The Eversight Board of Directors form the foundation of our success by sharing their diverse knowledge, experience and passion for helping others.
Jarold A. Anderson
Jarold (Jerry) A. Anderson is an advisor and board member for Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network in Illinois, where he served as president and chief executive office for 25 years before retiring in December 2012. Prior to joining Gift of Hope in 1987, Anderson was executive director of administration at the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association in Chicago. He has held officer and board positions with numerous local and national organizations in the donation and transplant field, including positions as president of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations and officer and board member of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). Anderson is also a founding board member and past chairperson of AlloSource, one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit providers of bone and soft tissue allografts, and a member of the American Association of Tissue Banks. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago and completed additional graduate training at the University of Michigan.
Patty Jo Herndon
Patty Jo Herndon is the President and CEO of the Michigan Donor Family Council and also serves as the President of the Gift of Life Foundation. She became involved in the organ donation community following the passing of her sister Ellen in 1997. In 2015, her sister Maureen donated her corneas and provided scientists with the resources they need to find new cures and treatments for blinding eye conditions. Herndon retired from the insurance industry in 2012 after a 30-year career. She and her husband reside in Plymouth, Mich., and enjoy spending time with their grandchildren.
Gary Babcock
Gary Babcock has been a Lion for more than 30 years. He has served multiple officer positions, including District Governor, Vice District Governor, Cabinet Treasurer and Zone Chairman, and is Treasurer of the Lions of Michigan Foundation. Babcock is also a trustee and Board Member for the Napoleon United Methodist Church. He was awarded the Lions Clubs International Distinguished Leadership Medal, LCIF Melvin Jones Fellowship, LMSF John S. and Noel Benefactor Awards, LMSF Ken Lautzenheiser Service Award, two International President’s Appreciation Awards and two District Governor’s Appreciation Awards. Babcock has been inducted into the Lions Michigan Hall of Fame. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Ferris State University.
Katheryne L. Zelenock
Katheryne (Kathy) L. Zelenock is Chair of the Real Estate Finance Practice Group and a Member in the Dickinson Wright PLLC’s Real Estate Group in Troy, Mich. In her practice, she leads a team that closes commercial and multifamily mortgage loans across the country on behalf of leading national lenders. She is also co-Chair of Dickinson Wright’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and Chair of the Dickinson Wright Women’s Network. Zelenock is a member of the American Bar Association, the Mortgage Bankers’ Association of America, Commercial Real Estate Finance Council, International Council of Shopping Centers and the Oakland County Bar Association. She is an elected member of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys and is recognized as a leader in her field by Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Michigan Super Lawyers and DBusiness magazine. Zelenock received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and her juris doctorate from the University of Notre Dame Law School.
Rashid L. Bashshur, Ph.D.
Immediate Past Chair
Rashid L. Bashshur, Ph.D., is currently the Senior Advisor for e-Health at the University of Michigan Health system and is Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, Department of Health Management and Policy. He has been a catalyst for the development of telemedicine in the United States and worldwide since the early 1970s. From 1970-72, Bashshur also served at the National Academy of Sciences as a consultant on the use of telecommunications to support rural health programs. Later, he was commissioned by the Indian Health Service and NASA to report on STARPHAC (Space Technology Applied to Rural Papago Health Care); this report was published as “Technology Serves the People” (1981) by the Government Printing Office. Bashshur served as Scientific Program Chair of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) Annual Meeting in 1997, and as co-chair in 1998, 1999 and 2000. He was elected President in 2000 and is now President-Emeritus. Bashshur was the senior editor of three reports on telemedicine submitted to the U.S. Congress in 1994, 1995 and 2001. He has published extensively and co-founded the Telemedicine Journal, a multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal, and served as Editor-in-Chief from 1995 to 2005, now Editor-in-Chief Emeritus. Among his recent publications, Bashshur co-authored “The History of Telemedicine, Evolution, Context and Transformation” in 2009.
In January 2000, Bashshur chaired a WHO “International Consultation” in Geneva, to develop a global strategy for telemedicine. In August 2001, he co-chaired the International State of the Art Symposium on Telemedicine/Telehealth, which was co-sponsored by the UMHS and by WHO. In 2004, he chaired the Second International Conference on Future Directions for Telemedicine. The proceedings from both conferences were published in the Telemedicine and e-Health Journal. Bashshur convenes an annual symposium on Telemedicine at the Henry Ford Health System.
