrepreneur, and activist. After excelling in the sport, she founded Pyramid Tennis, the first female-owned, African-American tennis program, in Harlem which served youth for over forty years. She was known in her community as the "mother of Harlem tennis" and was often referred to as a pioneer and activist because of the measures she took to protect her program. Early life Arvelia Myers was born February 25, 1927, in Sunflower, Mississippi to Alexander Cage, a preacher, and Irene (née Fields). Mrs Cage, a widow, relocated the family to Memphis, Tennessee when Arvelia was seven-years-old. Eight years later, at fifteen, Arvelia married Willie Calvin Cole, and from that union, Olivia Cole was born (who rose to become an Emmy Award-winning actress for her role in "Roots"). In 1944, seventeen-year-old Arvelia moved to the Bronx, New York with her two-year-old daughter. An aunt who already lived there helped her with living arrangements in the Bronx.[2] However, she did not stay there long. Despite family members' objections, Arvelia relocated to Harlem and never left. She chose Mount Morris Presbyterian as her church home, where she served as an usher. There she found babysitting support and more. Arvelia told a tennis historian, "A young man whom I met at the Mt. Morris Church introduced me to tennis." That man, Raymond Mitchell, became her husband, in 1956, and both of them were often seen on community tennis courts perfecting their game. In 1972, at 45-years-old, Arvelia attained a General Equivalency Diploma. Twelve years later, in 1984, at 57-years-old, she graduated from Columbia University School of General Studies with a B.A. degree in English. Tennis career During Arvelia's tennis playing days, Jim Crow laws prohibited Blacks from competing in the United States Tennis Lawn Association tournaments, so they played on the American Tennis Association (ATA) circuit, "the only game in town," according to Arthur Ashe. Arvelia traveled on weekends to ATA tournaments on Black college campuses such as Hampton University in Virginia, Central State University in Ohio, or the Shady Rest Country Club in New Jersey. On the ATA circuit in the 1960s, Olivia was ranked as high as number three as a singles player and won doubles championship honors.