BACK ON TOP
While some National Football League players sprint directly from the field to analyst positions with the broadcast networks, Solomon Wilcots took a different route to the top of his profession. After playing defensive back for six seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings, and Pittsburgh Steelers, he started at the bottom, the very bottom. "I wanted to learn broadcasting from the ground up, so I would be prepared for anything," explains Wilcots, a member of City Club on Bunker Hill in Los Angeles. "At the NBC affiliate in Cincinnati, I worked as an unpaid intern for 18 months. Then I was the weekend sports producer, then a sports reporter, and finally a weekend sports anchor. After doing all that, I felt like, ‘I’m ready now.’" He made the right call. A recipient of a Sports Emmy Award in 2000 as an NFL sideline reporter for ESPN, he has been with CBS Sports for four years, working as an NFL reporter and game analyst, as well as a correspondent for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. He also has employed his talents on the NFL Network for the last two football seasons. It’s a hectic schedule, but Wilcots wouldn’t want it any other way. "You work all those years doing so many things that you don’t want to let those talents go," he says. "What we do is an art form, and if you don’t do it, you lose it. I want to keep improving." — Steve Wilson

IN THE STARS
For Mary Ellen Weber, nothing compares to rendezvousing with another spacecraft at 25 times the speed of sound — unless it’s the life-changing panoramic view of Earth from space. A NASA astronaut for 10 years and a veteran of two space shuttle flights, which included work on the International Space Station, Weber is one of the youngest astronauts ever to experience the thrill of space flight. With hobbies that include instrument-rated flying, championship skydiving, and scuba diving, Weber, a member of Canyon Creek Country Club in Richardson, Texas, has never backed away from new challenges. Since logging more than 450 hours in space, she has turned her efforts toward more earthly pursuits, concentrating on motivational speaking presentations and serving as a passionate advocate for governmental support of biotechnology research. Currently, Weber is vice president of government affairs at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, and she backs the commercialization of space travel, along with space exploration. She says she believes space travel and voyaging between planets will one day be as common as aviation. And she is proud to have played a role in such a legacy. "We are the generation that kicked it all off," Weber says. "That is something that stays with me." — Helen Bond
Photography by Danny Hurley

COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION
To think, Jack Drake once considered himself a downtown guy. Drake has spent more than a decade transforming the north Houston community of Greenspoint from an economically struggling sector nicknamed "Gunspoint" for its crime-ridden reputation, to a vibrant, bustling business and residential community. Yet, when he was hired in 1990 to create the Greater Greenspoint Management District, Drake thought: "What am I doing out here in the sticks?" The Greenspoint Club member seized his task with gusto, working with a proactive business community, with names like ExxonMobil Corp., to create a hub for the energy industry, with more than 50,000 employees. Over the years, residential and commercial real estate was revitalized, dilapidated and underused property made way for a park and trail system, and the community focused on crime reduction. A $150 million planned redevelopment of Greenspoint Mall will round out the area as one of Houston’s major activity centers, Drake says. These days, he looks proudly from his 19th floor office window and likes what he sees below. "A community with its own interesting characteristics," Drake says. "There is truly a sense of community — possessiveness by the business community and a pride in the neighborhood by the residents." — Helen Bond
Photography by Pam Francis

GOOD NEIGHBORS
Early retirement turned out to be a little more active than James and Kathy Williams ever dreamed. "I have ‘retired’ twice now, and each time I’ve gotten busier than I was before," says James, who, along with wife Kathy, moved to Diamante in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, from Texas upon his latest retirement. The difference, notes the former oil executive, is that the two are busy doing what they want to do: helping others and the community. James now spends his time volunteering with AARP in its tax preparation program, delivering food to needy families during the holidays, and working on Habitat for Humanity projects. A trip to Mexico was particularly rewarding: "We helped build a house about every other day," James recalls. "They were one-room houses, but the families were so grateful." A former teacher, Kathy tutors local high schoolers, plays in a hand bell choir, and developed and directs a children’s hand bell choir. "For a while, we asked ourselves, ‘When did we have time to work?’" Kathy muses. The two are regulars on Diamante’s golf course, which they call a "huge factor" in their decision to move to the property. And then there are all the activities that the club offers. "We quickly learned to allocate our time," James says. "It’s wonderful to participate in a world where you create your own structure." — Mary Sue Lawrence
Photography by Nancy Nolan

