Before retiring in 2005 after 25 years of service, Walter E. Luckett, Jr. was a Community Relations Manager for Unilever Home and Personal Care, North America (HPCNA). In this position, Mr. Luckett was responsible for the development and administration of programs designed to enhance educational opportunities for the youth, as well as recruitment and retention programs for women and minorities. He also held various positions in Chesebrough Pond’s Customer Servicing and Inventory Control departments, before the company merged with Unilever.
A graduate of the University of Bridgeport with a B.S. in Business Administration, Mr. Luckett earned his MBA with a concentration in Finance from the University of New Haven. He currently serves as the General Manager for a youth development program sponsored by The Justice Education Center, Inc. in West Hartford, Connecticut. This initiative, entitled ECHO, is predicated on the basic building blocks of empathy, character, hope, and opportunity, and encourages the development and advancement of young men and women. In 2013 he also established The Walter E. Luckett Jr. Foundation, Inc., an organization dedicated to the holistic development of young people.
On the sports level, Mr. Luckett earned many honors in the high school and collegiate ranks. He was named 1st team High School All-American Basketball from Kolbe High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and achieved Sunkist Prep All-American Basketball Cum Laude recognition. He was named “Basketball Player of the Year” in 1972, and his high school uniform was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Mr. Luckett is still recognized as holding the New England record for top scorer in boy’s basketball with 2691 career points.
In the fall of 1972, Mr. Luckett appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a freshman at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. He led the Mid-American Conference in scoring both in 1974 and 1975, and was named All-American by Sporting News, United Press International, and Associated Press in 1975. He was also named All-Midwest by Basketball Weekly that year. Mr. Luckett was drafted by the American Basketball Association’s San Antonio Spurs in 1974 and by the National Basketball Association’s Detroit Pistons in 1975. Due to a leg injury, however, he didn’t pursue a career in professional basketball.
On a personal note, Mr. Luckett has received numerous awards, honors, and accolades. He was honored as a member of the Ohio University’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986, received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Jewish Community Center School Boy Classic in 1998, and in 1999 received the Professional Image Award from the Greater Bridgeport NAACP. In April 2001, Mr. Luckett received the Distinguished Man of the Year Award from the National Council of Negro Business and Professional Women. In April 2002, he was honored as a 2002 Gold Key Recipient by the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Association, and was also named as a Distinguished Alumni from the University of New Haven, where he served on the Board of Governors. In October 2002, Mr. Luckett was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.
In 2006, Mr. Luckett participated in the Connecticut Nutmeg Games Opening Ceremony as a “Living Legend” and was inducted into the Fairfield County Sports Commission (FCSC) Hall of Fame in October. He was honored in January 2007 to have his photo unveiled at the FCSC Hall of Fame unveiling ceremony, and in February 2007 his basketball jersey was retired at Ohio University. Mr. Luckett was also recognized by the Greater Bridgeport Old Timers sports organization in May 2007. In November 2011, he was recognized as a Local Hero by Bank of America and was awarded $5000 to donate to a charity of choice. He was featured in the September 2011 issue of Dime Magazine and is among the notables profiled in the book “Hoops in Connecticut: The Nutmeg State’s Passion For Basketball.”
In February 2012, Mr. Luckett received the Carter G. Woodson Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Public Service from the African American Historical Association of Fairfield County. In 2013, he was invited to serve on the Board of Directors for Kolbe High School, his high school alma mater, and he and his wife Valita received the 2013 Humanitarian Award from the Caribbean World Chamber of Commerce. In 2015, Mr. Luckett was the recipient of the Connecticut Psychological Association’s Ethnic Diversity Task Force Individual Award. In 2016 he was the recipient of the Silver Eagle Award of the Prince Hall Scottish Rite Masons of the United Supreme Council and in 2017 he was featured in an article titled “As Luck Would Have It,” in the Ohio University on-line college publication, The Post. In 2018 he was inducted in the Sigma Pi Phi fraternity and he and his wife were honored to serve as Co-Chairs of the 200th Anniversary of Bethel AME Church in Bridgeport. He was recognized by the Prince Hall Masonic Foundation of Connecticut for creating and developing educational programs to support young people and was also selected to serve as Grand Marshal for the 2019 Juneteenth Celebration in Bridgeport. He has appeared on numerous local television and radio programs as well.
Mr. Luckett and his wife are partners in Luckett and Luckett Associates, a management and marketing consulting venture. He is an avid sports enthusiast and a member of Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church in Hamden, Connecticut.