[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4726-4727]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO WILLIAM A. SANTOR

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I stand before you today to pay tribute 
to a man who has been successful in serving his country, in his career, 
and in building longlasting relationships with family and friends, all 
because he has learned to incorporate his passion into all that he 
does: Mr. William ``Bill'' A. Santor of Lexington, KY.
  Bill Santor lives on the Griffin Gate golf course with his wife of 72 
years, Nettie. He tries to play golf at least twice a week, sometimes 
more. Mr. Santor turned 100 years old on Easter Sunday of this year. 
Despite his age, he is a competitor through and through; he recently 
accumulated an astonishing score of 42 strokes after playing 9 holes.
  Mr. Santor truly loves the sport of golf, so much, in fact, that he 
passed his knowledge of the game down to both of his children as they 
were growing up. Now they, too, have fit the game into their 
livelihoods in one way or another. His son, Tom, played golf in college 
at the University of Kentucky, while his daughter, Patty Driapsa, 
instructs professional golfers at the Club Pelican Bay in Naples, FL. 
Both children are not only amazed that their father is still able to 
play the game but are also awestruck by how good he is. Despite his 
age, after a long lifetime of practice, he still has exceptional skill.
  Bill was first exposed to the game when he began caddying in 
Youngstown, OH, at age 12. The pay he received was usually 25 cents for 
working an entire 18-hole game. He picked up a few spare clubs here and 
there and began playing himself at the age of 15. Bill quickly found 
that he was a natural-born golfer, and he began playing in and winning 
local tournaments.
  When World War II began Bill enlisted, but he never ceased to play 
golf. He was stationed at Fort Knox, close to the Lindsey Golf Course, 
where Bill would eventually play against Byron Nelson, winner of two 
Masters, a U.S. Open, and a PGA, in the Kentucky Open in 1943. Although 
Bill didn't win the tournament that year, just being able to 
participate is one of Bill's fondest memories to this day.
  Not long after the Open, Bill was deployed to Europe, but again he 
found himself in close proximity with the game he loved so dearly. Bill 
worked maintaining a golf course on the Czechoslovakia-Germany border. 
Military officers would come to the course when they were on leave to 
play, relax, and enjoy their time off. One of the visitors was Bob 
Hope, with whom Bill had the opportunity to play nine holes. All these 
years later, Bill will be the first to tell you he won that game.
  When Bill returned home after the war, golf was a big part of his 
family and work life. His wife Nettie remembers most of their family 
vacations were to golf destinations, where the whole family would play. 
Bill worked for a business equipment company for almost 50 years and he 
spent a lot of time with clients discussing business over a game of 
golf. But Bill's competitive nature would never allow him to let a 
client win.
  To this day Bill tries to fit a round of golf into his schedule every 
chance he gets, which is something he has done his whole entire life. 
Bill can drive a golf ball 175 yards, and he has a running count of 10 
holes-in-one to this day. Bill's children both agree that golf is what 
keeps their father going; it is something that he has built his life

[[Page 4727]]

around. Golf has opened many doors for Bill throughout his life, and 
for that he is grateful.
  It is my wish at this time that my colleagues in the Senate join me 
in celebrating the successful and still very active life of Mr. William 
``Bill'' A. Santor.
  Mr. President, there was recently an article published in the 
Lexington newspaper the Herald-Leader. The article featured the legacy 
of Mr. Bill Santor and the love and passion he has for his country, his 
State, his family, and the game of golf. I ask unanimous consent that 
said article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record as follows:

            [From the Lexington Herald-Leader, Apr. 1, 2012]

   At Almost 100, Bill Santor Looks Back on His Colorful Life in Golf

                            (By Mike Fields)

