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MRB.agenda packet.2007 12 12.ocr
Memorial Review Board City of Lansing cH1 � P Members Maria Enriquez,Vice Chair REGULAR MEETING Bonnie Bennett Shatina Clinton AGENDA Dave Keeney John Kodeski Wednesday, December 12, 2007, 5:30 P.M. Michael McFadden City Clerk's Conference Room, 9th Floor City Hall 1. Call to Order 2. Approval of Agenda 3. Approval of Minutes of July 11, 2007 4. Public Comment on Agenda Items 5. Clerk's Office staffing of Memorial Review Board 6. 2008 Meeting Schedule 7. Resignation of William Hubbell 8. Letter regarding Paul Bondeson from Joe Schramek 9. New Business 10. Unfinished Business a. Leeper's Field b. Cesar Chavez c. Memorial Review Board intern d. Memorial Review Board rules 11. Adjournment Lansing City Clerk's Office Ninth Floor, City Hall, 124 W. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48933-1695 517-483-4131 • 517-377-0068 FAX clerk.cityoflansingmi.com • clerk@ci.lansing.mi.us City Of Lansing Memorial Review Board Minutes July 11,2007 The Meeting was called to order 5:31 PM Members present William Hubbell (Chair), Maria Enriquez (Vice-Chair), John Kodesky(member), Shatina Cl:inton(member). Guests: Richard Leeper Minutes of June meeting were approved. Application of Richard Leeper to Name ballf eld In honor and memory of JohnR Leeper (Aug 13th,1923-July 30th)2001) Nicknamed Johnny Leeper Richard's father was a minor league baseball player who gave up his dreams of being in the Majors to serve in WWII. As a member of the.armed forces Johnny played morale building games in Africa. After War Johnny went into softball and won many trophies. Son mentioned several bars that supported his father;( Parks Dept. to supply documentation) The form the memorial would take would be a stainless Steel plate engraved "Leepers Field at Westside Park" a foot and a half long and six inches high.(see enclosed application) At the last meeting the City Attorney suggested changing our quorum. So, it was moved and passed unanimously to amend administrative rules to delete "or 50% of those duly sworn In as members (whichever is greater)" It was noted that David Keeney is resigning It-was noted that Michael McFadden has been reported to Have Mayors office ask him what his intentions about membership are. The internship discussion —The State Journal reported 125 interns were designated to Be assigned to Lansing, where are they? A letter has been sent by the Board to Council for an intern. It was referred to General Services Committee. Walk of fame ceremony delayed until they contact live honoree. Nomination process continues on internet. There being no further business we adjourned at 6:15PM S CHiG Chris Swope Lansing City Clerk MEMORANDUM TO: MEMORIAL REVIEW BOARD FROM: CHRIS SWOPE,CITY CLERK SUBJECT: MEMORIAL REVIEW BOARD DATE: 12/3/2007 CC: The General Services of the Lansing City Council as well as the Office of Mayor Virg Bernero have asked my office to provide staffing and organizational assistance to the Memorial Review Board.I have agreed to provide the requested assistance. Lansing City Clerk's Office Ninth Floor, City Hall, 124 W. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48933-1695 517-483-4131•517-377-0068 FAX S CHiG Chris Swope Lansing City Clerk MEMORANDUM TO: MEMORIAL REVIEW BOARD FROM: CHRIS SWOPE,CITY CLERK SUBJECT: 2008 MEETING SCHEDULE DATE: 12/3/2007 CC: It appears that the Memorial Review Board has historically met on the second Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m.in the City Clerk's Conference Room.If the same schedule is followed,meeting dates in 2008 will be: January 9 July 9 February 13 August 13 March 12 September 10 April 9 October 8 May 14 November 12 June 11 December 10 At the December 12 meeting,the 2008 schedule needs to be adopted. Lansing City Clerk's Office Ninth Floor, City Hall, 124 W. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48933-1695 517-483-4131•517-377-0068 FAX William Hubbell Lansing ng MI 48 11 drive �� Lansing MI 48911 November21,2007 , NED NOV 2 6 2007 The Honorable Mayor Virg Bemero: City Hall 12 W. Michigan Av MAYOR'S ©FDIC Lansing, MI 48933 Dear sir. 1 have served on the Memorial Review Board under the Hollister, Benevides and Bemero administrations, but my heart is no longer in it. This then is my resignation letter. I hereby,immediately, resign as a member of the Memorial Review board. I trust the the matters conducted by this Board can be done with the members that remain, perhaps augmented by new appointments from your office. Sincerely Yours Ay�" William Hubbell From the 11-05-07 Council Meeting Packet - "1-'""' - -•___.__, REFERRED TO THE MEMORIAL October 26 ,2007 REVIEW BOARD AND REFERRED TO THE PARKS BOARD Dear Mayor Virg Bemero, and City Council Members: Harold Leeman,Jr I'm Joe Schramek of 604 Berwyn,Dearborn Heights,MI 48127, Phone (313) 278-2924, isch ame a,att.net. About 55 years ago in 1952.or 195.3. in July,1 went to the Sycamore Golf Course to play golf. I . was practicing on the putting green prior to playing golf,when my friend,Paul Bondeson,yelled out, "Hey Schramek! Do you want to play in a golf tournament today". I had never played in a golf tournament, so I said OK.He told me that Sycamore was sponsoring a Junior.Tournament.�, _.. for Best Ball for a team of two_players. You had to be..14-and under.to enter. Paul and I!�vereLn kindergarten at Barnes Ave School, and I knew he lived on Boston Blvd. across from QuentiO Park where we went sledding and played football games. I also remember one day we Were © ' lam a hard ball baseball game at the Barnes School soft-ball diamond. I was itchin .an ' �# playing g g P �� �, Paul was playing first base. It was early in the day and the sun was low in the East sky. Paul just made an out at first base and he lobbed the ball to me on the pitcher's mound. As he threSSi-Ithe-o -<' ball I momentarily lost the ball in the sun, and all of sudden I screamed as the ball hit m om.eftf� S` I eyeball. I saw stars and I started to cry and I ran all the way home to 1308 Pico Street ju�st;of Moores River Drive. My eye recovered quickly although today I have a lot of floaters ana a m macular pucker in the le$eye. ,I knew that-Paul's:mother:worked at the Lansing Country._Club and that we both caddied there too :-,In the;-late-evening after caddying,we use to see Paul p ;y g on the 3 or 4 holes dust on the edge of the.Country Club golf_course f rac ce4 halls at once, ` _- ,_ _ _ . or We started the tournament and this was the first time we played together. I was using a collection of my parent's clubs, and most were made with the old style wooden shafts. I was surprised that Paul had new Power-Bilt woods that had bright red wood heads, and he had a complete set of irons. On the first hole,Paul took a smooth but powerful swing that made his face turn red. The ball went out of sight, and landed up near the green. Paul continued to blast his drives out of sight and his irons were right on the pin. On the eighth hole, a dog-leg to the left,he hit his drive just short of the large sewer pipe that crossed the fairway right at the start of the dog-leg. He then hit a 4 Wood into the green,and made an easy birdie,-,On the.last hole,a short Par 3, where a first 90 yards were completely covered with sand. His ball landed on the right front of the green, and he had a 10-foot putt for a birdie...Paul,studied the putt for a long time,and he then stroked the ball towards the hole and it just missed the edge of the hole and it. ` rolled pastthe cup a few inches.. He was disappointed as if he made the putt we would.have scored-a team total of 29,5 under par., This was a team event and I vaguely remember that we used a par from me on a hole where his drive went array and he bogeyed the hole. Ne were ,. excited because we thought we won. It was a great feeling._We-waited about a half-hour.and . _ Paul came tome and said we were disqualified as the event leader considered him too good .-golfer for his age. I was lucky to be in the presence of a golfer of his caliber. To this day, I remember Paul telling me on a putt I was trying to make for a par that I should aim my putt at the left lip of the cup to account for the slight roll on the green. I made the putt. I didn't think much about the Tournament coordinator arbitrarily taking the title away from Paul and me, but today I can see that this may have been devastating to Paul. What did Paul do wrong? He just played better than probably any golfer in the country of his age that day. You can imagine the effect of this decision on a youth that spent hours to perfect his game. October 17, 2007 Apparently,Paul might have even been motivated even more to perfect his game, as a result of this experience at competitive golf. Attached is Golf World article by Lorne Rubenstein. It sums up the life of Paul Bondeson, and even infers that Paul first played Sycamore Golf Course where the greens fees were $.25 at one time. Other articles are included that describe similar stories on the events of Paul Bondeson's life. These articles above give a rather complete list of his accomplishments in the professional golf arena and his involvement with Jack Nicklaus in Columbus when both were 17 years old. Both Paul and I attended high school in Lansing. I went to Lansing St. Mary's and Paul went to Lansing Sexton. We would meet once again and for the last time in a football scrimmage during our Sophomore year. Paul was the starting center for Sexton. In our Junior Year,my dad transferred from his job as Chief Engineer at the old Duplex Truck Company on Hazel near Cedar Street to Fuller Transmission in Kalamazoo, and Paul moved to Florida with his mother when his parent's divorced. I heard that Paul was doing pretty well at golf in Florida and that he