STAY THE COURSE
Tennis is more than just exercise for the children and teenagers enrolled at the Academy of Tennis Training at Brookhaven Country Club near Dallas. "Our mission is to develop — and help parents develop — great skills for life, and tennis is the perfect vehicle for that," says David Anderson, academy head professional. Started in 1993, the academy offers an intense daily tennis regimen, up to six days a week, for kids ages 5 to 18. And it’s not just for Brookhaven members. The club provides about $65,000 in annual scholarship assistance to one-third of the participants (including non-members), covering coaching or travel costs. Scholarship recipient Michael Vutam was a recent success story for the program, when he captured the U.S. Tennis Association’s Boys National 12 and Under singles title — the first academy player to win a national title. "He’s a very accomplished violinist, as well as a great academician," Anderson says about Vutam. "He just needs to stay the course." The academy, which fills its ranks by word of mouth and employs up to 30 staff members during the summer, also intends to stay the course, with its emphasis on fundamentals, teamwork, and parental involvement. "Our goal now is not growth," Anderson says. "It’s quality and refinement." — Janet Mefferd

THE HEART OF BUSINESS
With corporate scandal and questionable ethics dominating the headlines in recent years, Susan Steinbrecher wants corporate America to get back to the heart of the matter. Her book, Heart-Centered Leadership: An Invitation to Lead From the Inside Out, advocates business executives to listen to their guts, or more specifically their hearts, and lead intuitively. Through her training and consulting firm, Steinbrecher and Associates, she has seen too many managers derail their careers because they lacked basic interpersonal skills — integrity, dignity, and respect — to build and motivate their business team. Heart-Centered Leadership, co-authored with Joel B. Bennett, Ph.D., uses a coaching style to outline seven principles and virtues. Do you want to lead from the heart? Steinbrecher, a member of La Cima Club in Irving, Texas, advises you: Know thyself. Examine yourself and take responsibility for your actions. Ask for feedback and regularly take time to self-reflect. Know the impact of your words and actions. Leaders often underestimate the impact they have on others. Everything we do and don’t say and do is observed by your team. Steinbrecher admits the warm and fuzzy title may seem at odds with the hard-core business world, but if you take care of your employees, she says, they will take care of the customers and your bottom line. "We need more compassion in business," she says. "Profitability is key, and you will get there, but it doesn’t have to be cutthroat." — Helen Bond
Photography by Lisa Means

SCENE OF THE CRIME
When Bill Fera heard about the mysterious death of a local medical student in December 1997, he empathized with the family. "My son was in medical school at the same time," recalls Fera, a member of Diamond Run Golf Club in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. "It was Christmastime, and I imagined how our family would feel." Retired from his job as head of security with H.J. Heinz Co., the former Allegheny County homicide detective had resolved to use his old skills in a volunteer capacity. He offered to work on the unsolved case pro bono, and the bereaved family accepted. "I treated it as if it were a fresh homicide. I recreated the crime scene, re-interviewed people, and developed significant new witnesses." His efforts turned the case, leading to indictments seven years after the crime was committed. Today, Fera remains close with the victim’s family, and continues to provide pro bono investigative services. "It’s difficult for me, but that pales in comparison to what these families go through," Fera says. "They’re in emotional pain that you can’t imagine." — Mary Sue Lawrence
Photography by Michael Price

