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TO CONGRATULATE AUTHOR AND RETIRED EDUCATOR MARK "PATHFINDER" EPSTEIN OF CHARLESTON COUNTY ON THE RECENT PUBLICATION OF HIS NEW BOOK, THEY CALL ME PATHFINDER: EDUCATION-BASKETBALL-EQUALITY.
Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives is pleased to learn of the recent publication of Mark Epstein's new book, They Call Me Pathfinder: Education-Basketball-Equality; and
Whereas, a native of Worcester, Massachusetts, and a resident of Charleston County for the last thirty-two years, Mr. Epstein has penned an amazing story about how he used grit and intense determination to recover from being a broken man to become a leading educator and civil rights leader in the Deep South. He transformed his life as he grew from a poor student who struggled with maturity to a high school counselor, basketball coach, and leader and mentor for Black students; and
Whereas, growing up, the young Mark Epstein had dreams of playing basketball, but his lack of motivation sidelined him. Inspired after he read true civil rights stories about Black Americans, his secret dream was born. Personal heartbreak drove him to a new life in Charleston, where he found his mission to improve the world through sports; and
Whereas, in this inspiring memoir of an educator, Mr. Epstein shares the magic of befriending some of the greatest athletes in history, as well as students and parents in the public school system. His journey to wholeness had its earliest beginnings with his father's store's sponsorship of a team that won seven championships in the 1970s in the Crompton Park summer basketball league. That's where the Epsteins met Jim Calhoun, who coached Northeastern University before he guided the University of Connecticut to three NCAA titles. Jim Calhoun is among those who have endorsed They Call Me Pathfinder. Other endorsements have come from four-time Boston Marathon winner Bill Rodgers, who wrote that he appreciated that Mark Epstein brought Charlie's Road Race, one of his favorite road races, back to life; former Celtic Xavier McDaniel, who lives in South Carolina and accepted several of Mr. Epstein's invitations to speak at his schools; and South Carolina State Representative Wendell Gilliard, who wrote that Mark Epstein is "a man who has faced his obstacles and has continued to stand tall as he faces the world head on"; and
Whereas, from desperate circumstances to a twenty-seven-year career in education and coaching, They Call Me Pathfinder is the encouraging story of how one lost soul from Massachusetts found his way to a life that became an American dream come true. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, congratulate author and retired educator Mark "Pathfinder" Epstein of Charleston County on the recent publication of his new book, They Call Me Pathfinder: Education-Basketball-Equality.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Mark Epstein.
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