Dec. 1, 1925-July 13, 2012

WILLIAM CHARLES “PAP” LEWIS III peacefully departed this life at the age of 86 on July 13, 2012 in Lancaster, SC. He was born on December 1, 1925 in Orangeburg, SC on South Carolina’s State College campus into a family of educators and coaches who cherished active involvement in Church and civic life. His parents, William Charles Lewis II and Alethia Lightner.

Lewis, founded the first Black Presbyterian church in Orangeburg, SC. His mother was the first woman Elder in the Presbytery. His father was a professor as well as the first football coach for SC State College and was a founder of the MEAC.

He attended Felton Training School in Orangeburg, SC. Later, he completed high school

at Mather Academy in Chester, SC where he lettered in football, basketball, track, and tennis. He was drafted out of Hampton Institute (noW Hampton University) into the US Navy as a boatswain’s mate and served on an attack cargo ship out of Seattle, WA from 1944-45. In so doing, he became one of the first Blacks to enter the Navy at a seaman class. After returning toHampton Institute, he made All-CIAA; and lettered in football, basketball, track, and tennis. He earned a BS in physical education, minoring in science.

After graduation, Pap continued to develop his athletic prowess, including exhibition tennis matches with Althea Gibson and other world-class African American tennis players as well as playing against the Harlem Globetrotters. He was drafted to play in the Canadian Football League, but received a better offer from Miriam Lee Graham, whom he married and who has been his wife for 60 years. This loving union produced six children: William Lewis, IV; RhettLewis; Michael Lewis; Pernell Lewis; Derrick Lewis; and Denise Lewis.

He was a lifelong Presbyterian: serving Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church as a member

of the Choir, Deacon, Elder, and Treasurer; serving Ladson Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC as Deacon; after having been raised in St. Luke Presbyterian Church in Orangeburg. He began his coaching career at Wilson HS, Florence, SC (1951-55) as Athletic Director, Head Coach of Football, Basketball, Track. From 1955-64, he served as Head Coach of Football, Track and JV Basketball Coach at Booker T. Washington HS, Columbia, SC.  From1964-1970, Coach served as Athletic Director, Head Coach of Football, Basketball, and Track at Barr Street HS, Lancaster, SC. Finally, Pap served as Head Coach of Basketball and Tennis, Assistant Coach of Football at Lancaster HS, Lancaster, SC from 1970-1995. He led many of the teams at these schools to championships.

In the “off season, he ran clinics, held exhibitions, and in general inspired and developed

the younger aspiring athletes while riding herd on his athletes with his ever-present admonition: No drinking, no smoking, and no dissipating. By the way, he also managed Gay St. Community Pool for many years. Coach William Charles Lewis, III, the only African American to retain a head coaching position in the State of South Carolina after forced desegregation in 1971, was inducted into the SC Coaches Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2012, he was inducted into the Florence, SC Coaches Hall of Fame. If Coach wasn’t at practice, he was golfing, which became such a favorite pastime for him, he co-founded the Tri-County Golf Club, also serving as president for a number of years.

Coach was predeceased by his son, Michael Allen Lewis and his sister, Annette Lewis

Phinazee. He is survived by: his loving wife — Miriam Graham Lewis; four sons – William Charles Lewis, IV (Sharon), Robert Rhett Lewis, Vincent Pernell Lewis, and Lyndon Derrick Lewis (Omileye); a daughter – Cheryl Denise Lewis; 10 granddaughters – Nia, Shante, Kendra, Kiara, Kanika, Imani, Kalifa, Nayah, Jenae, and Omololu; one grandson -Sean; and one step-grandson – Kem Ra; a niece – Ramona Edelin; two grandnephews – Ken Edelin, Jr. and Ramad Speight; and a grandniece – Kimberley Freeman; and a host of relatives, former players, and close associates and friends whose lives he profoundly influenced.

