The King died on September 25, 2016 in Pittsburgh Pa. Arnold Palmer is one of the three people in my life that I have viewed as my heroes. I wouldn’t even try to rank the three from one to three. All three of my heroes have died, so I will mention them in the order of their death.
Heroes
I was raised in Greensburg Pa. It is a small town located 30 miles outside of Pittsburgh. The first hero that died was Roberto Clemente. I was a huge baseball fan growing up. I lived to watch and listen to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Roberto Clemente first played for the Pirates when I was 4 years old. He was an exceptional player that had every skill. Most of all, I enjoyed watching him throw a baseball from right field. Roberto Clemente died while trying to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua in 1972. I can remember the exact spot where I was when I received news of his death. Roberto was a great player and a great man. At first he was very misunderstood. He refused to eat on the bus while the white players ate at the restaurants in Ft. Myers Fl. during spring training. He was viewed as aloof. Now he is viewed in the best possible terms.
My second hero was Nelson Mandela. I visited the jailhouse in Capetown South Africa where he was held for 19 years. The prison on Robbin Island had a quarry where the prisoner worked. During their breaks, they met in a small cave to plan the new government. Part of their plan was not to plan retribution against the Apartheid government and its officials. Can you imagine the level of integrity that this required?
Today I watched the funeral of Arnold Palmer. The funeral was held in the Basilica of St. Vincent College in Latrobe Pa. I am a graduate of the college. The last time that I was in the Basilica was for my wedding in 1976. Arnold Palmer was a highly visible resident of Latrobe. In spite of his fame and fortune, he returned to Latrobe each summer to the same humble home. I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Palmer on several occasions. I even got to play one hole at Latrobe Country Club on a day that Mr. Palmer was present.
Why Was He My Hero?
Mr. Palmer was my hero for one reason. The man truly loved people as much as they loved him. He took the time to talk to people and look them in the eye. His smile was infectious and just made you feel like you were one of his best friends. Mr. Palmer was a great golfer. His number of tournament wins and majors was surpassed by only a few players. The most obvious item of mention after his death was that people rarely discussed his golfing success as a player, architect and the founder of The Golf Channel. They talked about the man and how he impacted people. Everyone has an Arnold Palmer story if they only met him for a few minutes. We should all note the level of his personal success after his career ended. We all need to think and reflect on his accomplishments and hope that we can achieve a fraction of what he achieved when our careers end.
My most cherished possession was an autographed picture of Arnold Palmer. In packing for a move in the last few weeks, the picture was discarded. Days later, Mr. Palmer died. The picture was a memento. Arnold Palmer gave me a model to live my life. I often feel humbled by how he lived his life. We can never be Mr. Palmer, but we can sure try to be just a little like my hero, the King, Arnold Palmer.
