U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for Oct. 6; A Tennis Great

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 -- Following is the daily “Profile America” feature for Oct. 6 from the U.S. Census Bureau:

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6: A TENNIS GREAT

Profile America Thursday, October 6th. Today marks the centennial of the birth of one of America’s greatest tennis players Helen Wills Moody, born in Centreville, California. During her professional career, she had a phenomenal 92 percent winning average. In one five-year period, she did not lose even one set in singles competition. She won Wimbledon eight times, the U.S. Open seven times and the French Open four times. For her serious demeanor on court, she was nicknamed “Little Miss Poker Face.” Helen Wills Moody died at the age of 97.

Players of her caliber helped to make the game popular with the U.S. public. More than 23-million people play tennis around the nation each year on 225-thousand outdoor courts and 15-thousand located indoors. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at http://www.census.gov.

Sources: Chase’s Calendar of Events 2005, p. 524 Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2004-2005, t. 1240 http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-04.html

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Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments ready to air on a monthly CD or on Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the “Newsroom” button). For further information, contact Rick Reed at 301-763-2812, fax at 301-457-3670, or e-mail at rreed@census.gov.

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