Lewis Howell, ASGA General Membership Director, will not be able to play in the 2-Day due to a foot problem, but has volunteered to help score the event with Bill Burke, ASGA Handicap Chair. He also will be distributing the hot off the press tickets to the Annual Picnic for the board members to sell as well as offering you a chance to buy yours at $12 each. See him when you turn in your score cards. He and the board members also may catch up to you on the course. The Picnic is being managed this year by Lino Oballo, ASGA Vice President, and his committee.
The Annual Picnic, Match Play and Election are scheduled for October 26th at Jimmy Clay. See either Lewis or Bill to be among the the first to buy your Ticket to the meal and for a chance at many door prizes. You can also purchase your ticket from any ASGA Board Member from now until we run out or one week before the event. We will keep you posted. Some usually also sign up later for the golf event when announced, but some just come to eat. You will need a ticket to eat even if you play. So buy your tickets NOW!!
To all of you playing in the event tomorrow, play hard and have fun. Please remember to check back Wednesday to see your Thursday tee time and playing foursome. You will be playing with those closest to your position in the event. It will be like a PGA event on the final day. Good luck.
This News has been brought to you on behalf of the ASGA Board of Directors and The Austin Senior Golf League,
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO PAY TRIBUTE TO JERRY HORTON, ASGA MEMBER.
Travis McWhorter, President
The loss of a beloved visionary. Jerry Horton has passed away.
ASGA has over 200 members and I wished I knew them all better. Jerry Horton was one of our members that I knew, but only recently came to know better. Following is an email that began my learning curve. It was received by me June 23rd, 2021.
Travis,
My wife and I are the founders of Down Home Ranch, a 410 acre residential community for adults with intellectual disabilities located north of Elgin, Texas. Over the years we looked to create enterprise income, which today includes beef cattle, 12 commercial greenhouses growing poinsettias and other flowers, summer camps and other stuff. I retired from DHR five years ago but remain a strong supporter.
One of the staff there showed me the baseball caps they are embroidering and it reminded me that the ASGA doesn't (to my knowledge) have a cap for sale, but might be interested in having DHR create a few. Might y'all be interested?
Jerry
You can see that the email really encapsulated what he and his wife Judy have done. I agreed a little later to take a look at his operation as to hat making and went to Elgin and toured the Down Home Ranch. It was amazing. The hat making was a small part of a fantastic program for giving opportunity to great folks with intellectual disabilities. I met the people Jerry had brought on board to keep the ranch going forever and most importantly I met the "Ranchers" that called Down Home Ranch their home. We never got the hat program started, but I came home with the one and only ASGA hat ever made by the "Ranchers" and will have it on Tuesday at the event. If you see it and you like it I will take your name and we will see if it is possible to put an order together for some hats in the future.
William Boyd is an ASGA member that played often with Jerry. William forwarded the letter that Judy placed on Facebook below. Now for the record, Jerry played often. He was scheduled to tee off in the 2-DAY at 9:50 AM Tuesday. I would encourage you to think of Jerry at approximately that time and pay a tribute to a great person that liked his golfing friends and really loved his family and the "Ranchers." Did he like golf? Let me count the ways. The 2-Day event would have been his 43rd event played since this event year started last October. The letter below was to the donors, but it expresses a heartfelt story from Judy, his beloved wife. Please join me and all ASGA in expressing our warmest condolences in celebrating such a great man and the mark he left on this earth of ours.
On behalf of ASGA,
Travis McWhorter
President
 |
| Jerry |
I don’t know many of you whose Ranchers arrived after our tenure ended, but please know how grateful Jerry and I were to know you entrusted your precious family member to our dream.
To those who have been with us since the beginning, when we first opened Ranch Camp in the summer of 1995 with 13 Campers, tents and cots, and little else visible from which to create a Camp experience, I’m tempted to ask: “What were you THINKING!?” But you trusted us, and our amazing friends and supporters came together and gave our Campers a magical week.
When Kelly was born, after we’d gotten over the shock and fallen completely in love with our funny, fat baby, I felt moved to write a song about her titled, “No Less a Miracle". I brought forth that miracle in nine months, and then Jerry went on to create his: Down Home Ranch, which grew from that little mobile home we first lived in, to everything you see today and much you don’t.
From the day we decided to go for it, I told him, “OK, just promise me you’re not going to run out and sign a contract for a million-dollar hunk of land.” He didn’t. Only a $300,000 hunk... with $5,000 total in Ranch account.
His vision lay always over the horizon, while the rest of us scrambled frantically to bring about the most recent one. The Ranch was his tribute to Kelly and his gift to all.
We will keep you posted on plans for celebrating Jerry’s amazing life and legacy. I invite you to share your memories and/or thoughts via email to craig@downhomeranch.org.
Sincerely,
Judy Horton