was known for his prowess at driving a golf ball. About 5 or 6 years ago, I was in Lansing and I visited Sycamore Golf Course to check it over. I noticed that the golf course was still in business and it cost$2.00/round. I also noticed that the 60-80 sand trap was removed from the 9th hole. About 3 years ago, I was in Lansing to attend a family reunion and I took my clubs along so I could play Sycamore once again after 50 years: I was shocked to see the course being dismantled. I was staying near the Waverly Golf Course and I went there. The attendant told me that the Sycamore Golf Course was being revised to a learning center for beginning golfers. At that time, I got the idea that Paul Bondeson was probably the best golfer to be produced from golfing as a youth on the Sycamore Golf Course in years past. On September 9,2007,I was in Lansing to attend Lansing St. Mary's Class of 1957 High School reunion. I went to the Sycamore Driving Range and Learning Center and the new building that currently rests about where the large sand trap used to be for the 9th hole on the old course. The clubhouse was closed as it was about 10:00 AM on Saturday. I could see the 10-20 places for hitting balls on the driving range and the 4 or 5 greens placed at different yardage from the tees. I could visualize each of the holes from the old course even though nature had return the grounds to their natural state of long ago. For the moment, I was back 50 plus years and enjoying all the fond memories of playing golf on this simple yet challenging course. I was so moved that I felt this driving ,ge and training center should be named fnr nna..fLaa�ina's greatest golfer's,Paul Bondeson. tea ' Forty years after people predicted he'd be sooavek&airag special, Paull Soradeson is just that. What:a long, strange trip it has beern By Lorne Rubenstein Golf World He's confined to a wheelchair now, 17 months after a car accident rendered him a quadriplegic -- and four decades after he squandered a four-shot lead with seven holes left to lose the 1962 Bondeson has found serenity Doral Open. Paul Bondeson sits at the that eluded him when he Palm Cove Golf and Yacht Club in played. Palm City, Fla., in late February, Photographs by Greg Foster surrounded by friends who have organized a pro-am to raise funds that will help him and his wife, Shirley, cope with enormous medical costs. Chi Chi Rodriguez is hosting the event, called the Chi Chi & Friends for Bondo Pro-Am Invitational. Bruce Fleisher is here, a day after winning the Verizon Classic. Former major championship winners Gary Player, Orville Moody and Hobby Nichols are here. Bondeson greets there all. "Hey Rocky," Bondeson says to Rocky Thompson, the Champions Tour player, "how did you get so crouch better looking?" J.C. Snead comes by. Bondeson, 63, flashes a big smile, the same one that was all over newspapers when he was a teenager and winning many amateur tournaments, fiat in Michigan, where he grew up, and later in Ohio and Florida. "Hey, you son of a gun, this is fantastic. I may never run a 100-yard dash again, but the heck with it." Later, after the 125 or so amateurs and professionals have enjoyed a day's golf, they will give him a standing ovation. Those who know him well are aware of what he has been through -- a world of woe and that he was cursed with that heavily weighted word, "potential." I�e wasn't supposed to miss reaching the heights. But drinking and drugs beat hire. And he beat himself. Jack Nicklaus :knows what might have been. He's not at Palm Cove because of a prior commitment in Mexico, but he donated generously to the event. Nicklaus and Bondeson met in 1957 at Scioto CC in i October 17, 2007 photos and momentos of Paul Bondeson would be within site of young golfers, and the Golf World article by Lorne Rubenstein with the video cuts of his perfect power golf swing. Paul's brother, Gary Bondeson, is a life-long resident of Lansing, and he supports this proposal to rename the Sycamore Golf site as recognition of the golfing talents and accomplishments of his brother. Paul's achievements and life travels began by simply riding his bike over 2 1/2 miles to play a round of golf as a youth at the Sycamore Golf Course for$.25/round. Gary can provide more details on Paul and his family and his golfing accomplishments through newspaper clippings saved by Paul's mother and his personal knowledge of the key events.�Gary_B.onde_s.,on: lives at 6615 Halloway Lane,,,Lansing.Michigan,- is phone_is(51.7).321 433.6 and hiss Mail , �. _.._ address >a is garybondeson(uol.c,om . Gary is currently at his Winter home in F�orlda His 'address is 1=827 NE=Ridge Ave,Jensen Beacfi;Fidridd,34957-6932"-and-his phone number Is I- 772-334-7887. On Gary's recent trip to his Winter home,he stopped and visited with his brother, Paul. Paul Bondeson is aware and agrees with the proposal to rename the Sycamore Driving Range and Learning Center in his name. He is appreciative and supportive of the proposal and it would be a great honor for him and his family to be remembered in this manner. I plan on sending hard copies of this note and attachments to City Council President, Harold Leeman, Jr., and Don Ballard, Golf Manager. Each addressee can download and print the note and it's attachments. Please feed freed to contact me as well as Gary, at: Joe Schramek 604 Berwyn Dearborn Heights, MI 48127 (313) 278-2924 j sclu•aine(�ii att.net ........ ..._.- ... ..._ _ _ October 26, 2007 As indicated in the articles, Paul experienced many highs and lows in his life yet he was faithful to his wife, Shirley and family. On October 16, 2001, Paul and Shirley were involved in the tragic car accident near their Summer home in Murphy,North Carolina. Their van was hit by another car causing it to flip a few times. Paul's neck was broken and Shirley broke both ankles. With medical miracles,his strong will to live, strong faith in God, and deep love and care from his wife, Shirley, Paul is able to move about with a motorized wheel chair today at his home in Murphy,North Carolina. y F t yp + r7 7 Bandeson .has f1ound :serenity. eluded hlr ,uoKh hj he rl Y 1� d I would hope that the City of Lansing would benefit by redressing the arbitrary disqualification of Paul_Bondeson in_1952nr 1953 Team Best Ball Junior Championship at the Sycamore Golf Course for Boys Under 13. The redress would entail renaming the"Sycamore Driving Range -and 1--earning Center"to the new name of the "Paul Bondeson-Sycamore_Driving Range and -T'Learning Center". A simple plaque near the entrance to the clubhouse with a few salient points--on-Pau1'9'-early career in Lansing and the awarding the Trophy for the Boys Under 13 Sycamore 1952 or 1953 Team Best Ball Championship for the Team Score of 30 for Paul Bondeson/Joe Schramek. The 4 Under Par score was totally attributed to Paul's golfing talent and prowess. It would also point out his play with Jack Nicklaus at the Scio Country Club in Columbus, Ohio when both boys were 17 years old and Ben Hogan,two of the US greatest golfers. I envision that the clubhouse would contain a display or wall mounting where a few October 26, 2007 Paul's early arrival on the professional golf scene occurred in the inaugural Doral Open in 1962 where he led the tournament by four strokes on the last day while playing with Billy Casper and Ben Hogan in the final threesome. Although he encountered two double bogeys in row,he finished second and nearly tied Billy Casper on the last hole where he ringed the cup on a putt that would have tied them for the lead. Although Paul would never win a professional golf tournament, he was recognized as the 1 st of the new long hitting golfers on the tour and his golf swing was recognized as one of the best since Sammy Snead's. in a ,,, o- 9 a i r R2t'R `-ai-. �a `1+ urY bt a i'Et v f,' 4 t \4t Yfitt b L ,h�A YG M1 ✓' f Y i i r� i - d(k Y i � v w7• kYf nu s'i'c �! ,, I Q}r` " ��a ��'�+roT hn �N�i". 3l t�:: Al rb'.c;.,.�7.. ,, I a r.o IYw=im(1e sa�xol..."=n'S'•w a�In.hk...eew�+..f7,,. 'k.�r...._7.._e. 1- ud at.s�his sound, po e uI swing,, shown in a 1 - ' sequence. ' Mis 0 Columbus, Ohio. Nicklaus was a junior member. Bondeson was working for head professional Jack Grout, Nicklaus' instructor. He was there for two seasons, and the winter in between, because Grout wanted somebody on the premises to be in the pro shop in case anybody came in. "We were 17," Nicklaus says of those long-ago days when Bondeson was young and strong -- a blond bomber. He was the only kid who could hit it as far as I did, and he was a very, very good player. I'd shoot 66 one day, and he'd shoot 67. The next day it would be the reverse. His game was very much a mirror image of mine. He hit it left to right, and very high, like I did. He was by far the best competition I had." "There was no difference in talent between us," Bondeson remembers, "but there was a hell of a difference in motivation. The difference was between someone doing the right things and the wrong things. lack had the focus, the ability to live the right way. He could put his clubs down for the winter and have a social life and play other sports. He wasn't compulsive." Bondeson was. Born in Duluth, Minn., he was 3 when his family moved to S3,s' � � {,r11�tt���'�t i 5�rr Lansing, Mich. Bondeson became a muscular,.lean, 6-foot-1, 185-pound kid in hl h schooi:who.excelled at - s�ve,r�i snorts :I�e cad.dled at�the ` ' �, .' a io:cal.publ€c Course wcnere anger+ ,?e5 were a quarter. His rather worked for General Motors, never making more Rodriguez drew some laughs at a pro- than a $1 00 a week, His parents am that raised$11,000 for his pal. divorced when he was 14, and at 15 he drove his mother to St. Petersburg, Fla.; he didn't even have a driver's license. She worked as a waitress, and barely