In May 2015, Bashshur was presented with a special award at the ATA 2015 Annual Meeting, the first ever ATA Medal-Distinguished Service Award, established as one of the ATA’s highest awards. It is presented only on occasion to an individual for the highest level of achievement in the telemedicine and telehealth field.
Alan Daninhirsch
Alan Daninhirsch is currently a registered architect in Connecticut where he practiced for more than 30 years. He received a bachelor’s degree from Pratt Institute in 1966. From 1966-68, he served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, commanding a float bridge company for most of his military career. Daninhirsch is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10361 where he served as Post Commander for three years. He is a Life Member of the International Association of Lions Clubs and has been an active member of the New Britain Lions Club since 1973. He has served as District Governor and State Council Chairman for the Association and has received numerous awards of recognition for his service. Daninhirsch is a graduate of the Lions Advanced Leadership Program and the Faculty Development Institute. He is a Director of the Connecticut Lions Eye Research Foundation, involved in the Lions KidSight pediatric eye screening program and serves as the Director of the Connecticut Eye Bank and Visual Research Foundation.
Danielle E. D’Arcy
Danielle E. D’Arcy is a Private Wealth Advisor at Goldman Sachs & Co. in Chicago. She has a long history promoting eye and vision health after volunteering for nearly 20 years with Delta Gamma, a sorority that promotes sight preservation and conservation. Delta Gamma selected D’Arcy for a volunteer Cabinet level position to create and execute strategies for three new collegiate chapters; and she is a former President and Director of Rituals for the Gamma Pi chapter of Delta Gamma Fraternity. She received her bachelor’s degree from Roanoke College.
Mahmoud Ghazzi, M.D., Ph.D.
Mahmoud Ghazzi, M.D., Ph.D. is a biopharmaceutical research and development expert with more than 25 years of experience in drug development and clinical research. He has held senior leadership roles at Daiichi Sankyo, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer, managing development portfolios, therapeutic strategies and global regulatory submissions. Ghazzi holds a doctorate degree in bioengineering and a master of public health degree from the University of Michigan and a medical degree from Damascus University, Syria. He has published many peer-reviewed manuscripts throughout his career and currently serves as an independent biopharmaceutical consultant based in Villanova, Penn.
Jonathan H. Lass, M.D.
Jonathan H. Lass, M.D., is the Charles I. Thomas Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and has served as Program Director for Ophthalmology residency programs at Case Western and University Hospitals from 1993-2013. He remains on staff at University Hospitals Eye Institute, following 20 years of service as Department Chair, and currently serves as Medical Director for both Eversight Ohio and the Case Cornea Image Analysis Reading Center. Lass is on the editorial board of Cornea: The Journal of Cornea and External Disease.
Lass has more than 200 publications in the fields of corneal physiology and immunology, genetics, cornea image analysis and clinical trials of corneal disease. His research has contributed to major advancements in corneal preservation and transplantation, including the NEI-funded Cornea Donor Study, which found that donor age does not affect graft success or cell loss for the majority of donors aged 34-71 transplanted in the United States. He is the study chair of the Cornea Preservation Time Study, a multi-center prospective trial and the largest clinical trial in corneal diseases sponsored by the National Eye Institute, that examined the effect of preservation time of the donor on graft survival and endothelial cell loss following DSEK surgery. Among several other awards, Lass received the Senior Honor Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology in 2004 and the R. Townley Paton Award from the Eye Bank Association of America, its highest award, in 2012. He received the 2017 Castroviejo Award, the Cornea Society’s highest award for recognition of an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of cornea and anterior segment surgery.
Lass serves as Medical Director for Eversight in Ohio and board member for the Cleveland Eye Bank Foundation. He volunteers with the Cleveland Free Clinic where he organized a free eye clinic. Lass is also an avid cellist and member of the World Doctors Orchestra.
Shahzad I. Mian, M.D., is the Terry J. Bergstrom Collegiate Professor for Resident Education in Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. He also serves the department as Associate Chair for Education and is a Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences in the University of Michigan Medical School. Mian’s research focuses on the role of lasers in corneal transplantation, keratoplasty techniques and clinical studies in refractive surgery. He has been director of the residency training program since 2004 and previously served as fellowship director in the department.
