PHILADELPHIA, July 9, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- African-American PGA golf greats including Charlie Sifford, Lee Elder, Pete Brown, Charlie Owens, Calvin Peete, Walter Morgan, as well as local trailblazers Bill Bishop and Ernest Oglesby will be honored during a Welcome Ceremony hosted by PA State Senator Vincent Hughes as he kicks off the 10th Annual James Hughes Memorial Scholarship Fund Golf Classic Weekend. Also participating will be 97-year-old James Henry Clark, the oldest living African-American caddy in the U.S. who is the JHMSF 2007 African-American Legend of Golf honoree. The event, entitled A Legend in the Making Welcome Ceremony, will include the presentation of federal, state and municipal proclamations, replicas of the Liberty Bell, as well as other special gifts and citations.
Because Tiger Woods as a young golf master-in-training was inspired by these great men, the Legend in the Making ceremony will not only honor these athletes, but also provide a valuable opportunity to reinforce a similar message to more than 200 local campers -- that they too have the power to achieve greatness in their lives.
The campers will understand first-hand why Tiger Woods paid homage to African-American legends of golf when he noted after his Masters victory, "I am the first, but I wasn't the pioneer. Charlie Sifford, Lee Elder and Teddy Rhodes, those guys paved the way for me to be here. I thank them."
WHO: State Senator Vincent Hughes, invited elected officials,
Philadelphia Department of Recreation representatives and
campers, and members of local golf organizations
WHAT: A Legend in the Making - 10th Annual JHMSF Golf Classic
Welcome Ceremony for African-American Legends of Golf
WHEN: Friday, July 13, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
WHERE: Cobbs Creek Golf Club
7400 Lansdowne Avenue
Philadelphia, PA
Media coverage is invited and encouraged.