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The No.
1 tee of the Abilene Reporter-News / Lawrence Hall
Abilene Junior carried out its own memorial service July 17.
At the start of the tournament’s final round, staff
members of the American Junior Golf Association donned colorful
peach Polo Golf shirts and orange AHEAD caps in honor of the
late and beloved starter Louis Carroll Wicker.
AJGA
staff members dressed in rememberance of the late
Wicker during the final round.
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Born in
Houston on Sept. 11, 1929, Wicker came to Abilene in 1954
where he received his degree from Abilene Christian University
in Secondary Education. While in Abilene, he owned and operated
an insurance agency that bears his name for 48 years.
The 73-year-old
Wicker, who passed away on Dec. 21, 2002, at his home in Abilene,
was the honorary starter at the Abilene Reporter-News
Junior for more than 15 years.
Wicker
was well known for his flamboyant fashion style and a remarkable
sense of humor. With the memorable starting expression, “Coming
out of chute No. 1… ,” Wicker had the ability
to put the players at ease as they started their rounds for
the day, and in doing so, he became a welcome sight at the
tournament.
Wicker's
fashion sense helped make him a tradition throuhout
the years in Abilene, Texas
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David
Todd, tournament chairman for the Abilene Reporter-News
/ Lawrence Hall Abilene Junior, fondly remembers Wicker and
his distinct personality.
“Louis
brought that home spun West Texas attitude to the tournament,”
Todd said. “His friendly demeanor and eccentric introductions
always helped to calm the players down.”
Wicker
always tried to personalize his introductions of each player.
Aside from spending time with the juniors during the traditional
Junior-Am, Wicker would speak casually to each competitor
prior to their tee time to get that extra little bit of personal
information to make their starting call special.
Ben Kimball,
AJGA tournament director, remembers Wicker’s extra touches
for the juniors.
“Louis
was a simple man,” Kimball said. “He was always
interested in the juniors and just wanted to be colorful and
make the beginning of the rounds fun. He really treated the
kids like his sons or daughters.”
It was
Wicker’s love and care for the game of golf that made
him that memorable persona on the course. Volunteers at the
event recall Wicker’s requests for generously oversized
pairing sheets and comedic sense of humor. In his later years,
Wicker still donated his time to the junior golf tournaments,
despite frequent doctor visits and failing health.
Passing
away only five months after last year’s Abilene
Reporter-News Junior, Wicker’s impact on the town
of Abilene and the juniors, as well as the AJGA, will not
easily be forgotten.
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