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DEL.ICIO.USThese 2 seniors do justice to title ‘unsung heroes’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Back in April, we commented on the passing of Jamarcus Williams, a former Brookwood High athlete who died suddenly of a heart ailment.
Williams’ life struck a nerve with many readers and me. Never a star, Williams nonetheless touched many with his unselfish devotion to his teammates, coaches and sports.
To that end, I decided to pay tribute to unsung Gwinnett County high school athletes — seniors who gave their sports more than they gained — in memory of Jamarcus Williams.
There was just one lone criterion: players who did not play as much as they wished yet contributed to their teams in more unselfish ways.
As the school year went on, the good works of two young people registered with me, for reasons that will be obvious.
To that end, the honorees are:
TAMARA PERKINS
She probably could have started for any other team in her league, but the Collins Hill senior guard embraced her role as a backup on one of the best girls basketball teams in America.
From coach Tracey Tipton: “Tamara’s just one of those kind of kids every coach loves to have. She never once complained to me about playing time. She’s one of the few smart enough to understand how critical her role is. Players like her allowed a team like ours to have great practices. She doesn’t just buy into the idea but believes and understands that people like her push our starters to greater levels. I can’t say enough good things about her. It was brought to my attention other people would ask Tamara if she was happy with her role. Her reply would be she’s just proud to be part of a great team, and a group of good people. Tamara’s a smart young lady and will go on to do great things with her life.”
(Note: Tamara, daughter of Pamela and Bernard Perkins, will attend Tennessee State and play softball.)
MAURICE WILLIAMS
He played on a fledging Mill Creek basketball team, but a search of our newspaper archives did not bring back any mention of the senior forward — on the basketball court that is.
From Jim Dumond, assistant Scoutmaster: “Maurice will be honored at his Eagle Court of Honor ceremony Friday at Northview Christian Church in Buford. I know, kids earn Eagle every month, but Maurice is a young black man being raised by a single mom with two siblings. This outstanding young manwas also a member of the award-winning robotics team at Mill Creek, and took a loaded schedule of AP courses. This is by far one of the finest young men I’ve had the privilege of working with. … Oh, and did I mention he is Troop 597’s first black scout to attain the rank of Eagle Scout? …It’s a lot of work, and something that’s not just given to them. They have to earn it.”
(Note: Maurice, son of Wanda Williams, will study engineering in college.)
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