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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE CHICAGO WOMEN’S GOLF CLUB (CWGC)
WHEREAS, The Chicago Women's Golf Club (CWGC) was founded in 1937 by a group of African American women who loved the game of golf including Anna Mae Black Robinson, Cleo Ball and Vivian Pitts, and over the 82-year history of the club has had over 3,500 members; and
WHEREAS, Anna Mae Black served as the founding president in 1937 and held the office for three terms until the end of 1939, and was also elected the fourth vice president of the United Golfers Association (UGA) at its 1944 annual meeting; and
WHEREAS, Anna Mae Robinson, Ella Williams, and Birdie Philpott petitioned the Cook County Board of Commissioners for privileges to play at the Pipe O’ Peace Golf Club, and after many appeals, permission was finally granted to the CWGC to use the Pipe O’Peace facilities and the course became the official CWGC tournament site in 1952; and
WHEREAS, The Pipe-O-Peace Golf Course was established as the CWGC home course, and was later named The Joe Louis Golf Course in honor of Joe "The Champ" Louis AKA "The Brown Bomber" and became one of the Cook County Forest Preserves golf courses; and
WHEREAS, Anna Mae Robinson also saw a need to recognize African American golfers of the era and began a campaign for a UGA Hall of Fame; Through her undaunting efforts the UGA/National Afro‐American Golfers Hall of Fame was established in 1959, as a tribute to all minority golfers, and Anna Mae, herself a professional golfer, was inducted into the National Afro‐American Golfers Hall of Fame in 1962, and the Chicago Women's Golf Club was inducted in 2016 in Atlanta Georgia; and
WHEREAS, The CWGC elected Anna Mae Robinson as their thirteenth president in 1960; she served another three terms from 1960 to 1962, and during this tenure she was able to gain the support of the Borden Milk Company as a sponsor for the CWGC National Invitational Golf Tournament, their first corporate sponsor, but not their last; and
WHEREAS, CWGC has a rich history of African American golfers playing in its tournaments; In the earlier years, most of the male and female African American professional golfers played in their Annual Memorial Tournaments, which were sanctioned by the UGA; and
WHEREAS, in 1954, under the direction of Agnes Williams, CWGC established a junior division, the Bob-O-Links as a 501(c)3 organization which is committed to the development and growth of Chicago area boys and girls, ages 8 through 17; and
WHEREAS, through the game of golf, the Bob-O-Links' program focuses on character building, discipline, self-esteem, education, grit and integrity; and
WHEREAS, CWGC members golf throughout the City of Chicago, Cook County and Northwest Indiana locally; however, members play golf throughout the United States and some internationally; and
WHEREAS, the application process to become a member begins each February, and the club looks for ladies with a commitment to adding diversity and inclusion to the game of golf by learning to play and actually play the game; and
WHEREAS, today, the CWGC has 60 members and is an Affiliate of the USGA, UGA, MGA, and NIWGA with a purpose of encouraging more women and children to play golf, teaching proper golf course etiquette, providing professional golf lessons from a certified golf pro, supporting junior golf (the Bob-O-Links), taking an active role in supporting the community and competing at the highest level; and
WHEREAS, the current President of CWGC is Ciji Henderson currently serving her 4th term and presides over several tournaments including: The Annual Memorial Warm-Up tournament, the Annual Anna Mae Robinson Open Tournament, the Jeanie Williams Championship Tournament, the Bob-O-Link's Junior Golf Club and Junior tournament; and
WHEREAS, last year, The Chicago Women's Golf Club and the Bob-O-Links partnered with Kappa Alpha Psi-Chicago Alumni Chapter at their Back to School event in Chicago's Woodlawn community, providing over 100 students with back to school resources and encouraging their interest in golf; and
WHEREAS, during the holiday season, the Chicago Women's Golf Club partnered with Meals on Wheels Chicago to host "Let's Do Lunch Bingo"!, which was held at the Southwest Senior Center in Chicago IL, where members of CWGC enjoyed giving back to the community and sharing meaningful moments with our senior citizens;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the President and Members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners do hereby proudly honor The Chicago Women’s Golf Club, as well as current President Ciji Henderson, Elected Officers, Board of Directors and Members and thank them for their steadfast service to the community, the City of Chicago and Cook County; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, this text be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body and that a suitable copy be presented to The Chicago Women’s Golf Club as a symbol of our respect and esteem.
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