Cosby honored by Basketball Hall of Fame; pays for education of two Massachusetts high school grads

Jet, July 26, 2004

Harlem Globetrotter alum Bill Cosby recently was named an honorary member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Springfield, MA.

The Globetrotters signed Cosby to a lifetime contract in 1972 for an annual salary of one dollar. He has made several appearances with the team over the years and even earned a five-cent raise in 1986.

Cosby was feted with a commemorative locker display for his honorary role as a Globetrotter. It contains articles highlighting his athletic and entertainment career, including a No. 66 jersey he wore with the Globetrotters. The items will be kept at the Hall.

During the dedication, fellow Globetrotters and NBA stars praised Cosby as an ambassador of goodwill and community service with a knack for using humor to get across his humanitarian messages.

Prior to the ceremony, Cosby attended a breakfast at the Hall where several inner-city Springfield high school students who graduated with honors despite social and economic difficulties were honored.

Among those being lauded were Loren M. Wilder and Jimmy L. Hester of Springfield whose college costs Cosby agreed to pay for.

Wilder and Hester, both 18, were the subjects of a story written in the Republican of Springfield. Cosby, who lives in Shelburne, read about the two best friends who overcame difficult childhoods to earn their diplomas while supporting themselves.

Wilder and Hester went to three colleges in a tour arranged by Cosby. "This is all about your careers, your lives," he told the teens as they traveled with him on his private jet. "The more you study, the better you do now, the more will open up to you later."

They elected to attend Hampton University in Hampton, VA, with Cosby covering the cost of tuition for both young men.

Wilder and Hester, who graduated with honors and played football at Putnam Vocational Technical High School, moved from place to place before getting an apartment together this winter with another student.

They have been on their own in the tough Springfield streets through most of their high school years. At 14, Wilder's mother was jailed for dealing drugs; Hester left home at 15 following years of moving around and fighting with his mother.

Cosby is also paying for the college costs of their football teammate, Wesley White, whose parents, Demetrius and Edward Woods, watched over Wilder and Hester by making sure they received a good meal on Sunday. White is enrolled for his first year at Westfield State College.