William J. Powell

 

Inducted in 2009

William J. Powell, who caddied as a boy at Edgewater Golf Course in Ohio, was a pioneering golf course designer and business owner.

A native of Canton, Ohio, William J. Powell fell in love with the game of a golf as a nine-year-old caddie at Edgewater Golf Course near his home in Canton. Banned from all-white public golf courses, Powell purchased a 78-acre dairy farm near Canton in 1946. Two years later, Powell became the first African-American to build, own and operate a golf course when he opened Clearview Golf Course. The integrated golf course was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. Powell died in 2009.

For his work making golf more inclusive, William J. Powell earned a place in the Caddie Hall of Fame, which recognizes individuals who support caddying.