As a part of the 2024 Jim Thorpe Invitational an award has been established to celebrated a person in the community who is furthering the opportunities that minorities have in golf. The award is named after Arthur Johnson, an accomplished golfer in his own right but who helped pave the way for other golfers, like himself, back in the 70’s and 80’s.
“It is very humbling to be able to have this award in my name,” said Johnson. “knowing that Jon Gee, founder of the SL Gee Foundation, is doing the same thing that I did 50-years ago, you know, to support these guys, if they did not have the money to play, I would put the money up, not wanting anything back,” said Johnson.
Champions Tour player Jim Thorpe spoke at the event and said, “Back in the day, there were many golfers like Arthur who were trying to see what we were trying to accomplish. There were golf course that we could not play, there were places that did not let us in because of the color of our skin, but we found a way to perseverance….because of guys like Arthur, we’re trying to make a difference in the lives of the young people today and give you an opportunities that we did not have, said 3-time PGA Tour winner Thorpe.
The inaugural recipient of the award is Jon Gee who is contributing in ways very similar to what Arthur Johnson was doing years ago. View the video below.
