Newspaper Page Text
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Hammers,
Explosions
The Hammers and Explosions met in
Perry Junior League action Monday at
Ochlahatchee Park.
CLOCKWISE: Players watch from the side
line, have snacks following the game, and
one player takes advantage of a timeout to
take a break.
submitted. Marcus Zellner
%g
Seymour still swinging at age 86
By GREGG PATTON
The Press-Enterprise
SAN BERNADINO, Calif.
- Charlie Seymour uses the
head of the 9-iron to pull the
golf ball up on the hitting
mat.
He takes his stance, bounc
es lightly at the knees, draws
the club back and swings it
down, knocking the ball on a
nice, straight 80-yard arc.
His swing is still impos
sibly fluid - as smooth as an
18-year-old Scotch, even if
it’s four times as old.
Not bad for an 86-year
old guy. Frankly, not bad for
anyone.
Seymour’s makeshift hit
ting area isn’t anywhere
near a golf course, except
for the one he envisions in
his mind.
It’s on a chunk of undevel
oped land in a low-income
neighborhood on the west
side of San Bernardino, adja
cent to the Whitney Young
Medical Clinic.
Seymour has sweet-talked
these otherwise forgotten
13.5 acres away from vari
ous owners, cajoled others
into partially clearing the
property, leaned on others
to donate mountains of golf
equipment, and has a mas
ter plan on paper for a three
green, nine-tee course that
is supposed to, some day, be
the 9th Street Youth Golf
Academy.
All he needs now is about
$1 million and he’s home
free. No joke.
The academy is supposed
to serve the same purpose
as Seymour’s first two shin
ing legacies that aided San
Bernardino’s underprivi
leged kids, Adopt-A-Bike and
Adopt-A-Computer: Offer an
attractive incentive to young
people and, while you have
their attention, make them
read and write, and learn
some manners.
“I’m not looking for a
TOP QUALITY TOPSOIL
Also: Fill Dirt and Sand, Foundation Work,
Light Backltoe Work, Lot Preparation,
Reasonable Prices. _
Call Bobby Evridge
\ t Byron, GA
lyL GREW ACHES FARM
* -- ' • %
’• , ' s\ ,X /, X X Jx ' X
r- 1 • \
igjji
llfjLv* ’* / ’Hfc
WBk' * ? ®' v *
jib *' ; *|SEP-
' ' K * s '* 4 ; % v • . {' 4 ••■»•/» r* ' —! -w. t '.*■*.■ - * -J
SHNS
Charlie Seymour, 86, of San Bernardino, Calif., who is a big advocate of kids in the city,
is in the process of starting a youth golf academy.
Tiger Woods,” says Seymour,
whose “office” these days
is in a railroad container
unit, plopped down where
he hopes a driving range will
sprout, just as soon as that
million shows up.
“I’m still thinking about
the kids in this neighbor
hood, and teaching them the
things they’ll need to suc
ceed.”
Seymour has often said
he learned everything he
needed to learn about life
on a golf course - from its
culture of honor and integ
rity, to its demand for self
reliance, self-control and
disciplined practice.
Growing up black in
Detroit, in segregated
America, his opportunities
to play were limited, but he
made the best of them.
He met and caddied for
heavyweight champion Joe
Louis. The first Masters
champion, Horton Smith,
visited the club where he
worked and taught him how
painting stripes on a ball
would help him keep the
ball straight when he prac
ticed putting.
When he moved to Los
Angeles as a young man, he
worked odd jobs and supple
mented his income by play
ing golf matches for money.
He’s proud of his game,
and he doesn’t mind that
you know he’s good. He’ll
tell you the story about try
ing to join a church when
he first came to LA, and
that one of the elders inter
viewing him was concerned
about his golf course gam
bling.
He’ll tell you with a cackle
what he told her: When he
played golf, he always won,
so it wasn’t gambling.
