Jun 12, 2023
THE HONDA CLASSIC AWARDS THE VICTORIA KINGDOM COLLEGIATE SCHOLARSHIPS TO TWO SOUTH FLORIDA HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES

The Honda Classic is proud to announce that Kennedy Williams of Lake Worth and Jayden Sparkman of West Palm Beach have been awarded the inaugural Victoria Kingdom Collegiate Scholarships, established by the tournament to honor the 93-year-old Riviera Beach resident who has devoted much of her adult life to playing and teaching golf.

Williams is a 2023 graduate of Suncoast High School who will be attending Florida A&M University this Fall to study biology and pre-medicine.

Sparkman will also be attending Florida A&M after graduating from Palm Beach Lakes High this May.

“Victoria Kingdom is an amazing lady,” Sparkman said. “The legacy she has built is beautiful. I’m honored to be a part of it.”

“It is empowering to be named a recipient of the Victoria Kingdom Scholarship,” Williams said. “It has given me a renewed sense of responsibility as I start the next chapter of my life.”

Both recipients graduated from their respective high schools with weighted GPAs above 4.0. The scholarship award is $2,500.00 per year and is renewable for three additional years with the requirement that the recipients maintain a 2.75 GPA or better.

Kingdom was presented with a Founder’s Award by the West Palm Beach-based African American Golfers Hall of Fame in 2019 for her dedication to teaching golf to local youngsters. She also was the first Black woman to work as a female locker room attendant at PGA National Resort and Spa from 1985 to 1997.

After learning the game from her husband Joseph in her 20’s after they joined Shady Rest Golf and Country Club in New Jersey, they \traveled around the country to play the game in places like Detroit and Las Vegas.

They moved to Riviera Beach in 1979 and joined the Fairview Golf Club, the club for Black golfers that was formed several years after two Black golfers were denied permission in 1955 to play at West Palm Beach Golf Club.

Eventually Kingdom got a job at PGA National while also running Fairview’s Junior Golf Program. That program became her true passion. She would often collect money to help the kids that she was teaching.

In 2019, the African American Golfers Hall of Fame awarded Kingdom its Founders Award. Malachi Knowles, the Founder of the Hall of Fame, is part of The Honda Classic’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and Knowles was the impetus behind the scholarship being named after Kingdom.

The Victoria Kingdom Collegiate Scholarship will continue to serve minority students in Palm Beach and Martin Counties, with extra focus given to those who have an interest in, have worked in or plan a career related to the game of golf.

“It’s an absolute privilege to honor Mrs. Kingdom, and her long-standing and unparalleled commitment to the youth in our area, with these scholarships,” said Beth Amato, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Chair of the Children’s Healthcare Charity. “We congratulate Kennedy and Jayden on their exceptional accomplishments to date and wish them continued success at Florida A&M.”