James R. "Jimmie" Devoe, Pga
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JaMes r. "JiMMie" deVoe, pga Jimmie DeVoe is one of golf’s unheralded pioneers in growing the game, and was among the generations of African-Americans who were denied equal opportunity in virtually all aspects of life. The fi rst African-American to gain PGA of America membership after the rescinding of the PGA’s “Caucasian-only Clause” in 1962, DeVoe’s career in golf exemplifi ed the fundamentals of growing the game. “Jimmie DeVoe loved the game of golf and respected its history and traditions,” said Dr. Jeff rey T. Sammons, a New York University professor of history, who championed DeVoe’s recognition. “He was not concerned about being a racial activist in golf as much as he was proud to be a golf professional and a member of The PGA. He understood the values of the game and promoted etiquette, courtesy and respect daily to young people and adults alike.” DeVoe was hired by PGA Professional Harry Bassler in 1959 as an assistant professional at the former Fox Hills Country Club (in Culver City, Calif.), paving a pathway to PGA membership. DeVoe ultimately became the fi rst black golf professional at a country club in California. He was 74 when elected to The PGA, which according to membership records, made him the oldest to be elected to the Association. Born in Dowagiac, Mich., DeVoe was infl uenced by Jerry Travers, Ernest Jones and John Duncan Dunn, the latter two among the most infl uential golf instructors of the fi rst half of the 20th century. DeVoe became the fi rst black to own and operate a golf school, located in a Harlem drugstore basement. He traveled between New York and Los Angeles, and by the early 1940s became a fi xture in Southern California golf as a player and teacher. Among his students were Bill Spiller, one of the most skilled African- American players of his era, who was denied entry into PGA events; and Althea Gibson, who fi rst made her fame in tennis and would become the fi rst African-American woman to compete on the LPGA Tour. In 1944, DeVoe became the fi rst African-American to compete in the Los Angeles Open. He developed the reputation as golf instructor to the stars, with a glittering list of students that included Jackie Robinson, Mayor Tom Bradley, Mrs. Nat King Cole and the Mills Brothers. He also drew praise for instructing underprivileged youth. In 1953, at age 65, DeVoe fi nished fi fth in the United Golf Association Championship. DeVoe passed away on March 19, 1979, fi ve days shy of his 91st birthday. He still had lessons on his books. YZ Inside_Booklet.indd 1 2/27/13 10:27 AM Michael hebron, pga Michael Hebron, a PGA Master Professional in St. James, N.Y., is the catalyst for the largest educational forum in the golf industry and a global ambassador for advancing a better understanding of learning the game. In 1988, Hebron proposed to PGA of America officials the need to bring together teaching professionals to share best practices and consolidate ideas. “Let’s have a Woodstock, a Summit,” Hebron recalled his pitch for the event. As a result, the PGA Teaching & Coaching Summit was born. This January in Orlando, Fla., the 13th Summit attracted 625 attendees representing 48 states and 12 countries. A native of New York City, Hebron, 70, was inspired by Metropolitan PGA Professionals Bob Joyce and Gene Borek. He later attended the first PGA Business School, which had a teacher who would inspire an industry – the late Bill Strausbaugh. Hebron attended the University of North Carolina- Wilmington through 1963, and was elected to PGA membership in 1970. Hebron, the 1991 national PGA Teacher of the Year, is highly respected throughout the international golf community. Nicknamed “The Teacher’s Teacher,” Hebron has been a golf instruction consultant to both PGA Professionals and golf teachers in 16 countries. Over the years, Hebron also founded two international Summits – the Canadian PGA Teaching Conference (1989) and the European PGA Teaching Conference (1990). “Over the past 20 years, I have worked with scientists and educators studying how the brain learns,” said Hebron. “It has opened up many doors for me in how to help my students.” Hebron has worked with many PGA and LPGA Tour professionals and several national champions in the U.S. and overseas. One of the most respected Metropolitan PGA teaching professionals, Hebron was named to GOLF Magazine’s first “Top 50 Teachers in America” roster, and he was the recipient of the 1990 national Horton Smith Award for excellence in PGA education. Hebron was the 1982 Metropolitan PGA Section Golf Professional of the Year and the 1987 Section Teacher of the Year. In 