HAWAIIAN VISION
When Gerald Kremkow designed and developed Honolulu’s now-famous Pioneer Plaza office tower in the early ’70s, the architect/developer envisioned something that no one else saw. "I knew the space on top should be used for a club," recalls Kremkow, who became the founder and chairman emeritus of the Plaza Club. "I knew that it was the perfect place to develop new ideas and bring the community together." Having just celebrated its 25th anniversary, the Plaza Club clearly was a good idea. But in 1979, naysayers predicted a lifespan of less than five years. Kremkow hurdled barriers to fulfill his vision, and created an environment where differences were blended, not emphasized. "We set out to have a balance of ethnicity, grade, gender, and government," he says. "We approached influential people [to join] and that became a magnet for appealing to the masses." With a current membership of about 1,200, Kremkow’s original vision has evolved to accommodate changing business and social climates. "Being a part of all this is one of the most extreme feelings of true pride I’ve known," he says. "It has become like a family. There’s a great deal of value and tradition here." — Paula Felps
Photography by Gary Hofheimer

CIRCLE OF EXCELLENCE
By maintaining its Gold status in the annual Circle of Excellence awards for three consecutive years, the Aspen Glen Club in Carbondale, Colorado, remains in the Chairman’s Circle for a second straight year. This year, a Bronze category was added to recognize more clubs based on their achievement of financial goals and member retention. In all, 50 clubs and resorts were acknowledged in the 2004 Circle of Excellence: 26 at the Gold level, 13 at Silver, and 11 at Bronze.

CHAIRMAN’S CIRLCE
Aspen Glen Club, Carbondale, Colorado

GOLD LEVEL
Boston College Club, Boston
Capital City Club, Columbia, South Carolina
City Club on Bunker Hill, Los Angeles
Coto de Caza Golf & Racquet Club, Coto de Caza, California
Countryside Country Club, Clearwater, Florida
DeBary Golf & Country Club, DeBary, Florida
East Lake Woodlands Country Club, Oldsmar, Florida
Hunter’s Green Country Club, Tampa, Florida
Indian Wells Country Club, Indian Wells, California
Le Club, Milwaukee
Marina Vallarta Club de Golf, Marina Vallarta, Mexico
Nashville City Club, Nashville
Pinehurst, Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina
Silicon Valley Capital Club, San Jose, California
Silver Lake Country Club, Silver Lake, Ohio
Stonebriar Country Club, Frisco, Texas
Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club, Tampa, Florida
Teal Bend Golf Club, Sacramento, California
Tower Club, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Tower Club Tysons Corner, Vienna, Virginia
Town Point Club, Norfolk, Virginia
University Club Atop Symphony Towers, San Diego
Vista Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Walnut Creek Country Club, Mansfield, Texas
WestLake Club, Houston

SILVER LEVEL
Barton Creek Resort & Spa, Austin, Texas
Buckhead Club, Atlanta
Centre Club, Tampa, Florida
The Club at Key Center, Cleveland
Haile Plantation Golf & Country Club, Gainesville, Florida
La Cima Club, Irving, Texas
Mission Hills Country Club, Rancho Mirage, California
Porter Valley Country Club, Northridge, California
Pyramid Club, Philadelphia
Spring Valley Lake Country Club, Victorville, California
Timarron Country Club, Southlake, Texas
Trophy Club Country Club, Trophy Club, Texas
University of Texas Club, Austin, Texas

BRONZE LEVEL
410 Club & Conference Center, Chicago
Bear Creek Golf Club, Dallas
Bear’s Best Atlanta, Atlanta
Canyon Crest Country Club, Riverside, California
Center Club, Costa Mesa, California
Columbia Tower Club, Seattle
Country Club of Hilton Head, South Carolina
Granite Bay Golf Club, Granite Bay, California
Metropolitan Club, Chicago
Shoreby Club, Bratenahl, Ohio
Tower Club, Dallas

