February 23, 2021 | BY AAGD STAFF
After surviving an intensive 4-year battle with breast cancer Darlene “Dee” Y. Anderson learned golf in 2004. The positive-minded, former Algebra teacher used golf for physical therapy purposes upon following the advice of her physical therapist. The experience led her to discover a love for the game which has continued to this day.
Having never been exposed to the sport of golf, the natural athlete had played high school and college sports and competitive tennis.
“It was the result of surviving Breast Cancer in the year 2000. I was living in Fresno, CA at the time, caring for my mother who was paralyzed from a stroke, and 1 week before she passed away in May 2000, I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. I was also preparing to attend the graduation of my daughter from Harvard University in June 2000. I buried my mother, attended my daughter’s graduation and had my lumpectomy surgery one week later. “
One year later, after radiation and chemotherapy treatments it was time for Dee to rehabilitate. “It was during this time that my physical therapist was concerned about my deep depression and lack of interest in nursing my surgery scars. I was totally letting my therapist do my ‘exercising’ during my weekly PT session,” says Dee.
Her nurse was very concerned about her lack of exercise that she admonished Dee to do so, or risk having permanent lymphedema. “After viewing the images of what lymphedema looks like, I was scared but still depressed. During one session, my PT gifted me a 7-iron. She said to simply go to a driving range and buy a bucket of balls and hit the balls. She said the movement will give my lymph fluids the movement it needs to NOT settle into lymphedema. That was it!”
On to the course…
“After about a week of daily hitting golf balls at the driving range, I was bored. I met many friendly golfers at the driving range with whom I shared my story. One golfer invited me to go with him to a Par 3 golf course and he let me use his old clubs. My first set of used golf clubs was a 7-iron, a driver and a putter. I was so encouraged to know that if I played golf every day, I would get my lymph fluid exercises.”
“So, I played golf every day at this little Par 3 golf course with my 3 clubs, says the 67-year old. “The owners of the golf course (a husband & wife) noticed me playing there every day with my 3 clubs. When they heard my story, they put a full set of golf clubs together (with a carry bag) for me and gifted them to me. My first full set of golf clubs was a mix-matched set of a 9-iron, 7-iron, 5-iron, a driver and putter.”
Dee’s journey in golf has truly been amazing and she has been involved in several golf clubs and organizations including the Inland Empire Golf Club, LA Fairways Golf Club, and served as WSGA Southern Area, Women In Golf (WIG) for the Western States Golf Association (WSGA)—of which she has been WSGA family member for the past 17 years. Attending her first WSGA Annual at Reno, NV in 2004, the enthusiastic player won the low-gross women’s flight A Championships.
Having been retired since June 2015 and currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., prior to that Dee lived in Seattle, Washington for 30 years. As the former owner and principal consultant of Continental Professional Enterprises, USA – An accounting and financial management consulting company, Dee served as a sub-contractor to USA Contractors doing international business contracts with Eastern European Countries. Her prior experience as Executive Director and CEO of Operational Emergency Center, a multi-service United Way-funded non-profit corporation based in Seattle, Washington gave her practical, hands-on experience which benefits organizations that she serves through golf today.
The University of Washington graduate earned a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and has a firm knowledge base of governess and managing diversity from her studies in public policy and issues relating to constitutional law. With over 20 years of experience in managing and operating political, non-profit and private sector organizations and groups, Dee is a specialist in governing and providing pro-active leadership in service to a common good.
Giving Back
Dee has parlayed her momentous corporate career experience into her activity as a member of several golf clubs including the Vernoncrest Ladies Golf Club (Board member and Treasurer) along with the Tee Masters Golf Club, Cosmopolitan Golf Club, the Golden Tees Golf Club.
“As my game got better, I purchased a few more used golf clubs. By the time I moved to Los Angeles, I had a mixed-match set of golf clubs, (driver, 3-wood, 5-iron, 7-iron, 9-iron, a wedge, a chipper and putter). The first time I met a group of African American golfers was 5 years after I was introduced to golf, at Chester Washington Golf Course, home of Western States Golf Association (WSGA) in Los Angeles.”
Today, she is a member of two women’s golf clubs: Rancho Park Women’s Golf Club and Western Women Golf Club (at Chester Washington). And also a member of the following WSGA Golf Clubs: Inland Empire GC and LA Fairways GC. She is a member of SCGA (Southern California Golf Association), the SCGA women’s leagues of Women’s Publinks Golf Association, the LA County Women’s Golf Association, and the Maggie’s Ladies Par 3 Golf Club (primarily an African American Women’s golf club.)
In the SCGA leagues, Dee (who plays at a 16.2 handicap) says that she plays regularly with ‘my girls’ Juanita Williams, Liz Mitchell, Jan Scott, and Beulah Stamps. “Together, we win a lot of SCGA women’s tournaments!”
Dee is a pioneering woman who has achieved many firsts” in her cherished lifetime:
- The first female to attend and graduate college in my family
- The first African American female to become the CEO of a United Way non-profit corporation in Seattle, Washington;
- The first African American female to be elected to the Democratic National Committee in Washington State;
- The first African American female from Washington State to be elected to the Board of the National Women’s Political Caucus;
- The first female to organize and present the history of elected women leaders in Washington State;
- The first African American female to become Deputy Director of a national presidential campaign in Washington State;
- The first African American female to run for State Representative in her legislative district.
“These “firsts” have prepared me with the temperament, the endurance, stamina, and fortitude to step into this challenging WSGA, SA-Women in Golf (WIG) leadership position on behalf of the WSGA golf family,” says Dee, now a Super Host with Airbnb where she has been hosting guests since 2014 in her home, “I love it. It helps fund my golfing habits.”
PAST GOLF CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP WINS:
- 2006 Vernoncrest Women’s Golf Club, Club Champion, member of WSGA.
- 2016 LA Fairways Golf Club, Flight B Club Champion, member of WSGA
- 2017 Maggie’s Ladies Par 3 Golf Club Queen
- 2018 Compton Women’s Par 3 Golf Club Queen
- 2020 Inland Empire Golf Club, Overall Club Champion, member of WSGA
