Jim Brown Honored with Bob Wells Volunteerism Award

The Texas Golf Association is pleased to announce longtime director and past president Jim Brown has received the Bob Wells Distinguished Service Award, the TGA’s highest honor for individuals who’ve contributed to the growth of the game through their volunteerism and meritorious service.

The words volunteerism and service define Brown, a retired personal injury attorney who joined the TGA Board of Directors in 2010 and in less than a year promptly received the North Texas Volunteer of the Year Award. From the outset, Brown annually has averaged more than 50 days a year working both on the course as a TGA Rules Official at multiple men’s, women’s and junior championships and off the course attending to association-related business matters at board meetings. That’s in addition to the time he’s given volunteering as a Rules Official for the United States Golf Association, Southern Golf Association and Trans-Mississippi Golf Association.

Brown was surprised when he received the news – “aghast” is the word he used – but there’s been no one in recent TGA history who is more deserving.

“I have admired the people who previously have received this award ever since I’ve been involved with the TGA,” Brown said. “Those people have mentored me, with or without their knowledge, with all the dedication they’ve shown. That’s what makes me so gratified to just be considered among those people. I’m so grateful I found the Texas Golf Association. The people and the association add immense value to my life.”

TGA Executive Director Stacy Dennis said there is no better representative for the game of golf and the association than Jim Brown.

“He is the kind of person I imagine this award was created to honor,” Dennis said. “He has meant more to the TGA than the deep Rules knowledge and countless days he’s contributed as a volunteer. He is a gentleman in the truest sense of the word. He sincerely loves the game and, most importantly, he loves our players.”

One of the foremost experts on the Rules of Golf in Texas, if not the entire country, Brown served as TGA President from 2016-18.

“His heart and soul are in the TGA,” said his friend, neighbor and colleague Carey Schulten, an esteemed Rules Official in his own right who succeeded Brown as TGA president from 2018-20. “Jim has done everything. The number of days he does Rules work is virtually every tournament that is within his reach.”

Schulten, who lives two streets away from Brown in central Dallas, met his friend back in 2010 when they found themselves working TGA championships together. Schulten, a former U.S. Air Force and Delta Air Lines pilot who won the Legends Junior Tour’s Volunteer of the Year Award in 2015, said it’s the lawyer in Brown that makes him such a trusted expert on the Rules.

“I think he sleeps with a Rules book,” Schulten joked. “He drinks and sleeps the Rules book. He’s on it all the time, and it reflects his background. He’s down to the fine print on that Rules book.”

First presented in 2005, the Bob Wells Distinguished Service Award is named after the late Bob Wells, who served as TGA president from 1980-87.

Current president Leslie Henry met Brown in 2012 when she began serving on the Board of Directors for the Women’s Texas Golf Association, which eventually merged with the TGA in 2014. Henry said Brown joined her in championing the idea of the men and women golfers in Texas coming together as an inclusive statewide association.

“I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Jim,” Henry said. “He is one of the most caring, compassionate human beings I have met in my lifetime. He’s the true example of treating everyone with respect and fairness. The award is so deserving, and we are all proud to call Jim Brown our friend and a force for the TGA.”

Brown, 75, is in his 12th year as a director of the TGA. Prior to his tenure as president in 2016-18, Brown served two-year terms as 1st Vice President and 2nd Vice President. He’s also put in countless hours as a member of several sub-committees, including Nominating, Finance, Compensation and Rules & Competitions.

A longtime advocate for amateur golf, Brown has also been a member the Southern Golf Association’s Board of Directors since 2001 and a member of the Executive Committee since 2011. He’s a former SGA president, too, and previously served as the SGA’s 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President and Treasurer.

Brown received his BBA and JD from SMU in Dallas. He was a letterman on the Men’s Golf Team from 1963-1965 and has continued to support his alma mater by taking an active role on the Payne Stewart Cup Committee, the SMU Golf fundraiser, since 2003, serving as Chairman in 2009 and 2011. He’s also just about the biggest SMU fan anyone will ever meet.

Brown and his wife Camille have two adult children and four grandchildren.

March Volunteer Spotlight: Scott Beaty

On Dec. 2, 1972, JFK Memorial Stadium in Philadelphia held 97,000 strong. It was the annual Army-Navy game, and the Army Black Knights and Navy Midshipmen were competing for the first Commanders-in-Chief’s Trophy.

Scott Beaty, a senior at the United States Military Academy West Point, was playing outside linebacker. The score was 12-7 Navy, and the Midshipmen were lining up for a field goal. Navy snapped the ball, and Beaty’s teammate Tim Pfister blocked the kick. The ball took a couple short hops before landing in Beaty’s hands.

“Every player has a responsibility on each play,” Beaty said. “For field goals and extra points, mine was to tackle the quarterback if it was a fake or pick up a blocked kick. So, when the ball came to me, there was no hesitation at all on what to do. I wasn’t the fastest guy on the team, but it happened so fast I was quite a way down the field before anyone knew I had the ball.”

Beaty’s 84-yard scoop and score was the turning point. The Black Knights outscored Navy 10-3 during the remainder of the game to win, 23-15. It was the last football game Beaty would ever play; but it was just the beginning of a successful military and civilian career.

WATCH: Beaty’s 84-yard touchdown (3:37-5:11)

Following his graduation from West Point in 1973, Beaty began his mandatory military service. He was initially assigned to the Third Infantry Division in Germany for his first three years in the Army. After making the decision to make the Army a career, Beaty spent the next 21 years serving in Washington D.C., the Gulf War, Hawaii and Korea.