MAN OF THE YEAR
Catfish Montgomery has given to others for decades, so it was only fitting that he was on the receiving end at a gala hosted by Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas. Montgomery, who has long been involved with groups such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Boy Scouts of America was honored as Man of the Year by the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Rotary Club for his philanthropic activities. A charter member of the Rotary Club, Montgomery has been a devoted fund-raiser for regional Shriners Hospitals, at one time visiting 60,000 third-graders to help the cause of burn awareness. He’s also been active raising funds through Rotary to help vaccinate children. “We help kids all around the world,” he says. “The kids are the name of the game.” Born as Carl but nicknamed “Catfish” by a high school coach, Montgomery decided to legally change his name when running for the Texas Legislature in the 1970s, “so they’d have to put it on the ballot.” His best investment, he insists, “was when I bought a lifetime membership at Brookhaven Country Club.” — Janet Mefferd
Photography by Lonnie Erickson/Erickson Photoworks

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
Curtis Beauchamp and David Grundies had no idea what to expect a little over a year ago when, at the request of the membership director of University Club Atop Symphony Towers in San Diego, they accepted the mission of organizing a club-within-a-club — in this case a military club. Beauchamp, a former Marine, and Grundies, a retired Navy aviator, wanted to raise awareness about the large number of members with military backgrounds within the University Club and recreate the atmosphere of fellowship they enjoyed in officer’s clubs years ago. With the All-Officers Club, they achieved their goals and then some. “It’s been better than I imagined as far as the outpouring of camaraderie,” says Grundies, who took to wearing his flight suit to the group’s monthly get-togethers in the University Club bar. “More and more people have come to check it out. They see a guy in a uniform, they see all the plaques up, and it brings back memories and they just start talking.” Based on the success of the club, the co-chairmen expect even better things this year. Activities have included military speakers at the monthly happy hours and base and ship tours. “We’re going strong and I don’t see it stopping anytime soon,” Beauchamp says. — Steve Wilson
Photography by Tim Mantoani

CANVAS MEMENTOS
Thomas Dunn doesn’t return with postcards or photographs when he travels. Instead, he comes home with original paintings chronicling his adventures. “[Painting is] in my blood,” explains Dunn, a member of the Piedmont Club in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, adding that both his grandfather and mother were artists. But Dunn was not always so free to explore his passion. Dunn, whose given name is Chih-Hsiung, grew up in China with a successful businessman father who believed “artists would starve” and who insisted that his eldest son study math and science. So Dunn’s artistic inclinations were put aside. After World War II, he came to the United States and earned a chemistry degree at Princeton, then found success in the export business. He was in his mid-40s when he finally returned to his first love, taking classes at the local arts center. Dunn retired about five years ago and today his art appears in numerous shows and his paintings illustrate an upcoming book about historic churches in North Carolina. “When I go on trips, I take my brushes and pads with me, and during the day I sketch things. Then at night I go to my hotel and add watercolor.” Those paintings become everything from note cards to full-size art show contenders. “I paint any time I feel inspired,” he says. “I enjoy the beauty of the world. I just hope to put some of it on paper.” — Paula Felps
Photography by Black Horse Studio

WAR STORIES
Mike Jackson was a 24-year-old combat pilot who was “cocky on the outside, clueless on the inside” when he landed in Vietnam in 1971. The next 366 days forever changed that. Jackson came home from Vietnam a year later and retired from the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant colonel in 1991, but he couldn’t keep his war stories to himself. “I tend to look at things on the more lighthearted side,” says Jackson, a member of the Dayton Racquet Club in Dayton, Ohio. “I’ve been shot, I’ve been blown up — but it all turns out OK. I wanted to tell people that in a positive way.” Jackson had considered writing a book about his adventures for years, but it wasn’t until he met Tara Dixon-Engel, an ex-journalist who was fascinated by his often-humorous tales, that he put his offbeat story on paper. Together, they wrote the book Naked in Da Nang. “Hollywood portrays Vietnam vets as spaced-out losers,” Jackson says. “[But] we were like any other soldiers from any other war. I wanted a book that showed that.” The result is a coming-of-age story set in Southeast Asia. Rather than focusing on the war or the politics surrounding it, the book recounts Jackson’s human experiences — including the title-inspired incident in which he found himself without water in the shower, and he slipped outside to rinse off during a typhoon, only to find himself locked out au naturel on the streets of Da Nang. — Paula Felps