2008, he was inducted into the Metropolitan PGA Hall of Fame. Hebron is the author of six books and a longtime contributor to numerous national publications. Among his community contributions are providing three continuing education scholarships in three New York high schools. Hebron and his wife, Patricia, live in St. James, N.Y. They are parents of a daughter, Tracy; a son, Michael, who is a PGA assistant professional in Smithtown Landing, N.Y.; and they have three grandchildren. YZ Inside_Booklet.indd 2 2/27/13 10:27 AM bill ogden, pga Bill Ogden established an unparalleled tradition of mentoring young professionals, while also carving an enviable playing record in the Illinois PGA Section. Considered one of the most inspiring and engaging members in Illinois Section history, Ogden took great pride in mentoring young PGA Professionals. Ogden, who turned professional in 1950, spent 40 years at North Shore Country Club in Chicago, and completed a special term of service within the Illinois PGA Section. Throughout his career, he had 43 PGA assistant professionals go on to earn head professional positions. He was a Professional who made an impact in two parts of the country, during the spring and summer at North Shore Country Club and in the winter in Southern California. He served as PGA head professional at five different golf clubs in the Palm Springs, Calif., area from 1970-80. “My father trained so many for the golf business, it was as if he had two daughters and more than 40 sons,” said one of Ogden’s daughters, Lori Ogden Moore, of San Francisco. “When young professionals who he had trained were being interviewed for jobs, they had an advantage. The training he provided was like a Harvard Business School for PGA Professionals.” Ogden was the 1970 Section PGA Golf Professional of the Year and served as Section President. In 1990, Ogden was inducted into the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame and the Chicago Sports Hall of Fame. He captured a record six Illinois PGA Player of the Year titles and competed in 31 major championships between 1953 and 1972. One of Ogden’s golf practice partners in the 1950s was a professional from Iowa, Jack Fleck, who was struggling the week of the 1955 U.S. Open at The Olympic Club. Ogden took Fleck out after the round to help him. Later that week, Fleck made golf history by winning the Open in a stunning 18-hole playoff over legendary Ben Hogan. Among Ogden’s playing accomplishments was tying for third in the 1956 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am and sharing fourth in the 1968 Tucson Open. He won 18 Illinois PGA titles, and is the only Illinois golfer to win the Illinois Open, PGA Medal Play, PGA Match Play and Assistants Championship. Ogden retired in 1994 and passed away at age 78, on June 24, 2005, in Indian Wells, Calif. He is survived by his daughters, Lori Ogden Moore, of San Francisco; and Shelly Ogden Sage, of Seattle. YZ Inside_Booklet.indd 3 2/27/13 10:27 AM WilliaM "bill" poWell, PGA William J. “Bill” Powell is the only African-American to build, own and operate a golf course in the United States. Powell’s legacy is his resolute campaign to make the game of golf “color blind” by building Clearview Golf Club in East Canton, Ohio. In 1945, following his return from serving in World War II, Powell was denied access to local golf clubs due to the color of his skin. In 1946, Powell began breaking down barriers by building Clearview, which is among the National Register of Historic Places, and a site where Powell developed women’s leagues, junior tournaments, adult after-work leagues and group lessons. Powell was 83 when he was granted PGA Life Member status, retroactive to 1962, a year when The PGA of America dismantled another social barrier, the “Caucasian-only Clause” in its by-laws. “For our father, it has been a long journey,” said Renee Powell, a PGA member who also was the second African-American to compete on the LPGA Tour. “Now, he will forever be listed along with the other greats of the game in the PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame.” Born on Nov. 22, 1916, Powell discovered a love for golf at age 9, by playing and caddieing at Edgewater Golf Course in Minerva, Ohio. He would later form a high school golf team. Powell attended Wilberforce University in Xenia, Ohio, where in 1937 the Wilberforce men’s golf team traveled to face Ohio Northern University in the first interracial collegiate golf match in American history. Powell served in the U.S. Army Air Corps, and during his down time, he played golf in Great Britain at virtually every course he visited. When he returned home, the clubhouse doors were not open to him.