In 1948, William Powell put his name in the history books when he opened the first ever African-American designed, operated and owned golf course in America.  What began as a childhood passion became a life-long obsession for Powell and his family.  His wife Marcella and three children, Larry, Billy and Renee joined him in keeping his dream alive. 

       Powell was born in Greenville, Alabama, on November 22, 1916, but he grew up in Minerva, Ohio.  His parents, Berry and Massaleaner, moved the family to Minerva in 1919, to give Powell, his brothers and his sisters a better chance in life.  Powell’s family was the only Black family in town. While his dad worked in the pottery factory in Minerva, Powell became a multi-sport star, as captain of his high school football team and golf team.  He learned the game of golf caddying at the local country club, Edgewater.  An early highlight of his golf career involved his playing at Orchard Hills Country Club as the first Black player in a junior tournament.  After graduation, he went on to play golf at Wilberforce University with his older brother Berry.  The University’s team traveled to play Ohio Northern University in Lima, Ohio, in 1937, taking part in the country’s first collegiate inter-racial golf match.  Wilberforce came home the winner and won the rematch as well.  While teeing off for his school’s team, Powell had the chance to play, but whenever he tried to enter tournaments on his own he ran into racism. 

       Powell married Marcella in 1940, and then entered the service.  After returning from his duties in England in 1946, where Powell served with the United States’ Eighth Air Force Truck Battalion, he received financial help from two African-American doctors and one of his brothers to buy an old dairy farm, which he wanted to turn into a golf course where anyone could play.  Powell was determined to make his dream a reality even though a bank turned down his loan request.  The farm needed a lot of work and Powell did most of the work to clear the course with his own hands.  He worked on the course by day, while supporting his family with a night-shift job at the Timken Company.  It took two years of hard work, but the first nine holes were ready for play in 1948.  Powell designed the whole course to work with the natural contours of the land.  His knowledge came from caddying and playing courses himself, although he had no formal training in landscape architecture.  He knew what he wanted his course to look like and set out to make it happen.

       When Powell started building his own course, he was not allowed to play on most courses.  The Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) remained segregated until 1961, making Powell’s accomplishment even more impressive and important to the future of golf.  He opened doors that might otherwise have remained closed.

       Powell continued to work at Timken for the next sixteen years in order to buy out his original investors and purchase adjoining land.  Clearview expanded to a full 18 holes in 1978.  Powell’s wife, Marcella, helped out by running the clubhouse until her death in 1996. She organized a regular series of women’s tournaments.  Powell’s oldest son, Billy, also helped work at Clearview before his death.  His youngest son, Larry, worked on the course and eventually became the superintendent of the course, while his daughter, Renee, became the course pro.  She played in the Ladies Professional Golfers Association (LPGA) for thirteen years, getting the opportunities her father never had.  Powell instilled his love of the game in his children, making Clearview a true family venture. 

       In recognition of his dream and the work Powell has done for golf for over sixty years, he has received a variety of awards and recognitions in recent years.  In 1992, the National Golf Foundation presented the Powell family with the Jack Nicklaus Golf Family of the Year Award. Powell also received the Cornerstone of Freedom of Award from the Martin Luther King, Jr., Commission.  In 1996, the National Black Golf Hall of Fame inducted Powell. He was awarded a lifetime membership by the PGA in 1999.  Tiger Woods’ Foundation named a scholarship for Powell and his wife in 1998. His golf course is listed as an Ohio Historical Site, and was placed on the National Historic Register in 2001.  In 2007, he was inducted into the Ohio PGA Hall of Fame, joining his daughter, who was inducted with him as the first family members to be so honored together.   In 2009, Powell earned the PGA’s Distinguished Service Award, and was honored by the Ohio Golf Course Owners’ Association as Person of the Year. 

       He has received two honorary doctorates, one from his alma mater, Wilberforce University, and the second from Baldwin-Wallace College.  Powell published his autobiography called Clearview: America’s Course in 2000, where he explained his dream of building a course where anyone could play no matter who they were.  He said he did not build the course for recognition and awards, but because he loved the game and wanted to share it with others.  His greatest joy was being out on the course and observing the happiness others found in the game and the course.

