Centenarian Geraldine “Marge” Brooks cheered on her great-grandson, Washington Generals’ Jamani Spencer, at the Wildwoods Convention Center last month, as the Generals took on the Harlem Globetrotters.
The iconic Harlem Globetrotters returned to the Oceanfront Arena at the Wildwoods Convention Center for nights of basketball last month.
The team helped celebrate the life and legacy of Moorestown resident Geraldine “Marge” Brooks, who recently turned 100. Brooks cheered on her great-grandson, Jamani Spencer of the Washington Generals, as he and his team took the court against the Globetrotters. Spencer is a coach, trainer, mentor and the author of two children’s books, “Mean Big Brother” and “Lil’ Brown Boy.”
Born in Philadelphia in 1925, Brooks grew up watching the Globetrotters, who were founded a year later and became a beloved tradition in her home, one she passed down through generations.
“We always had the Globetrotters on,” she recalled. “That was our thing.”
Brooks is the proud matriarch of a family that includes four children, nine grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. As the Harlem Globetrotters approach their own 100th anniversary next year, it’s only fitting that Brooks, who grew up admiring them, was in the audience to watch her great-grandson take the court and carry forward a cherished family tradition.
