PRINTER'S NO. 4049
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
1084
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY PETRARCA AND GILLEN, OCTOBER 18, 2016
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
OCTOBER 18, 2016
A RESOLUTION
Honoring the life and legacy of legendary golfer Arnold Palmer
and expressing condolences on his passing.
WHEREAS, Arnold Palmer was born September 10, 1929, in
Latrobe, Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Palmer first learned to golf from his father,
Deacon Palmer; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Palmer received a golf scholarship to attend
Wake Forest University, though he enlisted in the Coast Guard
before graduating from the university; and
WHEREAS, After serving in the Coast Guard for three years,
Mr. Palmer participated in and won the 1954 United States
Amateur tournament, which led to him competing in the 1955
United States Professional Tour; and
WHEREAS, In 1958, Mr. Palmer won the Masters Tournament and
began to bring attention to the sport and also developed a golf
rivalry with his friends Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player; and
WHEREAS, Between 1958 and 1964, Mr. Palmer won seven major
championships, attracted many new fans, gave status to some
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lesser-known courses and became a household name; and
WHEREAS, During his career from 1946 to 2005, Mr. Palmer
attained a total of 26 wins as an amateur golfer and 95 wins as
a professional golfer; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Palmer was awarded the Presidential Medal of
Freedom in 2004 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Palmer was a member of the Freemasons since 1958
and held the position of Master Mason at Loyalhanna Lodge No.
275 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, In 1971, Mr. Palmer bought the Latrobe Country Club,
where his father worked and Mr. Palmer first learned the sport;
and
WHEREAS, Though Mr. Palmer is best known for his golf game,
he was an avid pilot and spent nearly 55 years learning and
perfecting his skills and logging nearly 20,000 hours in the
cockpit; and
WHEREAS, The airport he spent much of his time flying to and
from was named the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in 1999; and
WHEREAS, After his retirement from golf, Mr. Palmer
frequently split his time between Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and La
Quinta, California; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Palmer had diverse, golf-based business
interests and was involved in a wide variety of other ventures,
from establishing the first golf course in China to marketing
his signature drink, a mix of equal parts lemonade and tea, to
launching the Golf Channel; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Palmer was married to Winnie Palmer for 45 years
until her death in 1999, and he remarried in 2005 to Kathleen
Gawthrop; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Palmer died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on
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September 25, 2016, at 87 years of age; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Palmer is survived by his wife, two daughters,
Peggy Wears and Amy Saunders, two sisters, Lois Jean Tilley and
Sandra Sarni, and a brother, Jerry, as well as six grandchildren
and several great-grandchildren; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives honor the life
and legacy of legendary golfer Arnold Palmer and express
condolences on his passing; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
his family.
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