Judith Bell

is honored with a Premium Paver from Lee and Ann Beard, Fred and Sally Bell, G. Christopher Bell, Gwen and Carl Bell, Joan Beren, Joan Birkland, D. Jean Crawford, Mal Elliott, W.C. Goodpasture, MD, Katherine D. Graham, Lucille A. Guenther, Nadine M. Harrison, Hidden Lakes Women's Golf Association, Ladies Golf Association, Ladies Professional Golf Association, Kansas Women's Golf Association, Marty Leonard, Joe Luigs, Barbara McIntire, Marge Page, Phyllis A. Preuss, Rolling Hills Country Club Ladies Golf Association, Lancy J. Smith, The Womens Committee, Ed Dell Wortz, Wichita Country Club, and the Women's Golf Association.

Judy Bell is a pioneer in the world of golf administration. She was the first woman nominated and elected to president of the United States Golf Association. She was elected not because she is a woman but because she was the right person for the job.

President of the USGA is a hands-on situation that involves a myriad of details and requires great organization. Judy is a team player, an important factor as she worked with the USGA's staff of 188, the more than 1,600 volunteers who serve on 30 committees, and her 15 fellow members on the Executive Committee.

A person is the sum of his or her experiences, and Judy's life as a player, a businesswoman, and an active member of many USGA committees made her the perfect selection. Judy has had the wonderful opportunity of learning from, and working closely with, some of the greatest minds in golf, among them Joe Dey Jr. and P.J. Boatwright. Most of all, Judy possesses the qualifications of the best administrators the game has ever known. She is logical. She is fair. She willingly seeks input from others. She listens to the feedback of players. She is a decision-maker. She is a leader.

Judy has completed three decades with the USGA and nearly a decade of service on the Executive Committee. She has made several significant contributions to the association. She led the Women's Committee's active role in promoting a separate handicapping system for women and upgrading the sites for the women's championships. During her term, the groundwork was also laid for the creation of the Women's Mid-Amateur. Being named to the Executive Committee put her into a position to witness and become part of the highest level of the game's hierarchy. She participated in the dialogue between the USGA and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, the games two governing bodies as it relates to writing the Rules of Golf.

Judy's ability as a player: she has competed in every USGA championship for women except the Amateur Public Links which has helped her achieve her successes within the USGA and the game.

Judy has freely given her time, energy, finances, and expertise to the betterment of golf. She has an ever-present smile and a great sense of humor, and communicates through kindness tempered with firmness. She has gained the respect of men and women alike.

(This information was taken from an article in Golf Journal, written by Suzanne Jackson, January/February, 1996.)

Submitted by the following donors to Judy Bell's tribute:

Lee and Ann Beard
Fred and Sally Bell
G. Christopher Bell
Gwen and Carl Bell
Joan Beren
Joan Birkland
D. Jean Crawford
Mal Elliott
W.C. Goodpasture, MD
Katherine D. Graham
Lucille A. Guenther
Nadine M. Harrison
Hidden Lakes Women's Golf Association
Ladies Professional Golf Association
Kansas Women's Golf Association
Marty Leonard
Barbara McIntire
Marge Page
Phyllis A. Preuss
Rolling Hills Country Club Ladies Golf Association
Lancy J. Smith
Ed Dell Wortz
Wichita Country Club
Women's Golf Association

September 16, 1998