By Kenneth Miller|Publisher
Wells Fargo Vice Chairman of Investment Banking Frederick O. Terrell
The sun came out on a picturesque fall morning as the 62 year old Maggie Hathaway Golf Course at Jesse Owens Park in Los Angeles hosted prominent elected officials, generous donors and community stakeholders for the ceremonial groundbreaking on November 7.
For decades, this nine hole, par three course had been obscure except for those in the community, nestled just north of Century Blvd. on Western Ave., this place symbolizes a woman in Maggie Hathaway whose chance bet with the great heavyweight champion Joe Louis led her to golf and on a crusade for equality that still lives long after her death in 2001.
Her love affair with a sport hosted throughout America and the world at prestigious white only country clubs that refused to admit Blacks, inspired Hathaway’s activism leading her to break down barriers to those old boys clubs and open the gates in an urban community where bullets soared more frequently than white balls off metal clubs.
She would have undoubtedly been very proud of the hard work and due diligence of Wells Fargo Vice Chairman of Investment Banking Frederick O. Terrell has poured into her namesake golf course which will receive a much deserved and desired $20 million renovation commencing in December and scheduled to reopen by the fall of 2025.
Terrell, who grew up just a block away from Maggie Hathaway Golf Course, had been residing with his family in New York, but will be returning to the Southland to a place he can call home again.
“As a young child I was raised not very far from here, 710 East 92nd Street, my dad was working as a janitor at Boys Market in Compton before we moved to La Puente, my wife Jonelle Procope who is the former CEO of the Apollo Theatre in Harlem is right here, I have two children Matt and Evan here, so the reason that Jonelle and I were living in New York is because we got tired of not seeing them as often, but now we are back home,” Terrell said, setting to tone for what turned out to be a monumental occasion.
The golf course was built in 1962 and originally named Jack Thompson Golf Course before the extraordinary Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite-Burke worked to have the name changed in honor of heroine and civic leader Maggie Hathaway.
Brathwaite-Burke, I am sure, is proud that current Los Angeles County 2nd District Supervisor Holly Mitchell accepted the off the cuff phone call from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass that led to the introduction between her and Terrell so that she would commit $7 million of County funds to the project.
Mitchell, a third generation Angelino, learned how to drive on the golf course, soon realized how impactful a public and private partnership would be for the community she serves and was eventually persuaded by Terrell.
“We began the conversation about how we were going to make this happen so we called in Parks and Recreation and I began to learn more than I knew about the history of the course, but I was disappointed to learn that after the county did the courageous thing by name the course for Ms.Hathaway, it hadn’t been kept up the way it should have in terms of it6sw maintenance and there hadn’t been an ongoing investment like there had been in other county assets,” explained Mitchell.
The Supervisor committed during her campaign for the office that she was going to leave the 2nd District better than she found it, and this project is in line with that goal.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell
Both Mitchell and Terrell praised Los Angeles County Director of the County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation and the Los Angeles County Regional Parks and Open Space Norma Edith García-Gonzalez for making the project possible.García-Gonzalez is the first women and first person of color in her role since its establishment in 1944.
“Fred has been the biggest cheerleader for this project and as Supervisor Mitchell said after this week we all need a little bit of joy and when I saw the youth playing on this golf course that’s the joy that I need to continue,” she stated.
No one at the event had as emotional attachment to the golf course and the late Hathaway as termed out 35th District State Senator Steve Bradford who pledged to continue advocating for resources from the state before he leaves office in December.
“It is truly an honor to be here,” said Bradford, containing his emotions. “This is the first golf course that I ever played at 12-years old with my mother and father right here at Maggie Hathaway which at the time was named after Thompson. I’m honored to be here but most important to see the tremendous community support for this recognition and revitalization of this golf course to uplift the legacy of Ms. Hathaway.
Relatives of Hathaway whom I worked with at the Los Angeles Sentinel decades ago were also in attendance and when it is completed will not just include a new state of the art greens but also a clubhouse that will serve as a learning center for the many youths who will be mentored here.
The revitalization of the golf course is critically important because it’s going to provide individuals to learn the game of golf like Bradford did as a young child and to recreate and to hone their skills but also allow them to learn the legacy of an amazing woman.
Bradford met Hathaway at the tender age of 12 but it wasn’t until decades later that he really understood the impact of Ms. Hathaway, not just on golf but on Hollywood and civil rights and the tremendous sacrifice she made both personally and professionally to advocate for people to have the ability to live the life of individuals to live the life that is lived today.
The project is a brilliant example of what is possible when the private sector and public sector work together.
One of those instrumentalists from the private sector is Josh Kroenke, heir to the Walmart family and an officer with the Kroenke Family Foundation, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment which also owns the Rams made the first donation for the project.
“With the Rams returning to L.A. it meant a lot of things to a lot of people but for us it was about how we can ingratiate ourselves back into the community as quickly as possible. That means a lot of development, a lot of the big projects that you see and hear about but also a lot of the things that ingratiate and continue in the community like the Maggie Hathaway project,” Kroenke told South Bay Black Journal.
Clippers owner Steve Balmer was also one of the donors, along with Wells Fargo who contributed $2 million.
Renowned golf course architect Gil Hanse will oversee the renovation on a pro bono basis, and the irrigation team at LACC will assist in the project.
The SCGA Junior Golf Foundation was also on hand and will be instrumental in managing programs that inspire kids by creating a fun, engaged community that develops character through mentorship and empowerment.
Kaycee Wilke, program director for 12 years with SCGA who oversees all the programs in Southern California which include Maggie Hathaway Golf Course.
“We run year round, create golf events and serve the community, and make sure that we are educating the community,” Wilke explained to South Black Journal.
Former U.S. Open president Dick Shortz and scores of others were also integral players in continuing the dream that began for a woman to came to Los Angeles to be be a singer and actress, but evolved into one of the most prominent figures in the history of the region.
ALL PHOTOS KENNETH MILLER/ SOUTH BAY BLACK JOURNAL
