Jeffrey T. Sammons, Professor Emeritus of History at New York University in New York City will be inducted into the African American Golfers Hall of Fame (AAGHOF) during its 20th annual event, May 23-27, in Palm Beach, Florida. Sammons’ areas of research and special interest include African American history, military history, U. S. social and cultural history with research and teaching interests in Black autobiography, film history, and sports history.
In 1987, as a Henry Rutgers Research Fellow, Sammons authored his first book, The Role of Boxing in American Society. His other publications include Race and Sport: A Critical Historical Examination published in the Journal of Sport History (1994) and Rebel with a Cause: Muhammad Ali as a Sixties Protest Symbol, published in Muhammad Ali, the People’s Champ (1995). He is co-author of Harlem’s Rattlers and the Great War: The Undaunted 369th Regiment and the African American Quest for Equality with John H. Morrow, Jr.
Sammons has served on the editorial boards for the publications, The Journal of Sport History and Sport and Social Issues. He has been a consultant for various documentary projects and television programs, including the PBS program American Experience.
From 1984 to 2010, Sammons directed the Julius Chambers Invitational, a major fundraiser for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Other notable roles include serving as a historical adviser for a documentary on Shady Rest Country Club, being a board member of the Clearview Legacy Foundation from 2008 to 2016, and acting as a diversity and volunteer historical adviser to the PGA of America from 2006 to 2012. Samons was also involved with the United States Golf Association, being a member of the Museum and Library Committee and a founding member of the USGA Black Golf Archive. In 2016. He co-founded Golfers Opposing Bigotry, targeting racial discrimination in golf.
Other achievements include sponsoring James R. “Jimmie” DeVoe for the PGA Hall of Fame and serving as the Chief Researcher and Adviser for a film on Bermudian Louis Rafael Corbin, who challenged racial barriers in golf. Currently, Sammons is the Chief Historical Consultant for the Bermuda Professional Golfers Association and the Government of Bermuda Golf Courses.
Sammons lives in Monmouth Beach, NJ. He is married to Mariam Nassadien Sammons and they have a son, Adam.
The 20th Annual AAGHOF event is full of activity and includes a Leadership Conference, Golf Skills Camp & Tournament, Reception, Awards Dinner Celebration, Auction, and 14th African American Collegiate & Youth Golfers Hall of Fame. The annual program is hosted by Inner City Youth Golfers’, Inc.
“We sincerely hope to also challenge the excellence from our youth in this forum through golf — now, and in the future,” said AAGHOF Founder & President, Malachi Knowles in a press release. The mission is “to celebrate and honor the history and achievements of African Americans and other significant supporters who have contributed to growing the game of golf since the early 1800s.”
The 2024 AAGHOF Class includes:
- Arthur L. Johnson, Jacksonville, FL
- Brandon Johnson, ASGCA, Sanford, FL
- Craig Kirby, Washington, DC
- Major Robert. McNeil, Cincinnati, OH
- Harold Moore., West Palm Beach, FL
- Marsha. G. Oliver, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
- Glenville Pratt, Nassau, Bahamas
- Madeline A. Quintyne-McConney, North Babylon, NY
- Jeffrey T. Sammons, Ph.D., Monmouth Beach, NJ
- Vemell E. Williams, Madison, FL
- Tracy & Philip Raoul, Chicago, IL
- Par Four Golf Club, Inc., Pensacola, FL
- Pitch & Putt Golf Club, Baltimore., MD
- Sisters Across America, Inc., Orlando, FL
- Southern Association of Amateur Golfers, Jackson, MS
2024 AAC& FGHOF
Sonia Washington, Cincinnati, OH
For more information on attending the event, contact Esmeralda “Elsie” H. Knowles at icyginc@gmail.com or visit the website at http://www.icyg.org. The African American Golfer’s Hall Of Fame and African American Collegiate & Youth Golfers Hall Of Fame are unaffiliated with the National Black Golf Hall of Fame.