got by. Bondeson attended a local high school and worked on his golf. He won the city match and medal- play amateur championships and a collection of other titles. The caddiemaster from Scioto noticed his play and contacted Grout, who hired him to man the range in fife summer of 1957. He worked in the pro shop the second season but was let go for reasons that were never clear to him. During his winter at Scioto, Bondeson took, his first drink. He remembers it vividly. "Nobody was at the club but me, and I was staying in a little room there," he recalls. "I didn't have a car, and I had nowhere to go. There was snow on the course, and after closing the pro shop one day, I went into the men's grill and noticed a bottle of whiskey. I wondered to myself what people saw in this and poured myself a glassful. Then I poured another glass. I dram, nearly the whole bottle. The snow was swirling outside and I must have gone for a walls, because I woke up near a lake, passed out. I got pneumonia. You'd think you would never take another drink after that." But Bondeson did. He needed a fresh rush after his two seasons at Scioto, from wherever he could get it. Having saved some money, he found himself trying to qualify for the L.A. Open. But he failed. He drank away his feeling of failure. This time it was beer. "It went down real easy," Bondeson says. "I sat there and drank a few more,then turned to a guy and said, 'Can you live on this? Do I need to eat?' Something was lacking in me. The drinking made me feel so intense. I can see now that you drink like I did to fill a void, but I didn't know that then." Bondeson took a four-day, cross-country trip to New York, where he pawned his clubs and suitcase and a trophy. His visions weren't of winning tournaments but of becoming an actor. At an actors' studio he and Robert Redford became friendly. Bondeson landed in the East Village at the time of the beat writers and poets, including Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso. "I got into peyote, then mescaline," Bondeson says. "My values went from wanting to do something in life to nothing. I spent a year there. I lived on the streets and slept in Central Park and in subways. I went to the movies on 42nd Street for 10 cents in the morning,just to have a place to rest. I bottomed out. The way I was living was a fast way to nothing, but there was such passion on the way to self- destruction." One June day in 1959, the bottomed-out Bondeson put on an old trench coat, bought himself a can of beans and made his way by subway and train to Winged Foot GC in suburban Mamaroneck, N.Y. The U.S. Open was on. Bondeson wanted to catch a practice round. Walking along one fairway, he spotted Nicklaus. "I was feeling self-conscious, dressed like a village guy," Bondeson says, "but I looked at Jack, and I thought I saw his head snap back, like he recognized me." Bondeson skulked back to New York. After spending a year In the Army, he returned to St. Petersburg. He'd lost 50 pounds, and his mother was shocked at his appearance and deterioration. She had her son committed to a state mental hospital. The Institution had a nine- hole course. A kindly social worker took an interest in him and encouraged him to play. His game started to come back. He got a job at Twin Brooks driving range and par-3 course after he was released from the hospital. Murle McKenzie Lindstrom, a friend of his from high school in St. Petersburg who would go on to win the 1962 U.S. Women's Open, helped him land a job as a teaching pro at Green Acres CC in Northbrook, Ill. There he met Shirley Limley, who was working as a receptionist. They were married in 1960. Some club members liked his game and offered to sponsor him on the tour. But he arrived at the inaugural Doral in 1962 having made only one check in 15 tournaments, for $192.50. At Dora[ Bondeson was tied with Bob Goalby for the 54-hole lead and a stroke ahead of Billy Casper, with whom he would play in a group including Ben Hogan the last day. He was leading the tournament by 3 four shots, over Casper, with seven holes to play. But he made what he calls "the stupidest decision you could maize," by trying to reach the green with a 1-Iron out of a bunker on the par-5 12th hole. He buried the ball under the lip and made a double bogey. Another double followed on the par-3 13th. He needed to hole a 10-foot birdie putt on the last hole to tie Casper. "The ball went right down in the hole and came out,tt Bondeson says. Casper two-putted to win. Nicklaus, who had cashed his first check as a professional golfer a few weeks earlier at the L.A. Open, was third. Hogan, with whom Bondeson played a practice round in Miami, was fourth. "Paul didn't have as much patience then as he's exercising now," says Casper. "He sure had as much talent as any player out there. He could flat play." He could also party. Bondeson's tour of duty at Doral included regular stops at one of the bars in his hotel, and he was up until 5 a.m. the night before the final round. His brush with victory would equal his best effort on the tour, a second-place finish at the 1964 Insurance City Open: He played in 20 tournaments in 1962, finishing 60th on the money list with $8,829. He averaged about 20 events a year through 1967. His best season was 1966, when he had five tap-10 finishes and was 54th in earnings. He played nine tournaments in 1968, and that was pretty much it for his tour career. He "disappeared," says Nicklaus. •Bondeso.n.worked.at a McDonaid's for six months, flipping burgers for o nddrs ands ,10 a wmk.".'It was profitable,";he says. "I learned I douid nvork and oo things. It gave.Elie a lot of satisfaction:" But Bondeson was meant to work outdoors, hic." and he began to bounce around the golf world. He did so for some 25 years. There was a stint as the golf director at East Lake `'``�!"±�"�����y�r ��"'# p!' LEAS, n�i.U11k:' .kb`at:cci h��i 7u in Atlanta. He played some mini tour events w In Tampa. He mowed grass at courses and i-&,,,• ',:rc', cao, came to know turfgrass. Bruce Devlin and a).nd{re v`;F yet Robert von Hagge hired him in 1969 to work . , at a course they designed in Orlando. Bondeson floated from job to job in Florida, Georgia and Texas. In the mid-1960s ^ '� [!—en sz' Bondeson found some comfort in spirituality when fellow tour player Babe Hiskey introduced him to a bible-study group. Though a committed Christian, he still had trouble with his self-destructive tendencies. "Every time it looked like I would have some success," Bondeson says, "I'd do something to ruin it." Meanwhile, Paul and Shirley were raising two sons and a daughter. They eventually moved to Hobe Sound, Fla., where they live in a quiet community. There is a stone in their front garden marked 4 "Serenity." But serenity eluded . them. "I was moving forward, although sr tax there were periods where I still struggled with the drinking and old habits," Bondeson says at his home. There is a photo sequence of his phenomenal swing with a driver, " s �"` ' ` .: framed on a wall, from the March Bondeson's peers marveled at his sound, 1964 issue of Golfing magazine. It's powerful swing,shown in a 1964 headlined, "Put a big turn in your sequence, status shot." The photographs show a man whose technique was flawless. The same swing sequence would turn up on a wall in the temporary clubhouse at the place where Bondeson eventually worked. "I got the ultimate chance when Wayne Huizenga invited me to work at The Floridian," he says. "Wayne was phenomenal and still is." Huizenga1s former CEO of Blockbuster Entertainment and owns the Miami Dolphins and Pro Player Stadium in Miami, as well as having many other wide-ranging business interests. Bondeson started at The Floridian in 1994 and was instrumental in creating Huizenga's showpiece course. It gleamed. Nick Price showed up there one day and noticed the swing sequence. "I thought, 'Oh my goodness, who is that?' " Price says. "I had no idea who Paul was. John McNally, the pro at The Floridian, told me it was Paul Bondeson. I thought his swing was amazing and asked where this guy was. John told me he was right outside." Price and Bondeson played a few holes together one day. Bondeson played in his work clothes. "He was so easy to talk to," Price says. "He was always eager to talk about the swing, which fascinates me. Paul is a good, all-around person. He has always been very friendly to me." Things were looking up for Bondeson. He made money in the booming stock market. He hadn't taken a drink for a decade and was studying the Bible regularly with fellows who call themselves a band of brothers: Hiskey and his brother Jim, golf instructor Carl Lohren, former tour pro Marty Fleckman, amateur golfer Larry Fenster and Billy Burke, the pro at North Shore CC on Long Island. Then came the accident, on Oct. 16, 2001, "We'd bought a mountain home in Murphy, N.C., in the western part of the state in a corner near the Tennessee and Georgia state lines," Bondeson is saying in mid-February at his home. "We heard that a local school was trying to raise money and were just about to make the turn into the school when somebody malting a U-turn hit us. Luckily, there were paramedics on duty at the school, and they got to us right away." 5 Their car rolled over four times. Shirley broke both her ankles and has a Lin and three plates in her left leg. Bondeson broke his neck and 'Aras put on life support with a feeding tube and ventilator. He couldn't Breathe on his own for five months, having suffered a spinal cord injury not unlike that which happened to actor Christopher Reeve. Yet here he sits, at home, at ease. He has found a peace he never knew when his body was intact and strong, when he could drive par 4s, as he did on the 380-yard 11th hole during the final round at