enough to be his administrative assistant and course marker, a job we frequently did together. Once while marking Karsten Creek( Oklahoma State’ s course), Clyde almost stepped on an enormous rattlesnake in a hazard. He had me finish marking that one!

My 25 years of working and traveling with Clyde showed me what a dedicated and determined volunteer can accomplish and how much that enriches one’ s own life. You go places you might never go, see great golf courses and great players. Most importantly, you make great and enduring friendships. Clyde made much of this possible for me. He will always be an inspiration.

MARK LAWRENCE JR. Member of the Virginia Tech golf team and reigning VSGA Amateur champion: I was fortunate to get to know Mr. Luther

over my junior golf career. I believe Mr. Luther helped me become a better player growing up with his strict policy on the way you act on the golf course. Mr. Luther was always so supportive of me throughout my junior golf and into my amateur career. It was such an honor to have him out at King Carter when I won my first VSGA Junior Match Play. I was thrilled to get my name on the trophy named after him.

I’ ll never forget over the summer at the VSGA Amateur I saw him during the second round of the stroke-play qualifying. I had just teed off on No. 5 and was not in the greatest of moods given I’ d gotten stuck in a bunker a couple holes before and made a 10.

I went to say hello and told him what happened. He replied with“ Ouch, that’ s all right. I believe in you.” I really think

that helped me calm down for the rest of the day, and it carried over for the rest of the week. I will miss seeing Mr. Luther at tournaments. He was a huge part of my junior golf career and someone I have always looked up to.

GIB PALMER Past VSGA president and 2018 recipient of the USGA’ s Joe Dey Award, an honor he shares with Luther: Sometime in the early 1990s I was introduced to Clyde Luther by my father when both were working as Rules officials at the U. S. Open. Clyde encouraged me to volunteer at Virginia State Golf Association tournaments, which I did. Later, he was the official in charge at the U. S. Junior Amateur qualifier at the Country Club of Virginia, and I volunteered to assist him at that event.

USGA( TOP LEFT); VIRGINIA GOLF HALL OF FAME( TOP RIGHT AND BOTTOM)