HIGH ENERGY
Naz Keynejad has been likened to “the Energizer Bunny on Red Bull.” That could help explain why she was voted the 2003-2004 Planner of the Year by the Southern California Chapter of Meeting Planning Professionals. The honor, bestowed last year, came from some 800 ballots cast by her peers. “I wasn’t expecting this at all,” says Keynejad, a member of City Club on Bunker Hill in Los Angeles. Keynejad, who has been in the event planning industry for more than 15 years, is founder and president of Western Direct, a multipurpose event management and fund-raising company. She credits an unorthodox approach — and that endless supply of energy — with pushing her to the top. “We’re a full-service business. We do more than just events, we also have a direct-mail business and do graphic design,” she says. The ultimate compliment comes when competitors call her for assistance on events. “I started doing things differently because I just didn’t see other companies doing all the things I knew we could [offer],” Keynejad says. “I get excited by finding new ways to improve.” — Paula Felps
Photography by Thomas Alleman

WORLD TRAVELER
Creating memories is a way of life for John Iannini. As president and CEO of Incentive Travel Services, he travels the world in search of perfect getaway spots for corporations to bring their high-performing employees. “It’s motivating people to exceed expectations,” he says of the incentive travel business. “Many times, companies reward employees by giving them cash. The travel perk is that people wouldn’t necessarily spend money [on a trip].” A member of the Buckhead Club in Atlanta, Iannini got his start in the hotel business but found his calling after a client approached him about joining an incentive travel company. In 1990, he struck out on his own, and he’s been traveling ever since. Today, Iannini has seven full-time staffers in two offices and scouts destinations while planning trips around each company’s personality. A recent trip was a theater afternoon in New York City, where the group took a prop tour before the show. “We always do something outside the box that they couldn’t do on their own,” Iannini says. Last summer, he scouted Vietnam and Iceland. His best trip? An African safari, where the corporate group watched wildlife from balloons above the Serengeti Plain.
— Janet Mefferd

FAMILY UNIT
Lee Fisher embraced his longtime private sector role as an attorney and his public life as a representative in the Ohio legislature, Ohio attorney general, and gubernatorial candidate. Yet, it is his present post as president and CEO of the Center for Families and Children in Cleveland that he says is the most fulfilling — a place where he combines his expertise to make a difference in the lives of children and adults on a daily basis. “We pride ourselves on having the brain of business and a heart of a nonprofit,” says Fisher, a member of The Club at Key Center in Cleveland. Through multiple human services, the agency helps a father to find and keep a job in order to gain custody of his young daughter who lives with an unfit mother. It boosts the self-esteem and character of a child through RapArt, an art, dance, and alcohol prevention program. And it provides vital mental health services, child-care centers, and public policy support to strengthen families and the at-risk in the community. Fisher also has become an advocate for nonprofits, a sector in the business world that he believes is often misunderstood. “Nonprofits play a vital role in the nation’s economy and more important in the lives of families throughout this nation,” Fisher says. “Without them, the problems the political leaders are trying to solve today would be 10 times worse than they are.” — Helen Bond
Photography by Roger Mastroianni

ANSWER MAN
Kevin Brady is all about finding solutions. Early in his career with Satellite Logistics Group, an integrated logistics provider in Houston, he learned his draft beer-supplier clients didn’t have a formal process in place for keg retrieval. As a result, he developed the trademarked Kegspediter System, a software-based proprietary process that recently helped earn him the 2004 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the “Realizing Potential” category for the Texas Gulf Coast, Louisiana, and Mississippi region. The innovative system allows for real-time information on tracking kegs and has helped to revolutionize the beverage industry. “Our success stories, like the Kegspediter, are the result of trying to understand our customers’ needs,” says Brady, a member of Bay Oaks Country Club in Clear Lake, Texas. “We are very unique in the services we offer, because we offer full solutions.” Brady is now owner and president of the company, which puts innovation to work every day for its clients. As Brady explains: “We look at the broader picture and ask, ‘How can it be done better?’” — Janet Mefferd
Photography by Gittings