Memorial services for Coach Lewis will be Saturday July 28 at 11:00AM. Memorial services will held at Bundy Auditorium on the campus of University of South Carolina Lancaster, SC. McMullen Funeral Home of Lancaster, SC

view program of COACHWILLIAMLEWIS OBITUARY_7-31-12

February 13, 1918-February 20, 2012
Gwendolyn Claudette McDaniel (Argrett) “Honey” Tucker, 90, was the first woman to play golf in Tampa during the segregation era.  Mrs. Tucker moved to Tampa as a youngster and attended the public schools of Hills borough Country.  She graduated from Middleton High School in 1936.  She married James Tucker and they were parents to two daughters.

She and her daughter, Arletha Davis, became involved in golf during the construction of Rogers Park Golf Course in the late 1940s and early 1950s and she learned the game from professional golfers who visited the course. Ms. Tucker became the first African American woman to play at Rogers Park Golf Course and she was very good, with a reputation of beating the men.  She continued to play there for several years until her health failed.

In addition to playing golf, Mrs. Tucker was active in the community and often narrated fashion shows, organized the Golden Angels Club, a social organization involving women and church.  She was a member of the New Salem Missionary Baptist Church for many years before moving her membership to First Baptist

Church of West Tampa.

Barbara Angela Douglas, the first minority chairman of the United States Golf Association’s Women’s Committee succumbed to cancer at the age of 69 on January 27, 2012, in Glendale, AZ.

Barbara’s appointment to lead the Women’s Committee was a dream come true after 16 years of service as a committee member. Despite the debilitating effects of chemotherapy, she displayed tremendous courage and endurance as a proactive chairman who seldom missed a USGA women’s championship. In addition, last year the Golf Writer’s Association of America honored Barbara with the prestigious Ben Hogan Award, which has been presented annually since 1954 to an individual who continues to be active in golf despite a physical handicap or serious illness. The award was presented during the 2011 Master’s Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. Barbara called it one of the highlights of her life. “Getting up every day wasn’t easy,” she said, “but my focus on the positives kept me going. It fueled my fire and gave me the energy to get up and get going.”

As an African American growing up in Chicago, Barbara was accustomed to challenges. In a 2009 interview, she said, “I’ve endured some discrimination, both from being a female and a minority. But it’s never the first thing that comes to my mind.” An accomplished golfer herself, Barbara competed in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links championship several times. She was then also on a fast career track as an executive with IBM and later was president of the National Minority Golf Foundation for five years.

While she was soft-spoken and quietly pleasant, Barbara was a tireless supporter of the game and women’s golf in particular. She worked hard to further involve state and regional golf associations as grass-roots supporters of the game and focused on growing the LPGA-USGA Girl’s Golf Program.

In 2011, she was inducted into the National Black Golf Hall of Fame. She also served on Boards of the Arizona Golf Association (AGA), the Arizona Women’s Golf Association, the Arizona Jr. Golf Association, the Executive Women’s Golf Association, and served on an LPGA advisory committee.

After her term as Women’s Committee chairman ended in February, 2011, she devoted more time to her real estate career and, despite chemotherapy, played the game she loved three to four times per week.

Ms. Douglas is survived by her closest friend, Dr. Bob Tomisak of Glendale, Arizona, and a host of devoted friends from around the nation. Donations in her memory may be made to the Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Arizona. A celebration of Barbara’s life will be held at Arrowhead Country Club. 

Burns died on December 28, 2011 in Spotsylvania, Virginia. He was born on October 23, 1961 in Reed City, Michigan. He was the son of Duane and Harriet Burns.

Burns was a graduate of Creston High School and Grand Rapids Community College and also attended Texas Southern in Houston, Texas.  At Creston High School he excelled at both football and basketball and was named All-City Quarterback and McDonald’s All American High School football team.

