William Henderson Hosts 4th Father/Son Golf Tourney at Riverside
BY WILLIAM HENDERSON
The Father/Son Golf Outing was first initiated on Father’s Day Weekend in June 2003. The concept of the “Outing” was to promote companionship, camaraderie, networking and an all around good time amongst family and friends.
The other purpose of the golf outing was to celebrate and show appreciation to my father hence the “Father/Son” title. Over the years, decades, centuries even, you hear about how the presence of a male figure – particularly for black boys – has decreased. You hear and see so much negativity about the black father that you wonder if any worthwhile dads even exist. I wanted to show and prove that at least one exists among the madness.
My father, whose name is Pearlie, (yeah I said Pearlie) is a special man. He is 69 years young and an avid golfer. He isn’t your typical man when it comes to sports. My dad’s not a big sport fan, so he doesn’t care too much about football, baseball, of basketball. He knows the names of the main personalities past and present, but mainly due to my mother who is the sportsman of the two. She can tell you stuff from the Dallas Cowboys down to John Tyler high school football (that’s another story).
My father’s game is golf. It started back in Lufkin, Texas when he was a little boy caddying along with my uncles. From there his love for golf has increased exponentially, and he continues to play at least one round of golf each week, usually on Sundays.
Realizing that my father was getting older, I figured that a great way for me to spend more time with him would be to take up golf. I’ve been playing for about 6 years now…not good, but the purpose was to spend time with my father. My father is my best friend and my mentor. To this day, I’m still afraid of him. Not afraid of him in the way you are when see a dog coming towards you, but in the way that I am afraid to disappoint him.
The final reason why this outing is important is that it gives me the opportunity to share my father, his time, and his knowledge with my friends. I remember specifically in college being told how blessed I was not only because I know my father, but also because I have my father in my life and I shouldn’t take it for granted.
The tournament, which will be a four-man scramble, will be held at Riverside Golf Club in Grand Prairie on June 16, 2007. Anyone who would like to join my dad and I in this wonderful event can contact Tierra Henderson at (972) 264-4503. I invite all fathers, sons, brothers, uncles, mentors, and mentees to help us celebrate Father's Day Weekend with a round of golf.
Who: William Henderson
What: Father/Son Golf Outing
Where: Riverside Golf Club, Grand Prairie
When: June 16, 2007
Why: Promoting Positive Images of Fatherhood