SOCIAL CIRCLES
Years ago, when Caryn Rachke was starting out as a secretary at a Palm Springs, California, resort hotel, she decided her next job had to be travel-related and social. Today, she’s the executive director of the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau outside Atlanta — a job that fits the bill on both accounts. “I like to get out and talk with people, see what makes them tick,” says Rachke, a member of Northwood Country Club in Lawrenceville, Georgia. As head of the bureau, she promotes tourism for Gwinnett County, a thriving area 30 minutes northeast of Atlanta. “We’ve got anything and everything that you can imagine,” she says. One of Rachke’s goals is to enhance the arts within the county to help attract tourists. To that end, she serves as chairperson of the Gwinnett Council for the Arts and plans to start an arts commission through the bureau. At Northwood Country Club, she also started a golf league for executive women for after-work golf rounds. Says Rachke: “I like doing things that are bigger than me.” — Janet Mefferd

GIANT FAN
If cut, Dennis Drinkwater would bleed blue, its shade being a combination of the royal blue of the NFL’s New York Giants and the navy blue of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox. Apropos of Drinkwater, blue symbolizes loyalty and seriousness — traits defining his zealous devotion to his two favorite sports teams. Just how seriously loyal is he? The name of his successful Massachusetts-based auto-glass repair company is Giant Glass. “I named it on May 4, 1978, in honor of the New York Giants,” proclaims Drinkwater, a member of Ipswich Country Club in Ipswich, Massachusetts. “They’ve been my team for forever and a day, and I don’t give up on my team no matter how bad they play.” Through thick and thin, he stands as the Giants’ unofficial No. 1 fan on the strength of a phenomenal streak from 1986 to 2001, during which he attended 250 consecutive Giants games. That’s every game, both home and away, for 15 years. “The Streak,” as he calls it, ended amid the tragic aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, and he hasn’t felt compelled to start a new one. In fact, he attended “only” half the Giants’ games last season because he was busy through October watching the Red Sox win the World Series. “So I’m a cross-dresser,” he jokes. “I’m a Boston Red Sox fan and a New York Giants fan.” — Steve Wilson

CYCLING FOR LIVES
Until last October, Kevin Leifer hadn’t logged much time on a bicycle; he made up for lost time in a hurry. After receiving a bike from his wife, and encouragement from a friend, Leifer signed up for the International Alyn Charity Bike Ride, a five-day, 300-mile ride benefiting the Alyn Pediatric Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Jerusalem. “It is such a good cause,” says Leifer, a member of the Athletic & Swim Club at Equitable Center in New York. “The hospital helps kids with congenital diseases or kids who have been victims of terrorism or accidents. Basically, it takes the kids that everyone else gave up on.” Leifer trained for the ride by taking spinning classes at the club. While the workouts strengthened his body, they couldn’t prepare him for the intense heat or the seven-hour days spent in the saddle. “I’ll train differently this year,” says Leifer, who was one of 135 riders. “It was grueling. I’d never done anything even close to that before.” With the help of sponsors, Leifer personally raised more than $15,000 for the hospital. He hopes to raise more this year. “Every movement is a tremendous struggle for those kids. For me to put myself in discomfort for five days is nothing compared to what they go through.” — Paula Felps