Burns excelled in golf but didn’t take it up until he had already earned a college football scholarship for his standout play in high school. He played college football briefly at Drake University before opting for a golf career. He played as a mini-tour professional before joining the Michigan PGA and becoming its only African American member.  He is recognized for his notable work for the Tiger Woods Foundation where he served almost nine years setting up and teaching golf at charity golf clinics featuring Woods for the foundation around the country as the Director of the Junior Golf clinics. Burns was also owner of GolfPlay, LLC, a golf course management company.

He was preceded in death by Duane Burns, Sr. and son, Jacques and both maternal and paternal grandparents.  Mr. Burns is survived by his daughter Gabrielle, 28, son Tamir, 17, mother, Harriet, and three brothers, Duane, Darryl and Dwight.

Dec. 31, 2009 — PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — PGA Life Member William James (Bill) Powell of East Canton, Ohio, the only African American to build, own and operate a golf course, and a selfless ambassador for building diversity in the game, died Dec. 31, at Aultman Hospital in Canton following complications from a stroke. He was 93.

Powell had celebrated in 2009 what he recently called “the best year of my life” – a season of tributes highlighted by his receiving in August the PGA Distinguished Service Award, the Association’s highest annual honor.

In November, Powell was inducted into the Northern Ohio PGA Hall of Fame; was named Person of the Year by the Ohio Golf Course Owners Association, and the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce presented the Powell family its Community Salute Award. “Bill Powell will forever be one of golf’s most unforgettable American heroes,” said PGA of America President Jim Remy.

“Bill made us appreciate the game and each other that much more by his gentle, yet firm example. He was born with a fire within his heart to build on his dream. In the process, he made golf a beacon for people of all color. The PGA of America is better today because of individuals like Bill Powell. We will miss him dearly. We extend our thoughts and prayers to his family as we remember a wonderful man.”

Powell was preceded in death by his wife, Marcella, and a son, William. He is survived by his daughter, Renee, a PGA/LPGA Professional and the second African American to compete on the LPGA Tour; a son, Larry, who has served for more than 30 years as superintendent at Clearview Golf Club; and twin sisters Mary Alice Walker of Akron, Ohio, and Rose Marie Mathews of Minerva, Ohio.

Funeral services for Mr. Powell will be conducted Wednesday, Jan. 6, at 11:00 a.m., at Minerva United Methodist Church in Minerva, Ohio. Friends may call Tuesday Jan. 5, at Minerva United Methodist Church, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., and from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations should be directed to The Clearview Legacy Foundation for Education, Preservation and Research, a 501(c) 3 charitable foundation, which will help perpetuate Mr. Powell’s vision for America’s Course.

The Foundation is found at P.O. Box 30196, East Canton, OH 44730, or by visiting www.clearview-gc.com, or by phone: (330) 488-0404. “I hope that I have created more awareness about what Clearview is all about,” Powell said in November following his Northern Ohio PGA Hall of Fame induction.

“We have had many people come to visit us, including some from Canada. They now know who we are. I watched on TV golf being played in Shanghai, China, and I do believe that the game of golf is the best vehicle to rid hate in the world.”

The grandson of Alabama slaves, Powell earned the rank of Technical Sergeant in the U.S. Eighth Air Force Truck Battalion in World War II, and during his term of service was able to play golf throughout Great Britain. He would return home and create Clearview Golf Club as a lasting monument to opening doors of opportunity after he had been denied so many pathways to equality throughout his life. Powell worked 18-hour days to both support his family and build Clearview. Denied a G.I. Loan, Powell found funding for his dream from two African American physicians in Ohio, while his brother took out a second mortgage on his home.

Powell went on to carve Clearview Golf Club out of former dairy farmland in the autumn of 1946, clearing the land himself — many hours by hand. In the process, Powell broke down racial barriers without fanfare by developing women and youth golf leagues. Clearview opened its initial nine holes in 1948. Powell eventually repaid his benefactors to gain full ownership, and an additional nine holes was completed in 1978. Clearview Golf Club is on the National Register of Historic Places, and nicknamed “America’s Course.”

