Martin Luther King Jr. event set for Jan. 19

Two-time Olympic medalist Hollis Conway will speak at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. assembly set for 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19, in Treen Auditorium in the High School Building on the campus of LSMSA.

“Mr. Conway will definitely challenge our students,” said Dr. Steve Horton, executive director. “He has such an upbeat personality and positive outlook that I cannot imagine anyone leaving his program without feeling like a champion.

“I cannot imagine a better role model for our students, especially at this point in their lives.”

Conway serves on the LSMSA Board of Directors.

The event is free and open to the public.

Born in Chicago, Conway is the baby of seven children. His mom and dad often separated which caused them to move quite frequently. At the age of two, Conway and his family moved to Detroit and at the age of nine they moved to Shreveport.

With so much instability at home, he quickly found solace in the athletic arena. He tried basketball and football, but it was in the high jump that Conway found his mark. While not being able to clear 5’6” as a freshman, he was just a junior varsity jumper. However, his remaining years in high school saw him go from that JV jumper to one of the best high jumpers in the United States. Conway eventually went on to have a 16-year career and is going to go down as one of the best high jumpers in all of history.

Conway won a silver medal in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea, where he went 7-83/4 in the high jump event, setting a U.S. collegiate record. He won a bronze medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, after going 7-8/12 in winning the U.S. Olympic team trials that year.

Since he retired from jumping in 2001, Conway has taken the same drive, dedication and determination that he used to become the number one jumper in the world, to the world of motivational speaking. From school assemblies to corporate meetings to all kinds of church events, Conway is truly inspiring a generation.

He is the president of Overcoming Obstacles, Inc., a non-profit motivational speaking company. He has authored two books, “Yes I Can” and “Grasshopper.”