“I had a great Army career,” Beaty said. “However, for some career officers, the transition to the private sector can very difficult. I was lucky to cross paths with an executive from the Bank of Montreal and he was interested in some work I had been doing in the Army.”

Beaty spent his first year out of the Army with the Bank of Montreal’s Institute for Learning in Toronto. He traveled Monday-Thursday from his home in Dallas and was eventually contacted by a recruiter on behalf of Royal Dutch Shell.

“They were also looking to become more of a ‘learning organization’ which was a trendy management initiative at the time,” Beaty said. “I spent the next 14 years with Shell.”

During that time, Beaty served in the Learning and Organizational Effectiveness group, as the head of a global practice and ultimately as Vice President of Human Resources for the Americas which included Canada and South America in addition to the United States. Beaty retired in 2011.

Following retirement, Beaty would travel to Brandon Dunes with a couple of Army officers who were golf Rules officials. They encouraged Beaty to get involved, and even though he was hesitant at first, he has volunteered with the TGA at amateur and junior championships across the state since 2014.

“I’ve enjoyed the challenge of mastering the Rules,” Beaty said. “I also enjoy the camaraderie with the other Rules officials and the team aspect of officiating. When you’re on a course and you encounter a situation you’re not sure about, there’s a trusted colleague to call on the radio.”

Jim Brown of Dallas, a past TGA President, has volunteered alongside Beaty for years. He’s recognized the leadership Beaty demonstrates on and off the golf course.

“Scott is a leader by example,” Brown said. “He has become an incredible TGA Volunteer by giving his time to the game we love and sharing himself with his fellow volunteers as well as the players. He has a genuine, quiet, confident manner that has come from his continuous study of the rules. He is truly a hero to me and many others, and we are all proud to call him a friend.”

Beaty’s experiences have shaped a leader, teammate and dedicated individual to the job at hand. Through his hard work, he’s always looking for a chance to help, guide and teach.

“I like the fact that being a referee in golf tournament isn’t like being a referee in a football game where you are throwing a flag on somebody who’s incurred a penalty,” Beaty said. “You’re trying to help people play the game within the Rules.”

The TGA extends its sincere appreciation to Scott for his efforts in making our championships a success. The work and dedication from all our volunteers allow the TGA to grow and continue to support the game we all love.

For more information on the TGA Volunteer Program, click here. To view the 2020 Competitions Calendar and Volunteering Opportunities,  click here.

December Volunteer Spotlight – Paul Marchand

Paul Marchand bleeds maroon and white. He dons the Aggie logo on his daily apparel and loves Texas A&M University. The die-hard fan calls Traditions Club in Aggieland home; and though it might surprise some to learn he doesn’t own a gold Texas A&M class ring.

“Well, I graduated from Baylor,” Marchand said. “But my wife and I are Aggies at heart, and it’s a great place to live. There is a lot to do in association with the school.”

Marchand’s daughter attended Texas A&M from 2007-11, and over the years he became involved with the university. In 2008, the former avid amateur golfer started to volunteer with the Texas A&M Men’s and Women’s golf programs. He started as a spotter for the Aggie Invitational and eventually served as a volunteer Tournament Director for the 2011 NCAA Women’s Golf National Championship at Traditions Club in Bryan.

“Through my involvement with the Aggie golf teams, I met a guy named Larry Cooper, who was the USGA Regional Affairs Committee Member,” Marchand said. “I asked him how he got involved with Rules officiating and he pointed me toward the Texas Golf Association.”

In 2012, Marchand contacted the TGA and attended a PGA/USGA Rules of Golf Workshop. The Aggie golf volunteer quickly became involved with TGA Volunteer Program.

“I wanted to continue to give back to the game of golf,” Marchand said. “It has provided me with a lot enjoyment, a lot of fellowship and I wanted to see how I could help grow the game.”

Marchand’s dedication to the TGA was evident from his first tournament. He leaned on the experience of longtime TGA volunteers and eventually was named a TGA Board of Director in 2013.

“I was extremely fortunate to meet Bobby Grabstald (TGA Volunteer since 2002), Nick Bramlet (TGA Volunteer since 2007) and Woody Fail (TGA Volunteer since 2007),” Marchand said. “They took me under my wing as I started to get involved with the TGA and they were very influential on where I am today as a Rules Official and Board of Director.”

Today, Marchand serves on the Executive Committee and Chairs the TGA Championships Committee. He says his goal is to provide support to the TGA and game of golf.

“I believe the TGA is one of the best golf associations in the United States,” Marchand said. “It is all about the team effort and the TGA does a great job of building a very good team.”

The reward from volunteering and giving back to the game has been a focus of Marchand since his first Aggie Invitational. Now as one of the influencers on the game of golf through his leadership at the TGA, his passion for giving back has not changed.

“I didn’t get into this to go work the U.S. Open or get on TV,” Marchand said. “I’ll climb the ladder as high as it’ll take me, but my goal is to be able to give back to the game, develop relations and help grow the game as much as we possibly can.”

The TGA extends its sincere appreciation to Paul for his efforts in making our championships a success. The work and dedication from all our volunteers allows the TGA to grow and continue to support the game we all love.

To volunteer in 2020, click here.  To register for a 2020 PGA/USGA Rules of Golf Workshop, click here.