This September 23 marked my father Ed's 50th year of membership in the Houston Country Club. He has told me before of the way he found out the news that he received a phone message (probably written on a pink slip of paper) that Jim Baker, President of the club had called him. Ed knew that it was good news.
Fifty years is a long time, even for a club that dates to 1908. The club was originally on Wayside Drive in East Houston and then moved west to Potomac Drive in 1957. So when Ed became a member in 1969 it was probably still a relatively new location.
The club was and still is a haven of old Houston, so it must have been gratifying for a person from humble beginnings in Beaumont, Texas to fit in. During the 60s, both future President George H.W. Bush and his former Secretary of State Jim Baker (remember him?) were members. It certainly didn't hurt that my mother Kate was Old Houston and that Ed was a University of Texas golf team member in the 1950s under the legendary coach Harvey Penick.
Dad has amassed a good club resume in his time so far. He served on the Board of Directors 2 different times, and even as Vice President. I presume he presided over a meeting or 2 during his VP tenure. And for over 20 years he was the club historian and has done a lot to keep the 100 plus years of history from being forgotten. He was even the senior club champion when he was a young 55 year old.
I used to joke that not much ever changed there because members like Alcorn, Sr. would become Alcorn Jr, Alcorn III and so on. My sister Elizabeth is a member too and keeping the Turley tradition going.
Congrats to Edward W. Turley, Jr., Member number xxxx. He done a lot to give back to the Houston Country Club which was and still is a big part of our family story.
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