[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 57 (Thursday, March 31, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E329-E330]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO RENEE POWELL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 31, 2022

  Mr. CLYBURN. Madam Speaker, as we continue our celebration of Women 
History Month, I rise today to pay tribute to a trailblazing woman, an 
extraordinary athlete, and a stalwart advocate. for equal rights.
  Renee Powell is being honored with the Charlie Bartlett Award by the 
Golf Writers Association on April 8, 2022, on the eve of the Masters 
golf tournament in August, Georgia. I echo their recognition of Renee 
for her lifelong contributions as a professional golfer and player on 
the national and world stage.
  Renee Powell started life with a golf club in her hand, if not 
literally, at least figuratively. She was born in Camden, Ohio in 1946, 
the same year her father William Powell returned from World War II and 
was confronted with discrimination on and off the golf course. He 
worked nights as a security guard and spent his days building a golf 
course on farmland in East Canton, Ohio. He opened Clearview Golf Club, 
which he dubbed ``America's Course'' in 1948, where people of all 
colors were welcomed to play. He owned and operated the golf course for 
the remainder of his life.

[[Page E330]]

  Renee began playing golf on her father's course at the age of three 
and competed for the first time as a 12-year-old. Renee went on to play 
in college at both Ohio University and Ohio State. In 1967, she made 
her professional debut on the Ladies Professional Golf Association 
(LGPA) tour in the U.S. Women's Open, becoming only the second African 
American woman to play on the LPGA tour. The first was South Carolina 
native, Althea Gibson, a tennis legend, who also played in the LPGA 
from 1963 to 1977.
  The two women faced death threats and were prohibited at times from 
staying in tour hotels or eating in local restaurants. They received 
the support of the LPGA, whose members decided they would not play in 
tournaments that discriminated against Black golfers. Renee went on to 
compete in more than 250 professional golf tournaments, finally 
retiring from the Tour in 1980.
  Following her retirement, Renee became a television commentator for 
ABC and CBS and travelled the world teaching the game ofgolf. In 1995, 
she returned home to Canton, Ohio, and assumed the role as head 
professional golfer at Clearview Golf Course, which she manages today 
with her brother,. Larry Powell. Under their leadership, and a little 
help from some congressional friends, the course was added to the 
National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
  That same year, the Powell family established the Clearview. Legacy 
Foundation for Education, Preservation, and Turf Grass Research. In 
2011, Renee launched Clearview H.O.P.E., which serves female veterans. 
The program provides free recreational and therapeutic activities for 
former servicemembers, many of whom suffer from post-traumatic stress 
disorder.
  Renee has received numerous honors including the Professional 
Golfers' Association's First Lady of Golf Award in 2003, and she was 
the first recipient of the Rolex ``For the Love of the Game'' Award in 
2007. She has been awarded honorary membership in the Royal and Ancient 
Golf Club in St. Andrews, Scotland, known as ``the home of golf.'' She 
has received an honorary doctorate from the University of St. Andrews 
and a dormitory on the campus is named in her honor. In 2019, Renee was 
elected the first at-large member of the PGA of America board of 
directors.
  Madam Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in celebrating 
Renee Powell's contributions to the game of golf and her courage to 
make the sport more accessible and affordable for all people. Her life 
serves as an example to many young minority golfers today to follow 
their dreams and fight to overcome any barriers they may encounter.

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