       To Mark Twain, golf was a good walk spoiled, but to Bill 
     Santor, who will mark his 100th birthday on Easter Sunday, 
     golf has been and still is a wonderful life lived.
       ``It's given me so much,'' Santor said. ``Great experiences 
     and great memories.''
       Like when he competed against Byron Nelson in the Kentucky 
     Open. Or when he played nine holes with Bob Hope during World 
     War II. Or when he teed it up in the same tournament as Babe 
     Ruth. Or when he made two holes-in-one in a two-week period 
     at age 87.
       In his prime, Santor was one of the best amateurs in Ohio. 
     He passed the golf gene on to his children. His son, Tom, 
     played at the University of Kentucky. His daughter, Patty, 
     played at Bowling Green State and is now a teaching pro in 
     Florida.
       Bill Santor still plays golf a couple times a week at 
     Griffin Gate, where he's lived since 1991 with his wife of 72 
     years, Nettie.
       His legs are failing him, and so is his eyesight, but 
     Santor is still capable of scoring well. Just last week, he 
     carded a 42 for nine holes.
       He has shot his age so many times that he laughs off the 
     accomplishment as if it were a tap-in putt.
       ``It's crazy,'' his son Tom said when asked about his dad's 
     knack for still hitting the sweet spot.
       ``He's a freak show.''
       Patty Driapsa, who works at the Club Pelican Bay in Naples, 
     Fla., said she finds it ``incredible'' how solid her father 
     still hits the ball. ``He has a little trouble maneuvering in 
     and out of the cart, but hey, at 100 years old, you'd expect 
     to have a few challenges.''
       Bill Santor's introduction to golf came when he began 
     caddying as a 12-year-old in Youngstown, Ohio. He earned 25 
     cents for 18 holes.
       He got a few hand-me-down clubs and started playing when he 
     was 15. A natural athlete, he quickly found his groove and 
     was winning area tournaments within a few years.
       He continued to caddy on occasion to earn entry-fee money 
     for tournaments. One of his best gigs was looping for Ben 
     Fairless, president of U.S. Steel.
       ``He'd give me $30 for expense money,'' Santor said. ``That 
     was like $300 then.''
       In 1935, Santor played in a tournament in Cleveland and the 
     field included Babe Ruth, the most famous athlete on the 
     planet at the time.
       When World War II began, Santor enlisted in the Army and 
     was stationed at Fort Knox. He was upset when he was told the 
     post's golf course was mostly restricted to officers. But 
     Santor's golf talent and gift of gab got him playing 
     privileges.
       He was second low amateur in the 1943 Kentucky Open, which 
     was held on Fort Knox's Lindsey Course. Byron Nelson, who had 
     already won four majors (two Masters, a U.S. Open, and a 
     PGA), won that Kentucky Open.
       When Santor was shipped overseas during the war, he still 
     played some golf.
       As a staff sergeant, he was part of a Third Army team that 
     won a military golf competition in Paris in 1945. The spoils 
     of victory included an engraved gold watch that he's worn for 
     65 years.
       Part of Santor's time in Europe was spent running the golf 
     course at a resort called Marienbad on the Czechoslovakia-
     Germany border. It was where troops on leave would go for 
     rest and relaxation. And it was where Bob Hope visited during 
     a USO trip.
       ``The manager came up to me one day and said, `Billy, 
     you've got to play with Bob Hope this afternoon.' I said, 
     `What?!' I went out and played nine holes with him, and I 
     beat him,'' Santor said.
       Before he returned home after the war, Santor got in a lot 
     of golf at Marienbad.
       ``I played every weekend with a captain, a colonel and a 
     general, and here I was a staff sergeant,'' he said.
       ``They gave me the colonel for a partner, and he couldn't 
     hit a bull in the ass with a handful of gravel. I'd have to 
     take out $6 every time we played.''
       Golf was also an integral part of Santor's civilian life.
       Patty remembers that family vacations were usually golf 
     destinations. Nettie also played in those days, so there was 
     a family foursome.
       Bill worked for a business equipment company for almost 50 
     years, and he did his share of schmoozing on the golf course. 
     Ever the competitor, however, he never lost to a client on 
     purpose.
       ``One guy asked me if I played customer golf. I said no, 
     and I threw a 68 at him,'' Santor said, laughing.
       While luck is a factor in getting a hole-in-one, there's 
     skill involved, too, especially when you've had 10, Santor's 
     running total. In 1999, he aced the par-3 fourth hole at 
     Griffin Gate on May 3, and aced it again on May 14.
       New technology in golf clubs and balls has helped Santor 
     stay in the swing of things after 85 years in the game. His 
     odd-looking interlocking grip his left thumb is tucked under 
     the club still allows for a smooth stroke that can send a 
     drive 175 yards.
       ``I can't swing too hard, but I can still hit it OK,'' 
     Santor says proudly.
       Patty Driapsa said golf ``is basically what keeps my dad 
     going. It's the world he lives in. It's been a game of a 
     lifetime for him, that's for sure.''
       Tom Santor, who lives in Columbus, Ohio, said golf has been 
     ``one of the cornerstones'' of his father's life ``his family 
     life, his business life, his social life. When he's on a golf 
     course, wherever that might be, he feels like he's home.
       ``I think that's where he's most at peace.''
       And still fairly close to par.

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