       William James Powell died on December 31, 2009, from heart failure, but his own credo lives on: “Stand firm. Never Give Up. Never Give In.  Believe in Yourself even when others don’t.”  His golf course stands as a testament to his dream, his love for the game of golf and what he believed it could teach people about life and dignity.  He never let the obstacles the world put in his way prevent him from achieving his goals, which is the lesson he leaves for all those who visit Clearview or learn its history. Reprint permission and photo courtesy of www.bstmllc.com. n

Pittsburgh, PA –American Urban Radio Networks announced the 2009 SBN Sports Black College All-American (BCAA) Team. The 25 member team is comprised of student-athletes from the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

       The SBN Sports 2009 National Champion South Carolina State University Bulldogs led the way with five players selected, while runner-up Prairie View A&M University had four players selected. For the second consecutive year, Prairie View A&M University Head Coach, Henry Frazier, III, was named “SBN Sports/ Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year.” Grambling State University defensive lineman, Christian Anthony, was named “SBN Sports/Mel Blount Defensive Player of the Year.” Prairie View A&M University quarterback, K. J. Black, was named “SBN Sports/Doug Williams Offensive Player of the Year.”

 

Henry Frazier, III, Prairie View A&M University, “SBN Sports/ Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year”

The Washington D.C. native led Prairie View A&M to its first Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championship since 1964. In addition to winning the SBN Coach of the Year Award, he was also recognized as the top coach on the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision level, marking the first time a head coach from a Historically Black College or University has won the honor in the award’s 23-year existence. 

 

Christian Anthony, Grambling State University, “SBN Sports/ Mel Blount Defensive Player of the Year”

The 6-foot-4 275 pound junior defensive lineman from Birmingham, Alabama, led the SWAC in solo tackles (55), and was third in the conference in sacks (8.0), second in tackles for loss (15.0), and was the only defensive lineman in the country with five interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. He also led the SWAC in forced fumbles (5) and fumbles recovered (3).

K. J. Black, Prairie View A&M University, “SBN Sports/ Doug Williams Offensive Player of the Year”

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound junior quarterback from Louisville, Kentucky, finished the 2009 season as the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision’s statistical champion for passing efficiency. Black completed 70 percent of his passes during the 2009 campaign and had a rating of 172.77 en route to being named the SWAC Offensive Player of the Year. He passed for 2,033 yards and 22 touchdowns to help the Panthers capture their first SWAC Championship since 1964.

SBN SPORTS 2009 BLACK COLLEGE ALL-AMERICAN TEAM

Pos.	Name	School	Ht.	Wt.	Class	Hometown
QB	K. J. Black	Prairie View A&M	6-4	225	Jr.	Louisville, KY
RB	Ulysses Banks	Alabama A&M	5-8	172	Sr.	Birmingham, AL
RB	Will Ford	S. C. State	5-11	185	Sr.	Travelers Rest, SC
WR	Juamorris Stewart	Southern	6-3	195	Sr.	Baton Rouge, LA
WR	Oliver "Tre" Young	S. C. State	6-1	180	Sr.	Charleston, SC
TE	Warrren Matthews	Southern	6-3	240	Sr.	New Orleans, LA
OL	Johnny Culbreath	S. C. State	6-6	310	Jr.	Monroe, GA
OL	James Dekle	Prairie View A&M	6-2	285	So.	Miami, FL
OL	Joseph Ephrem	Albany State	6-6	350	Jr.	Troy, IL
OL	William Falakiseni	Norfolk State	6-2	300	Jr.	Tafuna, American Samoa
OL	Robert Okeafor	Florida A&M	6-4	295	Sr.	Jacksonville, FL
PK	Blake Erickson	S. C. State	5-10	165	So.	Pensacola, FL
DL	Christian Anthony	Grambling	6-4	275	Jr.	Birmingham, AL
DL	Justin Lawrence	Morgan State	6-1	280	Sr.	Jetersville, VA
DL	Jeremy Maddox	Alabama A&M	6-0	244	Sr.	Grand Bay, AL
DL	Quinton Spears	Prairie View A&M	6-4	240	Jr.	Montgomery, TX
LB	David Erby	S. C. State	6-1	215	Sr.	Rock Hill, SC
LB	Adrian Hardy	Alabama State	6-2	197	Sr.	Selma, AL
LB	George Howard	Morgan State	6-1	245	Sr.	Chesapeake, VA
DB	Anthony Beck	Prairie View A&M	6-2	205	Sr.	Channelview, TX
DB	Justin Hannah	Tuskegee	5-10	185	Sr.	Birmingham, AL
DB	Quintez Smith	Shaw	6-1	195	Sr.	Dublin, GA
DB	Terrell Whitehead	Norfolk State	6-2	220	Sr.	Virginia Beach, VA
P	Jahmal Blanchard	Hampton	6-3	182	Sr.	Fort Lauderdale, FL
SP	Leroy Vann	Florida A&M	5-8	179	Sr.	Tampa, FL

Reprint permission and photo courtesy of www.bstmllc.com.