Our Common Ground With Janice Graham

"Supporting the Legacy of Jimmie "Doc" Horne : Black Tennis History" Tonight we honor, Jimmie "Doc" Horne Sr., by supporting the public tennis center which bears his name. He is a tennis standout once barred from white courts in an era of segregation, did not wait for somebody else to design a program to expose city kids in West Palm Beach to the sport. Nor did he wait to be paid. Retiring after 34 years as a teacher in area schools, he just showed up and did it.  His generosity and commitment helped make him a community legend, say those who gathered to remember him.  There are few in the WPB Black community who played tennis who didn't learn it or at least, in part from “Doc” Horne. In 1990, the city of West Palm Beach proclaimed March 17 as Jimmie "Doc" Horne Appreciation Day. The tennis facilities at Gaines Park are named for him. Mr. Horne passed on December 2, 2008, at age 88.