Remembers when...

Hi Beth,

I appreciate you writing to me and your comments.  Forty years is a long time ago, and indeed many people now in the club wouldn’t know the concept.  The majority women who populate the UWGC are so different than those who were in at the beginning.  The club was started in 1960 by School of Education professor Barbara J. Rotvig, who taught physical education, and I think Charlie Green, who was a young man working at the Golf Course at that time.  The Department of Physical Education was part of the School of Education in those days and eventually became its own entity, the Division of Kinesiology.  I don’t recall the exact year.  Anyway, it was created for the women faculty members and spouses of faculty men.  These women typically didn’t work, were not young mothers, and had their days free.  Some were teachers with their summers free.  If you look at the roster of UWGC Presidents in the back of the membership book, 2019 is still in my possession, although I understand 2020 was not printed due to the pandemic, like everything else.

There is such a great history with these women. First of all, the presidency changed every year with an 18 hole golfer being president one year, then a 9 hole golfer being president the next year.  The term was for one year only.  The first president was Dot Loken, wife of Newt Loken, UM’s great men’s Gymnastic Coach and Football Cheerleading Coach (men only on cheerleading team in those days).  Next Peg Perigo, wife of Bill Perigo, UM men’s basketball coach from 1952-60.  Peg served two years as president (I don’t know those circumstances).  As I glance down the roster there are some early time women I don’t know as I joined in 1978, but we have Jeannine Galetti, herself a PE Dance Professor at EMU, married to Steve Galetti, Professor in Kinesiology, Betty Lund wife of long time Athletic Director Don Lund, Virginia Lyle, wife of Assoc. Athletic Director,Mary Jane Blackburn, wife of SOE Higher Education Professor Blackburn.  Phyllis Ocker, Women’s Athletic Director, Peggy Steig, Professor of Education at EMU.  And then there are the rest of the women who all have a great history of their own, I just don’t know them.  One of our elder members, Pat Hatch died this year at age 90.  Pat was a great person.  Her dad ran the Ticket Office for the Athletic Department for years.  

You see Connie Corwin listed as president in 1992 for her one year service.  Then down in 2003-2010 and again 2013-2016. Connie beautifully lead our group when no one else wanted to do it.  She corralled me into being her secretary and we worked as a team .  I was working at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at UM when I joined the 9 hole group in 1978.  I took vacation days on Tuesday mornings to play until I retired in 2001 and moved up to the 18 hole group.  I dropped back to 9 holes when my back started giving me trouble a few years ago.  Robbi has carried the presidential duties now for 3 years and I think I heard she wasn’t planning to continue on with the job.  However, for many years Robbi did miraculous things with the tech part such as getting all of our documents, including photos and articles from our scrapbooks digitized and in the Digital Library at UM.  The great golfers of the day included Ginny Vass.  She grew up on a private golf course in Clearwater Fl where her dad was the groundskeeper.  Ginny could curl up like a spring and send the golf ball in a beautiful slow climbing arch onto the fairway.  

Anyway, when our group lost its Tuesday morning tee time that we had held since 1960,  some were able to play Thursday morning which was offered to us, but several women also played at other courses in women’s leagues such as Burton Hills and Radrick Farms on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and they had to make a choice.  Tuesday afternoons after 1:00 p.m. was also offered to us and some went that way.  However, it appears to me that as times change, women are working, our strongest group is now those who come to play 9 holes after work on Tuesdays.  

Now I am just getting to the point of your email, the Barbara J. Rotvig Academic Scholarship.  I explained pretty thoroughly in my previous message about the origin of the scholarship.  You understand why we could or would no longer give our money to the recipient of the scholarship.  She wouldn’t get the money, and when the Athletic Department told us, they cover the Coach’s budget totally and any money we donate would go into the general fund for the Athletic Department, we did not want our $100 from the UWGC treasury, or private donations to go to enrich the Athletic Department.  When we started giving the $100 directly to the Coach for un-budgeted items, our members wanted to contribute from their own pockets to that cause.  It always was a voluntary donation from individuals.  No one was pressured to give.  It still should be that way.  If a members wants to support the LPGA-Girls program, this is a good way to do it.  Perhaps a representative of the LPGA-Girls organization, rather than Debbie Williams-Hoak should be invited to provide information about the program.  Debbie is always so positive and grateful for the donations from us, but, again if the newer UWGC members don’t know the history, they may not appreciate what this organization is doing to introduce young girls to the game of golf who would never get a chance to know it if hell froze over because they weren’t born into the higher strata of society.  I used to belong to AAWGA until a few years ago, and they also support the LPGA-Girls program, including a few members who help Debbie with the program on Wednesdays at the golf course.  I understand we have some members who also volunteer their time. It would be great if those who do volunteer, speak about the satisfaction they get helping on Wednesdays.  That would also be a great donation instead of $$ for some who find it difficult to give money these days.

You will recall when reading my explanation about the origin of the Academic Scholarship Award when after only being in the group for two years, I felt like it would give satisfaction to the members who pay their dues every year and never win any trophies, Jefferson Cups or engraved trays, to have a way we could recognize an outstanding golfer on the UM Women’s Golf Team. I like your plans for educating the members who do not know the history of the Scholarship and why we have been lucky to have the LPGAA-Girls group to support in our small way.  Also, I see the pride the golf team recipient has when receiving the award.  She will be one of 40 women who have received this honor since 1980.  That is a tremendous accolade. We can’t lose this program because newer members aren’t aware of the historical significance.  It is the responsibility of you current leaders to keep the wonderful past of UWGC alive so it is living in the future.

I look forward to the 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. UWGC social prior to the meeting at 5:30 on Zoom.  I have been thriving on Zooming this year.  I want to say hi to you.

Marilyn

April 5, 2021