Tam O'Shaughnessy

Tam Elizabeth O'Shaughnessy
Tam O'Shaughnessy in 2013
Born	(1952-01-27) January 27, 1952 (age 65) San Andreas, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Troy High School Georgia State University University of California, Riverside
Occupation	Writer, Science educator
Partner(s)	Sally Ride (1985–2012; Ride's death)

Tam Elizabeth O'Shaughnessy (born January 27, 1952) is an American children’s science writer, former professional tennis player and co-founder of the science education company Sally Ride Science. The company was relaunched as a nonprofit entity, Sally Ride Science at UC San Diego, on October 1, 2015. O’Shaughnessy serves as executive director.

O'Shaughnessy was born in San Andreas, California and attended Troy High School in Fullerton, California, where she was active in tennis. As a junior player, she was coached by Billie Jean King.

O’Shaughnessy went on to play on the women's professional tennis circuit from 1971 to 1974. She competed in the U.S. National Championships (now known as the U.S. Open) in 1966, 1970, and 1972. Her entry into the 1966 U.S. National Championships at the age of 14 came about by serendipity.

O’Shaughnessy was being coached by Dr. Robert Walter Johnson, a physician who played a key role in the tennis careers of Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe. Johnson was an official of the American Tennis Association (ATA), an organization that promotes tennis for African-Americans but welcomes players of all backgrounds. During the summer of 1966, O’Shaughnessy, who is not African-American, competed in ATA tournaments in addition to U.S. Tennis Association junior events. O’Shaughnessy won the ATA national 18-and-under championship and so was automatically entered in the U.S. National Championship draw.

O’Shaughnessy also competed in the 1972 Wimbledon Championships. During her tennis career, she was ranked as high as No. 52 in the world in women’s singles by the Women’s Tennis Association and as high as No. 3 in the U.S. in women’s doubles (with Ann Lebedeff) by the USTA. O’Shaughnessy won national hard-court doubles titles in the junior division (with Ann Lebedeff) and in the women’s division (with Pam Austin).