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TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR THE LIFE OF SUSIE MAE MCCOY, "SWEET GEORGIA BROWN," FOR HER LEGACY AS THE FIRST FEMALE AFRICAN-AMERICAN WRESTLER IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
Whereas, it is fitting that the members of the Senate of the State of South Carolina should pause to acknowledge the incredible life of the 1960s wrestling sensation Susie Mae McCoy, known as Sweet Georgia Brown; and
Whereas, born on December 16, 1938, Susie Mae McCoy left her native Cayce in 1957 as the beginning of a legacy in breaking not only racial but also gender barriers in the male-dominated sport of professional wrestling; and
Whereas, the oldest of twelve children, Susie Mae McCoy, "a five-foot seven-inch one hundred forty-five-pound ebony beauty," went on tour in the world of wrestling as Sweet Georgia Brown, and by 1963, she had won the Texas belt twice and was ranked fourth in the world by Wrestling magazine; and
Whereas, she faced daunting hardships, some from trusted friends and family members, before she came home for good in 1972, but she had already become a hometown sports hero in Cayce and Columbia; and
Whereas, already the mother of three children, she returned home where racial barriers still remained, but Susie Mae McCoy continued to wrestle through life to support her family by working sixteen-hour days as a cook in two different jobs; and
Whereas, after successfully raising Kenny, Barbara, David, Gloria, and Michael, her own five children, Sweet Georgia Brown lost her final wrestling match when she succumbed to breast cancer; and
Whereas, the members of the Senate of the State of South Carolina acknowledge and applaud the incredible legacy that Susie Mae McCoy left to her family, to the State of South Carolina, and to the world of sports. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate:
That the members of the Senate of the State of South Carolina, by this resolution, recognize and honor the life of Susie Mae McCoy, "Sweet Georgia Brown," for her legacy as the first female African-American wrestler in South Carolina.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Susie Mae McCoy.
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