Doral in 'fit. "Bob Goetz [a former tour player] called and wondered why this happened to me," Bondeson says. "Then he answered for himself, 'Because you could handle it.' I think he's right." Former major league pitcher Jim Kaat, an avid golfer who lives near Bondeson, spends a lot of time with him. Kaat often takes him to the Medalist GC, where he is a member. Bondeson parks himself on the range and watches players swing, offering advice when asked. He can spend hours doing this, all the while telling stories of his days on the tour and of his life now. It's a rare moment when he's not smiling. "Paul is very candid and open about his life," Kaat says. "I've gone out with other people to see hire at his house, and we'll have tears in our eyes. You go there to cheer him up, and he tells you all these stories and cheers you up." "You would think the accident would be.the end of the line," Bondeson says. "But I started a phase of life where I had.a peace.that was so strong, Yes, I'd had this spiritual change in my life a Iong time before, but until the accident, I could get distracted. After the accident I realized how little awareness I had. I'd lived on such a superficial plane." The event at Palm Cove is ending. Rodriguez has presented Bondeson with a flag from the day that his fellow professionals have signed. A cocktall party the night before at The Floridian raised $45,000 via a silent auction of memorabilia. Price, Tom Kite and Tiger Woods, among other pros, contributed items for the auction. Bondeson's band of brothers estimate they'll be able to turn over $110,000 to him. All day the pros and his friends have been telling Bondo stories. DeWitt Weaver remembers Bondeson hitting balls at an airplane that flew over during a tournament in Oklahoma, and that he had "a Sam Snead-like swing." Burke speaks of his "silky swing that had built-in 290-yard tee shots." Bondeson has no illusions that he'll hit a golf ball again, or even walk. He's not deluding himself anymore, about anything. It's a long time since a fellow sitting beside Bondeson at that bar the night before the last round at Doral told him that he was leading the tournament and should get to bed. Bondeson and his friends agree that he wanted to lose. 6 Paul Bondeson didn't win the 1962 Dora] Open. He got lost for a long time. But he has found himself. "What you guys did for me, well, I'm just so proud to be a golf professional," he says to his friends at Palm Cove as the proceedings conclude. He's smiling and crying at the same time. He's fulfilling -- in the present and in a different way -- that unlimited potential he so often squandered. March 14, 2003 7 BONDO By Jim Hiskey The year: 1957. The place: Scioto Country Club, Columbus, Ohio. The players: Two 17-year-old junior golf champions. Big, 200-pounders. Young men who can pound a Titleist a mile. Jack, the better known of the two, tees off first. Even though he's beaten all the PGA pros and won the State Open and is recognized as the nation's top junior, he knows he'll need his best game to beat Paul, who possesses a golf swing that's as pure and powerful as Sam Snead's. Both play with MacGregor wooden-headed drivers. Jack's backswing is upright. As he winds up, his left heel lifts completely off the ground. His right elbow flies skyward. He pauses at the apex of his swing for a mere second. Then suddenly, he drops his left heel to the ground. The force of Jack's downswing is-so powerful that Paul, standing 14 feet behind him and out of Jack's sight, hears his foot stomp the ground. The bowing shaft drives down with lightning speed. Paul's head snaps to his right as Jack rockets his ball high into the air, fading slightly to their right and 300 yards down the fairway. "Good shot," Paul says, all the time planning to drive a few yards farther no matter how far Jack hits it. Paul sets his mind on a slow, long swing. He realizes he must drive accurately, too, because Jack's ball is right in the middle of the fairway. The big blonds will play nine holes. Seven of these holes will be driving contests. Paul glances at Jack just as he addresses his drive. He wants to make sure Jack watches. He waggles his club twice then takes the club back in a slow, wide arc. But unlike Jack, he has no pause at the top of his back swing. Paul's swing resembles a long, lethal snap of a 16-foot leather whip. And effortless. But by the time the clubhead reaches the ball, there's a loud crack. The two boys eye Paul's ball flying high, fading just like Jack's. It lands 20 yards short of Jack's ball, bounces high and rolls five yards farther. Paul glances toward .Tack again. Paul smiles. Jack smiles back. It's not uncommon. Paul often outdrives Jack, although Paul believes Jack may be stronger physically. "Good shot," Jack says. Jack loves this. Paul is the only one who can give him competition. They've played three times together this week. In all three rounds, both of them have scored under par. Often, only one shot separates them. Today will be another tough test. When the two juniors are playing, it's all golf. But on occasion, like today,they joke with each other. Jack Grout, the head pro and instructor for both of the boys,has sent them out on the back nine and told them to keep out of the way of members, who are accustomed to playing the front nine during the late afternoon. The boys carry light canvas bags. Both par the tenth hole. On the eleventh, a par-5,Jack drives first. He places his shot directly in the middle of the fairway. Paul pulls his drive into the fairway bunker on the left. Jack again plays first and puts his 3-wood 30 yards short. Though Paul is more than 250 yards away from the green, he believes he's within reach. But only one club will get there: his 3-wood. When Jack sees him pull his 3-wood out of his bag, he shakes his head. He's thinking no one alive can hit a 3-wood out of this steep-faced bunker. Paul sees things differently. The ball is sitting up like it's on grass. He's sure he can pull off the shot. Taking no time, he places his feet in the sand,waggles the club and fires the ball out of the sand like a cannon ball. Jack closes his eyes in disbelief. The ball rips the air, but its trajectory is too low. It bangs into the heavy grass lip of the bunker and rockets into the sky. Jack watches it arch 20 feet in the air and begin to fall in Paul's direction. Paul can't see it. "Watch out!" Jack yells. Too late. The ball lands squarely on Paul's head. Jack breaks out in laughter. Paul grips his head. It hurts. He glances toward Jack, who is breaking up. Paul starts laughing. Jack shoots two under that day, but after Paul's bean on the head and bogey on the hole, he birdies four holes and edges his buddy-33 for Paul, 34 for Jack. It's the fall of 1957 now. Paul Bondeson loses his golf companion, as Jack receives a golf scholarship at Ohio State University. Jack and Jack's dad want Paul at Ohio State, too. But Paul isn't about to go to college. He's got other dreams. He wants to be an actor, a dream he's had since his pre-teen days. After the season ends Paul leaves Columbus and treks to New York City. He finds a place to stay in Greenwich Village, meets some famous actors. Two years pass. It's June 1959. The U.S. Open is being held at Winged Foot Country Club not far from where Paul is living in New York. Paul has played very little golf since Jack moved to Ohio State. Jack has steadily improved and become golfs top collegiate player. Paul, on the other hand, has learned about alcohol and drugs, what it's like to be penniless and homeless. He knows acting is taking him nowhere. Paul wants to see Jack again, but doesn't want Jack to see him in the state he's in. So he disguises himself with sunglasses, a wide brim hat and a London Fog trench coat. He takes the train north to Westchester. He finds Jack on the course and hides amidst the gallery. "He's improved," Paul whispers to himself "He's better than ever." On the eleventh hole,Paul walks closer to the fairway. Just then Jack glances toward the gallery. Their eyes meet. Immediately, Paul drops his head and backs away. "I hope to God he.didn't see me like this," Paul says to himself. But he fears it's too late. An hour later he's back on the train heading into the city. Two more years pass.Paul's education in alcohol and drugs on the streets of the Big City halts. His mom comes back into his life and persuades him to commit himself to drug rehabilitation at Chattahoochee Mental Hospital in the northwest panhandle of Florida, not far from her home. Not long after, one of the counselors finds out Paul's golf skills and makes playing golf on the nine-hole golf course adjacent to the hospital part of his therapy. Soon his swing begins to take shape. Getting back into golf loosens the grip drugs and alcohol have on him. When he's released he begins to practice daily. Within six months,he believes he's ready to compete against the top professionals in the world. His high school buddy,Jack Nicklaus,has completed his four years at Ohio State and is preparing for the PGA Tour,too. In just the sixth PGA event of 1962, Paul catches fire, inspired in part by playing a practice round with his childhood idol Ben Hogan, and ties Bob Goalby for the lead after 54 holes. That Saturday night he stays up until 5 am partying. That Sunday Paul is paired with Billy Casper in the final group. Jack Nicklaus is three shots back and playing in the second to the last group. After ten holes, Paul leads the tournament by three shots. "I thought I was invincible," Paul says now. "The eleventh is 380 yards. Playing downward. I thought I could drive the green and I did. Rolled it almost between Nicklaus's legs." Paul two putted for a birdie. With seven holes to play he held a solid four-shot lead. "Then my head starts telling me," Paul says, "you don't deserve to win. You're a drunk. Anyone who stays up all night drinking doesn't deserve to win." On the twelfth,a par-5 hole usually unreachable in two,Paul pulls his tee shot into the bunker. "The lip in front of me isn't high," Paul says. "I think I can reach the green, so I choose one of my favorite clubs—a 1-iron. "I mash it, but it comes out low and buries under the top edge of the bunker. The sand nearly covers the ball. I'm lucky to even get it out and end up with a double bogey. Which I follow up with another double on the 13th. My four shot lead is gone. "I settle down, par fourteen, fifteen, sixteen and seventeen, but Casper has me by a shot as we tee off on eighteen. "I hit a big drive and have a 9-iron to the green. Casper needs a wood on his second, hits a good shot and makes a par. I play my 9-iron to within ten feet of the hole. I think I can make this putt. When it's a couple of inches from the hole it's dead center. But at the last second it dips down into the hole, and lips out. "I can't believe it. But when I open my eyes, I can believe it. 