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TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR MARTHA PARKER-HESTER FOR HER SELECTION AS A MEMBER OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2016.
Whereas, the members of the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina are pleased to learn that Martha Parker-Hester of Richland County has been selected as a member of the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2016; and
Whereas, the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame's mission is to honor those who, by outstanding achievement or service, have made lasting contributions to the cause of sports in South Carolina, the nation, and the entire world. The induction will take place on May 16, 2016, at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center; and
Whereas, Martha Parker-Hester graduated from Hammond Academy in 1985, leading the Lady Skyhawks to five consecutive state championships, including undefeated seasons in 1984 and 1985. She is the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,550 points (1981-85), holds the record for the highest season average, 28 points per game in 30 games (1983), and scored the highest single points (40) in a single game (1983). She was named the school's Most Valuable Player her freshman through senior years, and her jersey (#13) was retired; and
Whereas, she played basketball for the University of South Carolina (USC) from 1985-1989, during which time she posted impressive statistics, averaging 13.9 points and 5.9 rebounds a game and ranking fifth on the all-time USC scoring list with 1,728 career points. She is second on USC's all-time steals list with 284, and she started all but two games during her collegiate career, 122 starts in 124 games; and
Whereas, Martha Parker-Hester earned All-American honors as a freshman from the Women's Basketball News and American Women's Sports Federation. As an upperclassman, she was named an All-American by the American Women's Sports Federation (1986-87) and the Women's Basketball News Service (1987-88 and 1988-89). She also was named the South Carolina Female Amateur Athlete of the Year for the 1988-89 season and was honored by the South Carolina Association of Sportswriters & Broadcasters as the 1988-89 Player of the Year; and
Whereas, she was awarded the Metro Conference Newcomer of the Year in 1986, the Metro Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player in 1988, and the Metro Conference Player of the Year in 1988 and 1989; and
Whereas, Martha-Parker Hester is one of three Gamecock women basketball players to have her jersey (#13) retired, and she was inducted into the University of South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995; and
Whereas, in addition to her accomplishments on the court, she received numerous awards for her academic success. She was a member of the GTE Academic All-American Team in 1988-89 and was honored with the Baden Post-Graduate Scholarship in 1989. She also was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority; and
Whereas, Martha Parker-Hester earned her medical degree from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in 1994 and is a family practice doctor with her husband, Martin Hester, also a physician. During the 1999-2000 season, the SEC honored Dr. Parker-Hester as USC's Female Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2000 SEC Tournament; and
Whereas, Martha and Martin Hester are the proud parents of Corrie, who attends Clemson University, and Seth and Eden, who attend Ben Lippen School. She has coached her children in church leagues and on their schools' teams. The Hester family attends First Presbyterian Church in Columbia. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, recognize and honor Martha Parker-Hester for her selection as a member of the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2016.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be provided to Martha Parker-Hester.
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