BALANCE OF JUSTICE
John Van de Kamp has heard every lawyer joke imaginable, but he’s hoping to show another side of them this year. The former attorney general of California was elected president of the State Bar of California in May 2004. He took office during the State Bar Convention in October and will serve as president until the September 2005 convention. A member of City Club on Bunker Hill in Los Angeles (where his wife, Andrea, is a founding member), Van de Kamp has practiced law since 1960 and has been a law partner with Dewey Ballantine, LLP since 1991. “One of the things I’m focusing on is providing a more balanced picture of lawyers,” says Van de Kamp, who has served on City Club’s Board of Governors for more than a decade. “Lawyers do more than practice law; they serve on community boards, they do charitable work, they give a lot back to the community.” Does that mean no more lawyer jokes? “Oh, no, lawyers are deserving of those jokes,” he says. “But there’s only a small percent who abuse their position. There are all kinds of lawyer stories that are real and human, and we want to tell those.” — Paula Felps
Photography by Thomas Alleman

GREEN THUMB
Charles Flink is doing what he can to keep America green. As founder and owner of Greenways Inc., a landscape architecture and environmental planning firm, Flink spends his days creating greenways, alternative transportation, open space, and parks in some of America’s most notable cities and destinations. “Our passion is finding the proper balance between conserving open space and natural resources, while our communities continue to grow at such a rapid pace,” says Flink, a member of Capital City Club in Raleigh, North Carolina. His company is keeping up: Greenways has designed trails and plans for more than 100 communities in 32 states and three countries. Current projects include: the East Coast Greenway, a 2,700-mile urban trail linking the major urban centers of the Eastern Seaboard; the North Delaware River Greenway in Philadelphia; and the Grand Canyon Greenway, which promises to be a model project that changes the way people visit national parks. “Our work is driven by people trying to protect the lands they live in, not just for themselves but for future generations,” Flink says. “It’s extremely gratifying to be involved in that.” — Mary Sue Lawrence
Photography by Steve Wilson/Triangle Business Journal

MAGIC MOMENTS

TENNIS
Courtney Henderson, a member of Canyon Creek Country Club in Richardson, Texas, has been named to the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame. During his career, the former head tennis pro at Canyon Creek ranked No. 1 in Texas 27 times and was nationally ranked for 17 years. He played college tennis at Stanford University for two years, and played on the All-Army team. In 1958, he played in the U.S. National Tournament in Forest Hills. … In other Canyon Creek tennis news, the club’s 18-and-under team, “The Raging Donkeys,” captured the national championship at the U.S. Tennis Association’s USA Team Tennis National Championships. The team members are Clayton Phillips (captain), Andy Mizell, A.J. Nouri, Bernard Lancaster, Petamare Lancaster, and Anastasia Zavgorodniwent.

GOLF
Members of Indian Wells Country Club near Palm Springs, California, raised more than $50,000 to help with rising medical bills for Eddie Susalla, the club’s first golf pro, who has become seriously ill in the last year.

RESORTS
Pinehurst No. 2, the fabled course at Pinehurst in the Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina, has ranked No. 2 on Golfweek’s “America’s Best” list of the Top 100 Resort Courses. The other ClubResort courses making the list are: the Cascades Course at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia, at No. 12; the Fazio Canyons Course at Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas, at No. 21; and Pinehurst courses 4, 8, and 7 at Nos. 36, 53, and 85, respectively. … Pinehurst also has been chosen as Best Golf Course in Meeting South magazine’s “Planner’s Best Bets for 2005,” and was selected a Premium Circle Award winner by Insurance Conference Planner Magazine.

CHARITIES
The tennis department and charity committee at Coto de Caza Golf & Racquet Club in Orange County, California, raised more than $28,000 for the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce Safe Passage Tennis Program through its charity pro-am. The two-day event included a golf outing and a cocktail party with silent auction in addition to the pro-am event. Safe Passage is an inner-city tennis program for underprivileged kids. Its goal is to get kids off the streets and get them involved in a program where they can develop the skills to become a more productive member of society.

HOLES-IN-ONE
Jeff Morrison and Bill Stillwell, members of Trophy Club Country Club near Dallas, hit holes-in-one during the same round on the Arthur Hills Course. Morrison hit his 168-yard ace on the No. 8 hole using a 4-iron. Stillwell used an 8-iron on No. 12 to sink his 159-yard hole-in-one.