'I don't deserve to win.' "I finish second. Nicklaus third. Ben Hogan fourth." Though it's a tough loss, it's his best tournament ever. Ben Hogan offers him a contract to play his new clubs and MacGregor offers five times Hogan's offer. Paul's sponsors want him with MacGregor. Paul concedes. "Another bad choice," Paul says. "I let my sponsors make the decision. Maybe if I'd gone with Hogan he'd have helped me be a better player and person. I'll never know. "I never could shake drinking," he says now. "I drank myself off Tour. I became an accident ready to happen." That accident would happen. But first his addiction to alcohol would plummet him from the glamour of his six years on the PGA Tour to cutting the grass where the tournaments are played. Though sponsors and media said a great talent had fallen, Paul saw it as a step out of the high-stress life on the PGA Tour, which had fueled his craving for alcohol. Now he was free to be at home with his wife, Shirley, and their three children. Babe Hiskey, this writer's brother and a three-time PGA Tour winner, found him a job at El Dorado Country Club in Houston (where he worked before moving to Florida and eventually landing his ideal job at The Floridian, a high-end chub owned by billionaire Wayne Huizenga). "Life improved when I moved to Houston," Paul says. "I'd quit drinking before, be sober six months then start drinking again. Babe Hiskey saved my life. I tried to shake him, but he'd always show up.No matter how bad a shape I was in. Babe had led me to Jesus Christ about the time we started a Bible study on the PGA Tour, but it wasn't until he got me to Houston, into the Bible and a good environment, that I really changed." In their years in Houston and later in Florida, Paul and Shirley watched their children grow up, made some good investments and even bought a home in the mountains near Murphy, North Carolina, where they planned to retire. One weekend in 2001 while they were in Murphy, Paul was driving to the local middle school carnival to support a fund raising event. "The highway into Murphy is four lanes with a median in between the east and west lanes," Paul says. "A woman driving an old car decides to make a left-turn. Doesn't see us and crashes into the side of our car. Instinctively, I throw my body over Shirley." The crushing force of the collision catapults their car into the air and sends it rolling over and over knocking Paul unconscious. His body is pinned between the dashboard and seat. Shirley, bloody and battered, escapes. Paul must be cut from the car. He awakens two days later in the hospital in Murphy. He cannot move anything. Nor feel anything. Except his head, and it won't move. His doctor informs him his head is locked in a halo—a steel band the width of his forehead,which is wound around the top of his head. His spinal cord has been severed. Through no fault of his own,Paul is now a quadriplegic. He will never drive a car, never walk and never play golf again. He will need Shirley to bathe, dress and feed him. Shortly thereafter Babe calls and says that Chi Chi Rodriguez, Gary Player, himself and 20 pros are giving a day to raise some money to help Paul with mounting medical bills. "When you see Paul,you're going to be surprised," Babe tells me at the time. His question makes me curious. "Because he's totally paralyzed?" I ask. "No. Something else." "What else could there be?" "His face." "What about his face?" "He's got a perpetual smile." Babe says. "It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen. He never stops smiling." I arrive the Palm Cove Golf and Yacht Club in south Florida a month later just as Shirley is helping Paul get out of their van and into his motorized wheelchair. "Jimmy Hiskey." Paul's cheeks are pink. He's smiling just as Babe had described. "Thanks for coming. Isn't this great,having everyone here?" "Everyone loves you,Paul," I said, stunned by his bright countenance, so noticeable that I almost ignore his lifeless body. I walk beside him as he motors himself toward the front door of the sprawling clubhouse. "I can't get over this," Paul says, "all these guys coming down here. Your brother, Chi Chi, Gary Player. It's just great. You know,Jimmy, some of us learn easy, but God had to hit me with a two-by-four to get my attention." The next day I get together with Paul and Shirley at the golf range after the players tee off. It's a bright sunny day. The Florida palm trees are swaying in the warm breeze. I feel myself smile as I walk up to Paul. But catch myself. Paul is paralyzed, I say to myself. He's helpless. You should be feeling sad. "Hey, Jimmy, great to see you." He's beaming with joy. Shirley is sitting on a folding chair next to him. I pull up another chair facing them. We chat about some memories of when we were both on Tour. I'm eager to find out more about his longtime friendship with Jack Nicklaus. I ask, "I've heard that Jack said, 'Paul Bondeson had great talent. He hit the ball just like I did, high, long,left-to-right. And if he'd ridded himself of his demons I might not have had the record 1 had.'True?" Paul laughs. "I've heard that." "Babe tells me you have a perpetual smile," I say. "You never smiled like this when you were playing the Tour." "I was an accident waiting to happen, Jimmy." "What'd you mean?" "I mean I always felt like I never deserved to be a success. I'd been a drLmk and if it wasn't for this woman who stuck with me through it all..." His eyes rolled to Shirley. "I wouldn't even be alive today." Shirley nods. "I was lucky," he says. "If the police hadn't been right there when the car rolled, got an ambulance and cut me out, I'd never have made it." "Did you ever wish that you wouldn't have?" I ask. "The first thing I remember after waking up was 'The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.' I don't think I've ever been depressed or wished I'd died." I leaned back. I could hardly believe what I was hearing. "For a while I wasn't sure I would live, but it didn't matter. Either way, I felt I had a great future. I knew God had a purpose for me." "That's why you're smiling?" "You might say that. I'm not conscious that I am smiling. I'm just aware that God has a future for me here as He does in heaven." Shirley stands. Paul needs some attention. Food,medicine,I don't know what. I ask her for one more question. She nods. "Is there something else that makes you smile?" Paul doesn't answer. Except for the warm breeze,there is silence. For a minute or two. Then he says: "His amazing grace. It is sufficient." Bondeson beams in adversity By: LORNE RUBENSTEIN Friday, December 27, 2002 HOBE SOUND, FLA. -- He's smiling as he greets you, notwithstanding what he has been through and what he is going through. Paul Bondeson, who finished second to Billy Casper 40 years ago in the 1962 Doral Open in Miami, is now in a wheelchair after a horrendous accident last year. Bondeson had a four-shot lead with seven holes to go at the Doral. Consecutive double bogeys cost him the tournament. Jack Nicklaus was third and Ben Hogan fourth. These were his contemporaries. He's the same age as Nicklaus (62). Maybe that was the highlight of Bondeson's seven-year career on the PGA Tour, one characterized by immense promise and excessive drinking. He took his first drink before he hit the tour. "It made me feel something I'd never felt," he said. "It was going down real easy." Too easy. In the early 1960s, Bondeson's mother had him committed to a mental hospital, where he hit balls on a nine-hole course. Soon after he left the hospital, he got a job as an assistant professional in Chicago. Six months later, he was on the tour. With Nicklaus. With Hogan. Now he sits in the front room of the light-filled home in Hobe Sound he shares with his wife, Shirley. A stone marked "serenity" lies almost hidden in their front garden. He's a quadriplegic. The accident happened in North Carolina on Oct. 16, 2001. "Life was getting easy," Bondeson said. "Then boom. Somebody pulled around from one of those U-turn areas on the highway and never saw me. We were hit and flipped four times. It's been an adjustment, but fortunately I have a lot of good things going for me. Shirley, friends, my spiritual beliefs." Jim Kaat, one of those friends, accompanied this writer on a recent visit. Kaat, called Kitty by his many friends,pitched three games during the 1965 World Series:For the Minnesota Twins against the Los Angeles Dodgers before losing to Sandy Koufax in the seventh game. Kaat and Bondeson are close. Kaat takes him out to driving ranges to watch young pros smash golf balls. Bondeson knows about the long ball. There's a startling swing sequence of Bondeson's