Professional Gold legend Arnold Palmer (1929-2016) died September 25, 2016, at age 87
What is not generally known is that just over 50 years earlier (September 8, 1966), he and Jack Nicklaus (another Golf legend) played an exhibition round of golf at the Wilmington Country Club (WCC) South Course in Wilmington, Delaware, on behalf of Radio Free Europe (RFE). The exhibition had been arranged by the Delaware Committee of the Radio Free Europe Fund (RFEF) as part of its fund-raising drive in 1966.
There was a press conference on June 1, 1966, to announce the golf exhibition. Participating in the press conference were
· Crawford H. Greenwalt, board chairman Du Pont Company and 1966 RFEF National Chairman
· Robert A. Short, State Insurance Commissioner, Delaware RFEF co-chairman
· Thomas B. Evans, Jr. a Wilmington insurance executive, Delaware RFEF co-chairman.
Greenwalt said, “The radio network broadcasts to the five countries of Eastern Europe and is a private, non-profit organization. RFE is believed by and has great influence with the people of Eastern Europe because it is not associated with any government.”
Before the match, there was a $100-a-plate luncheon. At 1:30 PM, Palmer and Nicklaus gave a 30-minute golf "clinic" to the assembled guests. 1,500 spectators purchased a ticket for $10 for the 2PM match.
Delaware RFE co-chairmen Evans and Short sent an invitation to C. Rodney Smith, Vice President of Free Europe Inc., in which they wrote, “We are having a luncheon for a limited number of people prior to the golf game, which will be attended by Palmer and Nicklaus, along with some other interesting personalities. We would like you to be our guest for lunch and, or course, the exhibition itself.”Smith agreed and attended both the luncheon and exhibiton.
The match was held on the WCC South Course, with Palmer teamed with Delaware State Amateur Champion Roy Marquette. Jack Nicklaus was team up with another famed amateur golfer William (Bill) Hyndman III, from Philadelphia, who had participated in 15 National Amateur Golf Championships. Nicklaus shot a course-tying record of 69; Palmer shot 71; Marquette shot 73; and Hyndman shot 75. The Morning News newspaper edition of September 9, 1966, carried a photo in the "sports" section that showed the 1,500 spectators crowding around the first green.
RFE Vice President C. Rodney Smith wrote a thank you letter to Arnold Palmer, which in part read: “Please accept my sincere thanks and appreciation for so generously giving a full day of your time to the RFE cause, right in the midst of your currently pressing schedule. All of us present enjoyed your friendly personality, which added all the more to your superb way with those gold sticks. Your exhibition practice shots as well as your match play were an impressive demonstration of control, form, accuracy and distance.”
C. Rodney Smith sent a letter to Jack Nicklaus, in which he wrote: I well know the pressing demands constantly being made on your time and good nature. Your willingness to give a full day to the RFE cause is thus all the more meaningful … [Y]our convincing words in support of the work Radio Free Europe is doing were greatly appreciated.”
After the match, C. Rodney Smith wrote a thank-you letter to the Delaware Committee Co-Chairmen, in which he said, “ The turnout for both the lunch and the golf exhibition and the newspaper and radio coverage were all amazingly good. It was a good illustration of how effective an imaginative idea can be when so well executed. The wider knowledge about Radio Free Europe, as well as the financial support, generated by the lunch and exhibition with their attendant publicity is very valuable to us. The interest in RFE and East Europe displayed by the newsmen was impressive….It was a genuine pleasure to meet both of you and your distinguished guests, and to get to see Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus in action. Their pre-match demonstration shots as well as their play on the course were something to watch. Those two have personalities to match their professional golfing abilities".
Delaware RFEF Committee Co-chairman Thomas B. Evans, in a letter to C. Rodney Smith, wrote, “ Your presence added a great deal to the occasion and the members of the press and radio were particularly impressed with what you had to say. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer both said it was as an enjoyable an exhibition as they had ever played in.”
Reportedly, the exhibition match raised $8,200 to help support Radio Free Europe. The 1965 Delaware fund raising campaign resulted in $3,500 in private contributions for RFE. Coincidentally, Nicklaus and Palmer each received $3,500 for their participation in the match.
