GLADYS M. LEE
Blog: May-July 2012
DICK CLARK AND
MY GOLF GAME
Hello Confidants, Constituents and Comrades,
My heart was saddened as I returned home yesterday from golf practice with my Estrella Mountain Women’s golf team and heard the news that my former boss had passed away. I gasped as though someone had punched me in the stomach….
I sat in front of the TV with tears in my eyes as I listened to different people tell what they remembered about Dick Clark.
It was not until the mid night hour when there was no TV or no day time sounds and noises that the images of people, memories and stories started to play as reels of tapes in my mind.
I remember the glitz and glamor of Hollywood and how the appreciation of the game of golf was introduced to me by Dick and Carrie Clark ( Dick’s wife).
I remember they were members at Lakeside Country Club along with Bob Hope and several other celebrities. During off day’s from production in the studio’s, Carrie would spend time relaxing by playing a round of golf. It was listening to Carrie talk about the game when I started to realize and see a side of golf that would forever change my life to this very day– Even though I putted around with the game a couple of years before taking a course in continuing education at Tarrant County College in Ft. Worth.
I was home on a leave of absence for a few months, it was Carrie Clark that really got me to think seriously about ” The Wonderful World of Golf.” I remember her saying to me, ” Gladys golf will open door’s for you that you can not imagine….You will meet people that you would never dream of meeting!” Carrie spoke those words in May of 1986 and, as I look back, she was so right.
There are so many memories I have of Dick Clark but the one I cherish most is the day we had a bar-b-que at his Malibu home. Mr Clark along with Jeff Morgolis was producing “The Miss Hollywood Pageant” and I was working as a Production Coordinator. Dick decided we had worked very hard so we had a day of fun and relaxation at his beautiful beach home. As I was sitting on the deck looking out over the Pacific Ocean, Dick sat down next to me and he said, “Gladys you are special. You don’t get bothered or excited by things.” I remember saying to him, “Mr Clark I’ve never been a Star Gazer, there are no Big i’s or little u’s and vice versus in my life. I serve a mighty God that’s bigger than us all and even though you have asset’s as much as 250 million dollars you are poor if you don’t have God.” He had a gleam in his eye, a smile on his face, and a warm embrace for me.
As I said previously, I have lots of stories and many fond memories, but that particular memory was so special for the both of us.
Dick Clark will forever live in my heart as a very good and kind man. I thank God for him and his wife Carrie, they were gifts to me. They brought Golf to Go along with American Bandstand and the decades of music in my life.
Rest in Peace Mr. Clark,
Gladys
P.S. I made it to the professional ranks of golf……….. Thank You !
Many blessings and please to all who read my blog. Please share your thoughts on this with me. Send me a message.
Until next time,
Coach Gladys M. Lee
LPGA Professional Teacher & Coach
Founder / Executive Director
Roaring Lambs International Junior Golf Academy
www.roaringlambsjrgolf.com
coach.leelpgapro@gmail.com
214-212-9475
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