from the March of 1964 issue of a magazine called Golfing. It's framed on a wall in his home, and it's titled, "Put a big turn in your status shot." The status shot is the drive. Bondeson was long. His technique was flawless: all coil at the top of the swing, then all release at impact. Now he's telling stories.Kaat encourages him to tell the one about Nicklaus, one of many. They met as teenagers when Nicklaus was a member at the Scioto club in Columbus, Ohio. Bondeson was working in the back shop. Jack Grout, Scioto's legendary pro and Nicklaus's long-time teacher, noticed how well Bondeson hit the ball. He promoted him to assistant pro. Until then, Bondeson, a blond bomber, had no direction. Grout gave him direction. How good was he? How good could he have been, minus the drinking, the demons? Try this: "We were talking with somebody," Bondeson recalled, "and Nicklaus said, 'Paul, if he had put his mind to his game, they'd never have heard of me.' That's a lie, but it was nice of him to say it. I look back, and I see that I never learned to play golf. I could hit the ball, but Nicklaus, he knew how to play." Bondeson loved the way the late and great Canadian George Knudson hit the ball. He admired how straight Moe Norman hit it when they played together in a Canadian Open. Off the course, Bondeson once lived in New York, hanging out with Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso and Jack Kerouac, the kings of the Beat Generation. Kerouac wrote the classic Beat book On the Road. Bondeson took to the golf road. At Doral in 1963, he picked up $4,600 (U.S.) after having won only$192 (U.S.) in his 11 previous events. He did well in many other tournaments. But his drinking consumed him and ended his career. Eventually, Bondeson beat the drinking. Now, a golfer who sometimes drove 350-yard holes is restricted to a wheelchair. Yet his mind knows no bounds. Senior pros will hold a benefit for him at a nearby course on Feb. 24. Nicklaus has entered a foursome. Lee Trevino,Bruce Fleisher and Chi-Chi Rodriguez will be there. Bondeson is looking forward to seeing his old friends. "You come out here to cheer him up," Kaat said, "and he tells you so many stories that you're laughing and you're crying at the same time. He cheers you up." Here sits a man whose body was ravaged by a horrible accident. But Paul Bondeson is not a broken man. You say goodbye,tell him you'll return. His smile stays in your mind's eye for hours. It's still there. Friends ready to pay tribute to Bondeson Friends ready to pay tribute to Bondeson By Bill Hilbig staff writer February 13, 2003 When he was on top of his game,there were few better. Palmer, Nicklaus, Casper and Player not only were his contemporaries, they also were his peers. Second-place finishes at Doral in 1962 and at Hartford in 1964 were testaments to his potential. But Paul Bondeson never achieved greatness. Drugs and alcohol played too many games on his mind and his body. "Very few people know it, but Paul Bondeson was the most talented player 1 have ever seen in my life," Chi Chi Rodriguez said of the man who was his roommate on the PGA Tour in the early 1960s. "On the second hole at Cypress Point where everybody else used to hit a driver, 3-wood and a full wedge, Paul Bondeson would hit a driver and a 1-iron and crushed it on the green there;" Rodriguez said. "But Paul was his own worst enemy. But about 20 years ago, he found himself and became a very religious person." Give Bondeson credit. He did wake up one day and realized he had a problem. He went searching for help and found it although too late to save his golf game. It's been 40 years since he wooed the crowd that day in Miami. Bondeson led at Doral by five strokes with seven holes remaining before consecutive double-bogeys cost him dearly. Still,he had a chance at victory. On 18, he a missed putt by about an inch, allowing :Billy Casper to win. Bondeson settled for second,just ahead of Jack Nicklaus, who was third, and Ben Hogan, who finished fourth. Some believe that collapse was the start of Bondeson's troubles. For sure, he did finish in the money most of the time for the next six or eight years, but he never did win and never did shake off the effects of Doral completely. After straightening himself out, Bondeson found solitude and success, first as a club pro and later as a grounds superintendent. He worked at such courses as Jupiter Hills in Jupiter, LaGorce in Miami Beach and finally at Wayne Huizenga's The Floridian in Palm City. .It would be nice to report that Bondeson is at peace in his life. But, sadly, he was dealt another nearly deadly blow. A year ago October, Bondeson and his wife Shirley were driving in the mountains of North Carolina when they were blindsided by a another vehicle. Bondeson suffered a spinal-cord injury in the accident, which left him a quadriplegic. "He was going real great," Rodriguez said. "He became the best greenskeeper in the world. I mean,there is no person who knows more about Bermuda grass than Paul Bondeson." Because of the bond that was formed by the two young roommates four decades ago, Rodriguez is serving as honorary chairman for a tournament to benefit Bondeson. The Chi Chi and Friends for Bondo Pro-Am Invitational is set for Feb. 24 at the Palm Cove Golf and Yacht Club. John Mahaffey, Jim Thorpe and Bob Murphy are among the former PGA Tour players who are expected to play. To join in the tribute, call Billy Burke at (516) 676-4225 (office) or (516) 435-9509 (cell) or e- mail at Ligaburke(i(Daolxom, or call Mary Krystoff at (954) 568-3000 or e-mail krystoff(FUanizzi.com. Chi Chi,stars help friend Hall of fame golfer organized tourney to benefit his longtime friend Paul Bondeson, who was paralyzed following a car accident last year. By Bill Hilbig staff writer February 25, 2003 PALM CITY-- It was the telephone call that Chi Chi Rodriguez never wanted to receive. On the other end was Chuck Knebels, the former head pro at Mariner Sands Country Club in Stuart informing Rodriguez that Paul Bondeson -- Rodriguez's friend and former roommate on the PGA Tour--had been seriously injured in an automobile accident in North Carolina. A few days later, after Bondeson's condition had stabilized,he was transferred to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, and Rodriguez was one of his first visitors. "I will never forget when Chuck called me and said, 'Paul's paralyzed,"' Rodriguez said. "I will never forget it. So, I flew right away to see him." It's seems only natural that when the medical bills started pouring in, Rodriguez was there to help an old friend again. The result was the Chi Chi and Friends for Bondo Pro-Am Invitational. The two-day affair included a reception and silent auction Sunday at the Floridian club and a pro-am tournament Monday at the new Palm Cove Golf and Yacht Club. It was a year ago October that Bondeson and his wife, Shirley, were broadsided by another vehicle while traveling home to Hobe Sound after spending the summer in the North Carolina mountains. Shirley Bondeson suffered serious leg injuries -- she has three plates and a pin in her left leg -- while Paul Bondeson suffered a spinal-cord injury, leaving him a quadriplegic. "His expenses have just gone to the moon," Shirley Bondeson said. "If every thing goes well,his expenses are $2,500 every month and that doesn't include food or shelter or clothing. "But his friends have certainly helped out. They have been a God-send." As a young man, Paul Bondeson seemed headed for greatness on the PGA Tour in the early 1960s. But Bondeson not only fought the course,he also had to battle his inner demons -- drug abuse and alcohol. Bondeson eventually conquered his demons and spent the past three decades in golf course design and construction, and as a course superintendent. He helped in the construction and was the first superintendent at The Floridian, the private club owned by Miami Dolphins owner H. Wayne Huizenga and his wife Marti. "He did some wonderful things for us here at the Floridian," said Huizenga, who has known Bondeson for the past 10 years. "Everybody loved him, and it was devastating for all of us to hear about his accident. "He has some needs right now, and that's what friends are for. You're supposed to be able to help friends when they are in need, and Paul has a bunch of friends. ... Hopefully, this can become an annual event and we can keep raising some money." Huizenga also tipped his hat to Rodriguez for his part in helping organized the event. "Chi Chi is the one behind all of this," Huizenga said. Rodriguez said it is more important to him to be remembered as someone who would help out a friend than as a Hall of Fame golfer. "I think what was so special about this event here is, for the first time in his life Paul Bondeson finally realized that he had this many friends," Rodriguez said. "Most of us when we die, if we can count our friends on one hand, we had a lot of friends. But he's got many, many hands here." The tournament attracted a full field of 25 teams. Each team consisted of a pro -- among them Gary Player, Bruce Fleischer, Jim Thorpe, John Mahaffey, Orville Moody, J.C. Snead, Larry Laoretti and Rodriguez-- and four amateurs. Thorpe's team edged Bob Toski's team for first place with DeWitt Weaver's team finishing third. Bondeson attended both the tournament and the auction/party. "I don't know if I can put into words what all of this means to me right now," Bondeson said. "I feel like I could go out and run five miles right now. "To see the guys I played with and were so close to ... and the friends you acquired along the way,to have it all come together is almost like everyone is saying, 'hey, we love you."' Player said he was "honored" to be a part of Monday's tournament. "Paul Bondeson was an unbelievable, talented golfer," Player said. "He has been an inspiration to all of us. To see him in the situation that he's in, and to see him smiling and to see the courage that he exemplified, it's a pleasure to be out here today and give a little back to him. "What I remember most about Paul from our playing days was the prodigious distances he used to hit the ball -- miles and miles. He was the only one who could hit it with Nicklaus in those days." Rodriguez also thought back to the promise that Bondeson showed in those early days on the tour, and how things could have turned out differently for his good friend. "I never saw that much talent in my life," Rodriguez said. "Paul Bondeson would carry the ball (with early 1.960-era equipment) 320 yards in the air, and straight. "But he was different. He finally found his life 20 or 25 years ago. It was too late for golf, but it was great for life. He was living a wonderful life until he had that horrendous accident. But, as you can see, his attitude is better than anybody's here. "I love him." Monday's results (Note: Scores are for 18 holes, based on 20 percent of the total handicap for the entire field.) 