BY AAGD STAFF
(May 1, 2015)
Pete Brown received his tour card in 1963 and became the First African American to Win a PGA event, the Waco Turner Open (1964). Overall he won 2 PGA victories and is a 4 time USG (Negro) National Open Champion.
Photo:Pete playing golf (circ 2004)
Brown and his wife, Margaret, celebrated their 55th year wedding anniversary this past April 29th, and their love for one another is stronger than ever. Yet, Pete (76) is in very poor health and the Dayton, Ohio couple admits these are difficult times for them. Brown, a former head professional, spent 26 years at Madden Golf Course–a public course in Dayton–where his junior program boasted more than 200 youth and his jovial personality attracted people in droves to its programs.
Photo: Pete wins San Diego Open (1971)
Upon retiring, Pete had no retirement and no health insurance. He has endured a series of 10 strokes along with other health-related issues over the last decade, and Margaret (72) is also frequently hospitalized. During this time, they’ve lost two of their six daughters, Sheila (2005) and Pamela (2009), to cancer and due to medical costs lost their home. “This predicament has greatly impacted our finances. Altogether, we only have $1,200 coming in to live on and each month has been a struggle,” relented Margaret.
However, it seems like Pete and Margaret least won’t have to endure the long, cold, Ohio winters much longer.
Photo: Pete and Margaret Brown circ. 2000.
Thanks to a helping hand from legendary, PGA-pro golfer Jim Dent, the couple is preparing to relocate to sunny Augusta, Georgia, where Dent has arranged a beautiful home for them to say in as long as they like.
“Pete is a great fellow and I am glad that I can be of help. So, I offered him the house. I felt that if this is what he wanted–then I had some place for them to come to,” said 71-year-old Dent during a telephone interview. Dent, an Augusta native, finished 1st on the Champions Tour 12 times and has owned a 4-acre property at Jones Creek for 10 years. The Browns plan to move around mid-November into the 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 1 car garage, single-floor plan home that sits right next door to Dent’s residence. “The climate should bring some relief to Pete, who also suffers from severe arthritis and palsy in his hands,” said Margaret.
The relocation paperwork has started and the Browns doctors are advising Pete on how to move forward with his medical affairs, transferring prescriptions, patient information, etc. “We have helped a lot of people over the years and if those people would just pay us the money that they owe us, at least we would have a little bit more,” said Margaret. “We deeply appreciate what Jim is doing for us and I still can hardly believe it. Just out of nowhere, Jim offered us the house.”