It is a piece of property, said Powell, where “the only color that matters is the color of the greens.” During Clearview’s 50th anniversary, Powell reflected upon his creation in his 2000 autobiography, Clearview: America’s Course. “I didn’t build this course for any of the recognition,” he said. “It was a labor of love. Golf is a part of society and I wanted to be included. I want you to be included, too. I’ve always felt that each individual should leave something behind of meaning. It feels good to know that I have done that with Clearview, at long last.”

Powell’s fulfillment of a dream to own his own golf course was a life’s journey that crossed racial boundaries, withstood numerous obstacles and incidents of racism since the opening of the course and throughout its operation. Throughout his career, Powell never hesitated to share a passion and respect for golf among those who otherwise would never have had the opportunity to discover themselves.

Born Nov. 22, 1916, in Butler County, Greenville, Ala., Powell was the third child of six children of Berry and Massaleaner Powell. As the post-World War I economy shifted, the Powell family moved in 1919 to Minerva, Ohio, where Berry Powell ended his business of owning a general store and found steady work in a pottery factory. Bill Powell discovered a love for golf at age 9 by playing and caddying at Edgewater Golf Course. As his own game developed, Powell became a multi-sport athlete at Minerva High School. Powell was one of the star football players at his high school on a 1932 Minerva team that finished the season unbeaten and unscored upon.

Powell and his friends formed a golf team and he was asked by the athletic director to serve as captain and coach. That meant Powell would schedule matches against all local schools. Powell became a fine amateur player and was the first black to compete in a junior event at Orchard Hills Country Club (now The Fairways Golf Club) in North Canton. For two days, the 16-year-old Powell hitchhiked 42 miles round trip to the course and after having led the tournament until the final few holes, he finished third.

He later attended Wilberforce University in Xenia, Ohio, where in 1937 the school’s men’s golf team traveled to face Ohio Northern University at Lost Creek Country Club in Lima, Ohio. It was the first inter-racial collegiate golf match in American history, with Wilberforce returning home triumphant and also capturing the rematch. Powell met Marcella Oliver and they were married Nov. 22, 1940, Powell’s birthday. Powell went on to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corps through the end of World War II.

He returned to Canton, Ohio, where he continued his position at Timken Company, a roller bearing and steel manufacturer, where he worked for 23 years. Powell was the teacher-coach of his daughter, Renee, who competed from 1967 to 1980 on the LPGA Tour and later served as a head professional at a golf club in England. Renee, who earned PGA of America membership in 1996, followed in her father’s footsteps as a promoter of the game and was the 2003 PGA First Lady of Golf.

“My father made a mark,” said Renee Powell. “And, I believe that God wanted people to know the mark that he made on this nation.” In 1992, the Powells were honored by the National Golf Foundation as the Jack Nicklaus Golf Family of the Year. That same year, William was awarded the “Cornerstone of Freedom Award” from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission.

In 1996, Powell was inducted into the National Black Golf Hall of Fame and in 1997 was presented Honorary PGA membership by the Northern Ohio PGA Section. In 1999, his membership was made retroactive to Jan. 1, 1962, thus making Powell a PGA Life Member. Powell also received honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees from his alma mater, Wilberforce University, and from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio.

In 1999, Powell was a national panelist invited by the Smithsonian Institution to discuss African Americans and the Game of Golf: Past, Present and Future. Powell’s legacy in golf is enshrined by The First Tee, which has distributed more than 1,100 William J. Powell Scholarships that allow youngsters to attend The First Tee Life Skills and Leadership Academies conducted on college campuses.

William Powell, on the AAGD Cover, Summer 2009

At those same academies, young men vie for the Dr. William J. Powell Outstanding Male Leader Award. The scholarship has provided opportunities for participants to learn valuable character education and receive leadership instruction through workshops, career exploration seminars, and golf clinics. The academies have attracted young people from more than 100 cities in 30 states, plus Ireland, New Zealand and Singapore.