43.4: Jim Thorpe,Norman Clark,Larry Fenster, Ken Fenster, Tom Truske. 45.2: Bob Toski, Gary Bondeson, Bart Bondeson, Teddy Bondeson, Ray Morgan.. 46.6: DeWitt Weaver, Jim Gallagher, Jim Jernigan, Bill Kelly, Bart Love. 47.2: Bobby Heins,Pete O'Donnely, Steve Kramer, Dale Kramer, John Rosenthal (match-card playoff). 47.2: Gary Player, Stan Barshay, Sid Forbes, Paul Kozloff, Jerry Scheckmann. 47.2: Marty Fleckman,Nathaniel Reed, Howard Goldsmith, Steven Kelly, Jim Vogelsong. 47.7: Chi Chi Rodriguez,Morton Bouchard, Dave Copper, Don Molloy, Jake O'Donnell. 47.7: Tom Joyce, Paul Knudson,Richard LeConche,Dave Monk, Scott Shulman. 47.8: Larry Laoretti, Bill Stark, Tom Poole, Jack Barlow, Chester Broman. 48.0: Jerry Impelletiere, Frank Bensel, Bill Russell; Greg Hayes, Gene Rosen. 48.2: Orville Moody, Lorne Rubenstein, DR Cooper, Marty Atkins, Bruce Bogart. 48.4: Mike Joyce,Andrew Haber, Dick Kniffin, Horst Saalbach, Joel Shatles. 48.6:Rod Curl, John O'Mahony, Hunter O'Mahony, P.J. Cowen, Austin O'Mahoney. 48.8: Hugh Baiocci, Mary Ann Springer, Ken Springer,Ron Rosner,Nancy Rosner. 48.8:J.C. Snead, Richard Brewer, Frank Christian, Hank Cohen, Bill Garlati. 50.4: Babe Hiskey, Harry Athan, Dana Colabella, Mike Lightfoot, Tony Pellegrini. 50.6: Ken Still, Brian Pennington, Dick Capozi, Don Pingaro, John Weber. 51.0: Bruce Fleischer, Wayne Huizenga, Brian Allabastro, John McNeeley, Steve Powers. 51.2: Larry Ziegler, Richard Fleischer, Mary Gregge, Bob Korn, Sonny Smith. 51.6: Buddy Antenopolos, Jim King, Bob Morrison, Jim Kaat, George Rodriguez, Alan Rosenthal. 52.6: Steve Reid, Dave Tassel, Tom Sedito, Gary Belcher, Mark Lemaster. 53.2: Rocky Thompson,Boyd Dethero, Jim Litty, Jim McGuigan,Bob Milanese. 53.6: Bobby Nichols, Pat O'Malley, Don Edwards, Larry Mueller, Bill Harvey. 55.2: John Mahaffey, Lee Brandenburg, Paul Fournier, Wayne Tucker, Jim Wellens. 56.0: Jim Albus, Mel Boen, Melvyn Dinner, Jeffrey Mensch. Friends help out Bondeson Friends help out Bondeson Randall Mell March 2, 2003 It was 41 years ago, but Paul Bondeson can still see his last 10-foot birdie putt rolling toward fame and riches at the 18th hole at the Blue Monster. He can still feel the thrill building, and then, in a heartbeat,the enormous letdown when his ball lipped out. An unheralded rookie, he was that close to stunning the game's greatest players and winning the Doral Golf Resort and Spa's inaugural PGA Tour event. He can remember vivid details of the thrilling duel, and a surreal final pairing. When Bondeson hit his first drive with Billy Casper and Ben Hogan in tow, spectators wondered where this strapping 21-year-old with the Samson-like power came from. Bondeson drove the Blue Monster's 363-yard I Ith hole with the help of a brisk wind. He routinely hit the ball 30 yards past Hogan, who at 49 was still among the game's best drivers. He hit wedge into the 18th hole with Casper hitting a fairway wood. It was all so long ago, but Bondeson remembers, especially that final missed birdie, which left Casper the winner by a single shot. The leaderboard remains another dreamy memory with Bondeson's name among Jack Nicklaus (third) and Hogan (fourth). What Bondeson can't remember is what happened so quickly on a stretch of highway in North Carolina 17 months ago. The terrible crash that sent his car flipping off the highway. The accident that left him a quadriplegic who will live the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Watching the Ford Championship from his Hobe Sound home this week will bring back lots of memories, many bittersweet of a promising PGA Tour career that careened off course. Bondeson, 63, will remember lost opportunities and the potential he never fulfilled coming out of St. Petersburg. But, more than anything,he will remember the great friends golf brought him. Friends who haven't forgotten him now that he needs their help building a new life. Friends inspired at the way Bondeson has persevered so positively through so much hell and heartbreak in his life. They all rallied around Bondeson at the Chi Chi and Friends Pro-Am Invitational at Palm Cove Golf and Yacht Club in Palm City last week. "I've never seen an attitude like Paul's," says Chi Chi Rodriguez, who was Bondeson's roommate on the road that rookie season. "We all came to help him (last week), but he helped us. Instead of me making him stronger, he made me stronger. Everybody was talking about his attitude. He inspired everybody." Bondeson was injured Oct. 13, 2001, while driving 55 mph down a highway on the way to a fair. A woman pulled out of an intersection and broadsided his car. She said she never saw him. Bondeson suffered a spinal cord injury and couldn't breathe on his own for seven months. He is paralyzed from his chest down with limited control of his arms. His wife, Shirley, suffered serious injuries, and has three plates and a pin in her left leg. Rodriguez,Dolphins owner H. Wayne Huizenga, Gary.Player,Bob Toski, Bruce Fleisher and dozens of others raised more than $100,000 to help their friend pay his medical bills and new living expenses. The costs of a wheelchair-bound life runs about$30,000 per year above what the insurance covers. Bondeson never did win in 10 tour seasons. "Paul was the most talented player who never made it," Rodriguez said. "He could drive it 350 yards. With today's equipment,he would be much longer than John Daly. Everybody thought he was going to become what Jack Nicklaus became,but Paul didn't give it 100 percent back then." Bondeson parallels his early career with Daly. "I had a lot of personal problems with alcohol," Bondeson said. "I had a lot of physical gifts, but the alcohol derailed my potential." Rodriguez parallels Bondeson's second career with Nicklaus. "Paul didn't become the greatest golfer who ever lived, but he found himself and he became the greatest greenkeeper who ever lived," Rodriguez said. Bondeson says he turned his life around by becoming a born-again Christian. He has been sober for 18 years. He left the tour to learn the turf business, and he eventually became superintendent at the Fort Lauderdale Country Club and LaGorce Country Club and Turnberry Isle in Miami- Dade. He was the project manager for the construction of Huizenga's Floridian course near Stuart. Persons interested in adding to the Bondeson fundraising effort can call Larry Fenster at 561- 371-9826. Windows Live Hotmail Print Message Page 1 of 1 Windows Live _ _.. __.. ..._.._.. _......_ . ._...__.__ ..._.._ . ... ,_. Re: Application to name driving range. From: Chris Swope (cswope@ci.lansing.mi.us) Sent: Fri 11/09/07 11:15 AM To: William Hubbell (william—hubbell@hotmall.com) William, We do have forms in our office. Since this came in as a communication to Council and not as a request for renaming as required in the ordinance, I did not consider it to be a formal request. The MRB may wish to inform the individual of the required process. Chris Chris Swope Lansing City Clerk 124 W. Michigan Ave, 9th Floor Lansing, MI 48933-1695 Phone: (517) 483-4131 Voice Mail: (517) 483-4130 Fax: (517) 377-0068 TDD: (517) 483-4479 Email: cswope@ci.lansing.mi.us >>> William Hubbell <william—hubbell@hotmail.com> 11/9/2007 9:22 AM >>> I recieved the request from council to name a driving range. What I didn't see in the packet is the official application. Ordinance 1034 state that they should obtain the application from the City Clerk's office yet usually - you seem to be out of them. If I stop by there next Wednesday will you have the applications in stock? If not how is ordinance 1034 to be applied? This will be my last meeting with the MRB. The mayor is going to get my resignation soon after Thanksgiving. I am tired of the City treating this board like beggars. No reappointments, no staff person, having to sign up for meeting space, not even keeping applications in stock. Boo! Scare away worms, viruses and so much more! Try Windows Live OneCare! Try now! http://by 117w.bay117.mail.live.corn/mail/PrintShell.aspx?type=1nessage&cpids=6dOe9a31-8a74-47a7-9... 