He ended up in San
Bernardino, running a print
ing business. In his retire
ment years, he became one
of the city’s most celebrated
youth advocates.
He once went to a commu
nity event where there was a
bike-giveaway.
Instead of focusing on the
happy winner, he noticed the
disappointment on the faces
Donate your car to Goodwill .
Call 1-866-let-lt-Bo! *\
mm.goodwillmrks.org
85^
SPORTS
of the kids who left empty
handed.
Adopt-A-Bike was born.
He followed that operation
with Adopt-A-Computer.
Same premise, same deal,
different team of volunteers,
repairing used and donated
computers.
Over the years, he has
been honored for his service
to kids, from local awards in
San Bernardino to national
recognition in New York City.
Unlike most octogenarians,
though, Seymour refuses to
slow down. Seven years ago,
he decided to indulge his
two passions - child advo
cacy and golf - in one final
project.
“He wants to lure those
kids into a green paradise,
then teach them what he
knows,” says Tom Self, the
general manager at San
Bernardino Golf Course,
who has provided Seymour
with a course design, as well
as consulting support over
the years. “He’s a communi
ty treasure, no doubt about
it.”
Kayla at bat
‘ x >'_ r v.
i WB;' " Jt *' IL-- <y* •
submitted
The Red Sox' Kayla Felder steps up to the plate during
her team's youth league co-ed game against the Giants
Monday at Rozar Park in Perry.
CAMPBELL
From page 1B
the second round, getting
injured or falling short of
expectations in the pre
season, and being cut from
the roster.
Actually, I guess I can. I
think it’s starting to become
known as the “Leßron
Complex.”
One physically mature
player with unreal raw bas
ketball abilities quickly rises
to stardom after being picked
right out of high school. Now
the trend of skipping college
is picking up speed faster
than a runaway locomotive.
The problem I have with
Williams’ skipping college,
besides meaning that UGA
probably won’t win 25 per
cent of its SEC games next
year, is that he’s risking so
much by doing it.
When Leßron declared
for the draft, when Dwight
Howard (last year’s No. 1
pick, out of Southwest
Atlanta Christian) declared,
and when Kwame Brown
declared, they were all pos
sible No. 1 picks with an
almost sure guarantee to go
in the top three picks.
Williams has no such guar
antee.
He is undersized for a pro,
and many teams will skip
over him to get the more
developed college players or
the bigger high school play
ers.
All he would have to do
is go to college for one year.
Look what college did for
Gramps ‘n’ Grannies
“Adult Assisted living Since 1982”
• 24 hour staffing
• Medication / Health Monitoring
• Three nutritious meals and snacks served daily
• Laundry / Housekeeping
• Assistance with activities of daily living
• Social Interaction
• Local transportation
• Short term / Respite care
• Flexible Daycare Plan
MEDICAID APPROVED
3 LOCATIONS
500 N. Houston Rd.
502 N. Houston Rd.
316 Woodlawn Ave.
THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2005 ♦
Now the trend of
skipping college is
picking up speed
faster than a
runaway
locomotive.
Carmelo Anthony.
After being projected as a
possible mid-first round pick,
he went to Syracuse, led the
Orangemen to a National
Title and was drafted third.
Since Williams hasn’t hired
an agent, he can still pull his
name out of the draft if he
feels that he has dropped too
far down the list.
UGA has some other prom
ising recruits, but none of
his stature. Williams’ team
mate and UGA signee Mike
Mercer may have to go to
prep school due to grades,
but there are still others who
will definitely help out the
Bulldog cause.
But no Louis Williams. No
basketball savior.
Just the eerie, lingering
feeling that “Well, it’s going
to be another one of those
years.”
Char-Broiled
Sizzling Steaks
IWAAII
ST.*
1-75 Exit 136 • 987-8877
(478) 329-8611
Fax (478) 329-1215
Email gmgr@cox.net
3B
.. .Jm -
Jim