11/14/2007 ,,,.nN21 '' City of Lansing November 12, 2007 Memorial Review Board William Hubbell,chairman Report to City Council Pursuant to ordinance 1034 the Memorial Review Board again considered the application By Richard E. Leeper which you referred to the MRB on 06-25-07 Enclosed find some testimonials for Johnny Leeper. One of which attests that he was the star shortstop for Art Kramer's sponsored State Championship Fastpitch Softball Team. Richard Leeper informed us that Johnny went into softball because a hand injury that he suffered as a soldier in WWII kept him out of Major League Baseball. That during the thirties he had been a minor league player in the Chicago Cubs system. This issue and whether to name a ball diamond at Westside Park in his honor was Discussed at the July Meeting and would have been voted on in either the the August Meeting or September Meeting neither of which had a quorum. I am therefore submitting this report without a recommendation. William Hubbell Chairman Memorial Review Board. y�N S IBC L A N S I N G IT V O U N C I L • • . . i . . • • • • . • • • • O • • • • • • • • • .. • • • • • • . O • • • • • • • • . October 15, 2007 Mr.William Hubbell 3916 Wedgewood Drive Lansing,MI 48911 Dear Mr.Hubbell: The Committee on General Services was referred the request for a memorial to honor Johnny Leeper bynaming a ball diamond at Westside Park"Leeper's Field". The Committee met regarding this matter on October 8,2007.Mr.Richard E.Leeper was in attendance and urged the Committee's support. Unfortunately,the representative from the Attorney's office informed the Committee that proper procedure,pursuant to the Lansing City Code of Ordinances,Chapter 1034,was not followed;thus,this matter was not officially before the Committee.Therefore,no action was taken. The Committee,however,did receive a copy of the minutes of the Parks Board.The Board minutes detailed a motion made at a meeting denying the request of naming a ball diamond at Westside Park"Leeper's Field". I have enclosed a copy of the Ordinance for your convenience and a copy of the Memorial Review Board report,which was referred to the Committee.The Committee,respectfully,requests that this matter be taken back before the Memorial Review Board for the Board to complete the procedure outlined in the Code of Ordinances. Please contact Mr.Leeper when this matter will be addressed at the Memorial Review Board.If you have any questions regarding this matter,please feel free to contact me at 483-4179. Sincerely, --Yerese Horn ° ° ® ° O ° ° ° ' ' ' Legislative Office Manager Tenth Floor City Hall Committee on General Services 124 W. Michigan Ave. cc:Mr.Richud Leeper Enclosures Lansing,MI 48933 517.483.4177 FAX 517.483.7630 Yt(T<,-C1(-G1:Jl:JO 1-1• •FO Lh11YJ!IYU �,1 I T I.LCKY� -._-.___-_-__-___ . IE, t /` 1:•1 f.5 "(NIIJGtf t'.'1J1�17 f w ' ....A;PPUCATICN FOR NAMING AND RENAMING MEMORIALS .lid THE RECEIVED �- cirr cj tkNSING. MiCHiGAN From the 06-25-07 Council Meeting Packet 207 JUN IS PH 3: 12 REFERRED TO THE -MEMORIAL REVIEW BOARD " ' Applicant's dame; ;G, p�•% - .-f'��' �• Date• Applicant's Address; C? a 1� 4• .�.._a k of A .. State'.- zip• E Gity:��..ij � Home Phone Number, '( �.° )., _; ,�" ! Work Phone Number. ( - - SusitCT OR•SI7E-dF'THE(RE)NAMING: y Whatis it?. r,i e I �_�J Where is it? �.�dJ� �� ��� -lop Is there a current name? Yes O'No Whet is the curr®nt name? W Proposed flame: '�• �'� I s ►.�1 W ��i c✓ l�Q�J Ole What Is the vision tot the proposed memoriil? O ,dd /�C1 �.y6yme'1 tf' J B�✓)A4 2e A it p ✓►M i✓t a lA P�f 10.tl �` -cxfach a avparate:sheet.N neca avyj F n, , , 7d,, im Please provide two alternative mettioriata that vrould be accaptawe to you; 0 Projocted costs, Now do .you propose the change be tundad7 r f i✓a ��- °�d ?`► r ��� t �� 7 C� F+M< •'•.�. Yh ���.' .�' S How will this impact residents? { .ram 4 .1M 11 - How will this impact businesses? !k?its 91► 1� ��. �f/ C� ! �' "t " ; �( When you are done with this form please return it ta: Chris Swope, City Clerk -j 9'h Floor City Fall 124 W. Michigan Ave Lansing Mi 48933 PnoPPS9p NAME We the undersigned do-hereby request and support the naming(or renaming)of to t Name Address Phone Date Number Atak �x �► �ivn "A sY i a� �0� a I l w( 00 If you or your group have additional comments feel free to attach them For Office Use Only Date received By clerk: Date Referred To Board Date sent to council: V PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT 124 W. Michigan Avenue, 8t" Floor S r Lansing, Michigan 48933 (517) 483-4277 (517) 483-4473 (TDD) s =" (517) 483-6062 (FAX) Virg Bernero,Mayor Murdock Jemerson,Director August 21,2007 Mr. William Hubbell 3916 Wedgewood Dr. Lansing, MI 48911 Dear Mr. Hubbell: Enclosed'please find copies of letters received by the Lansing Parks Department supporting the re-naming a baseball field at Westside Park in honor of Johnny Leeper. Mr. Richard Leeper requested we forward copies of these letters to you for the Memorial Review Board. If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, 4Ke Brown Enclosure ' ) "Equal Opportunity Employer" In To : Lansing r I ty Counc: l C/O Murdock Jemerson erom: Rick Yager Nancy Yager Earl Stevens We have seen the old Arts Bar collection of sports tr.oph.ies .. .Among which which were State F'astpitch 'sbftbalI trophl*.s�,°'and State Journal articles with old Art and Johnny keeper beside each other. But we cleared out almost everything when we gained ownership. Which We soon realized was a mistake. To have .a local field named after Johnny. Is a kind tribute ,to. & Lansing citizen and atha.lete. Who-brought a little tgl•o°ry, to 'his' Hometown. The "LEEPERS FIELD" request . Has our /My support. Sincerely; I V/-I 4 To: Lansing City Council C/0 . Murdock Jemerson From: Rick Yager Nancy Yager Earl Stevens We have seen the old Arts Bar collection of sports trophies . Among which which were State Fastpitch softball trophies, -and State Journal articles with old Art and Johnny Leeper beside each other. But we cleared, o.uty alm,pst everything ,'Vhenn .we gained "64n`Prs'hip.- Whi"ch 'We ' soon realized was a mistake. To have a local, field named after. Johnny. ,:Is a kind tribute to•i a Lansing citizen and athelete. Who. brought. a.; .litt,Le gl..ory •t;o his. HomHto�in . The "LEEPERS FIELD" request. Has our /My support.I , ,Sincerely; Lai .. I Y -LANSING CATHOLIC ally To. L.art-3in•, City Council C/o Murd.cck Je merson From : Csyl r-� �O set We have seen the old Art's Bar collection of s �c r. .s trophies . Among w1 :.ch %hicL vece_ Sta.;-.e Fa ttri. Lch softbF,1- trophies , and State Journal artic:_es with old brt and -Jo`•:znny Leeper beside each other. ,f } it.• 4 But we cleared out almost everything when we gained ownership. Which We soon realized wac, a mist;a);e, a local field named after Johnny. Is a kind tribute to a Lansing C.it ze-.n and athelete, Who brought a little glory to his Hometown. The "LEEPERS F:7TD," our /My support: . i Sincerely; j . I C • C/n We have seen the old Ptrts B;jr, Jf sport o trophi.ps.. kmorcf which ,,which veze State FasLpitch sortba1l , tri�phiez— 'find State jouxnal articles with old Art and Johnny Leeper beside Pacll nth,pr. To have a local field named after' Johnny. Is a kind tribute to a Y.ans".ng, citizen and athalete. Who brought a little glory to his Home-town. The "LEEPERS FIELD" request. Has our /My support. April 11, 2007 Clerk of the City of Lansing, Michigan 9th Floor City Hall 124 W. Michigan Avenue Lansing MI 48933 Dear Clerk of the City of Lansing, Michigan, Subject:Memorial Review Board Enclosed are the Minutes to the March meeting of the MRB for you to file and all that other stuff. Also find a copy of our Administrative rules for this Board. These were passed in Nov. 2003 and you should already have a copy but someone suggested you could not find one. Please keep this permanently in our folder. Respectfully yours, William`Hubbell, Chairman of the"Memorial. Review Bd. City of Lansing,:M-I Administrative Rules of Operation Memorial Review Board The Memorial Review Board shall vote annually on a schedule of meting times. The meetings shall be held at these times unless cancelled for lack of agenda items or rescheduled by consensus. The Memorial Review Board shall annually elect a Chairperson and a Vice Chair or vote to retain current officers. At the Scheduled time of a meeting, the Chair shall act as presiding officer. If the chair is absent the Vice Chair shall act as presiding officer. If both are absent but a quorum is present, a presiding officer shall be decided upon by consensus. A quorum shall consist of three members or fifty percent of those appointed and duly q ft3'P P sworn in as members(whichever is greater). No meeting shall commence until a quorum is present. The presiding officer shall call the meeting to order and present the items on the agenda. When an agenda item is before the board the presiding officer shall recognize all speakers and when in the opinion of the chair sufficient discussion has taken place shall call for a motion to dispense with this item. Any board member may at this time request further discussion. When a matter is voted on, the vote of a majority of those members present shall be accepted as the decision of the board. /V av- Z-c7 D.3 During the meeting a staff person or someone designated by the presiding officer shall take minutes.These minutes shall be approved or amended at the next meeting and a copy made available to the City Clerk. Any application before the board shall be handled in a manner consistent with Ordinance 1034.09 of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Lansing.As stated in section G1 thereof"Failure of the applicant to timely provide the information shall not relieve the Memorial Review Board of it's obligation to make a report or recommendation to council within ninety days of it's receipt of the application." Upon completion of A specific agenda items any board member may bring other matters for discussion. When all matters have been discussed the presiding officer shall ask for a motion to adjourn.If a majority of those members present vote to do so the meeting is adjourned. Upon three consecutive unexcused absences it will be recommended to the Mayor that the Mayors office will ask for that member's resignation. G� 76v m) D 0-r4 4Her), e/ — c qef Z057L /Prior 1 ,Fer r1 c ro A/M 1 n r s ► v r)