Mian is an Eversight Medical Director, an Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) board member, a Cornea Society board member, a member of the Program Director’s Council of the Association of University Professors in Ophthalmology and a member of the Residency Review Committee for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. He earned his medical degree from the Emory University School of Medicine, completed a residency at the Wills Eye Hospital of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and is a former fellow in cornea and refractive surgery at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.
Florence M. Johnston, M.S.
President Emerita
Florence M. Johnston, M.S., served as Chief Executive Officer of Eversight from 1998 to 2004. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from the University of Michigan. Johnston has held a wide variety of leadership positions on boards and committees for donation-related organizations, including the Eye Bank Association of America and Gift of Life Michigan. Her professional experience includes positions at University of Michigan Hospitals, with the World Health Organization and as a member of the faculty of University of Michigan School of Nursing. Johnston volunteers as docent for the University of Michigan Anthropology Museum.
Marilyn R. Lindenauer, M.P.H.
Marilyn R. Lindenauer, M.P.H., served as President & CEO of Eversight from 1989 to 1998 when it was known as the Midwest Eye-Bank & Transplantation Center (MEBTC). She received her master’s degree from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Prior to her position with the eye bank, Lindenauer was an associate hospital administrator at the University of Michigan Medical Center. From 1976 to 1982, she was a senior research associate in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and was a co-principal investigator on a $1 million U.S. Department of Justice pilot grant that investigated correctional health care in the prison systems of 10 states. Lindenauer served on several boards and received the Leonard Heise Award in 1999, the highest award presented to a non-physician by the Eye Bank Association of America. She and her husband, Martin Lindenauer, M.D., have four children and 11 grandchildren.
Carolyn Welsh
Carolyn Welsh joined NJ Sharing Network in 1999; in her current role as Vice President & Chief Clinical Officer, she develops strategies to enhance organ recovery and placement efforts with New Jersey hospitals and the state’s six transplant centers. She also oversees NJ Sharing Network’s regulatory compliance, family services department, donation resource center, transplant coordinators, organ and tissue recovery specialists, data division and quality assurance. Welsh serves on the Chief Operating Officer (COO) Council of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) and previously served on the Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) Committee of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). Prior to joining NJ Sharing Network, she worked in the Medicare division at UnitedHealthcare. Welsh holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Seton Hall University and is pursuing a master’s degree in organizational leadership, nonprofit management.
David Bosch
“As a network of community eye banks, we are committed to making a positive impact around the world.”
David Bosch was promoted to President/CEO of Eversight in 2019. In this role, David oversees strategic direction, management and operations across Eversight locations in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey, Connecticut and South Korea working to restore sight and prevent blindness in the United States and abroad. Previously, he served as Eversight President, Eversight Chief Marketing Officer and as the Director of Communications and Government Affairs for Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network overseeing all public relations and marketing activities. An active leader in donation and transplantation for more than 25 years, he serves on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Eye Banking, the Advisory Board for the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation, and as an expert panelist for the Department of Health & Human Services, Division of Transplantation. Bosch has extensive experience in grant project development and implementation and has served as Chair of the Advisory Council of Donate Life America and President of the Board, as well as chair of both the Board Communications Committee and the National Advertising Campaign Committee on organ and tissue donation. He is a member of Donate Life Illinois and the Michigan Coalition on Donation, and has served on the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations Task Force on Multicultural Issues and the Crisis Communications Committee. In addition, David is a member of the Positive Organizations Consortium at the University of Michigan and a proud member of the Ann Arbor (Host) Lions Club.
The Medical Advisory Committee combines proven leadership and years of experience to provide unsurpassed clinical guidance.
Committee Chair
Shahzad I. Mian, M.D., is the Terry J. Bergstrom Collegiate Professor for Resident Education in Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. He also serves the department as Associate Chair for Education and is a Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences in the University of Michigan Medical School. His research focuses on the role of lasers in corneal transplantation, keratoplasty techniques and clinical studies in refractive surgery. He has been director of the residency training program since 2004 and previously served as fellowship director in the department.
Lorenzo Cervantes, M.D.
Lorenzo Cervantes, M.D. is a board-certified ophthalmologist and a fellowship-trained specialist in cornea, external disease, cataract and refractive surgery at Connecticut Eye Specialists in Shelton, Conn.
Jonathan H. Lass, M.D., is the Charles I. Thomas Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and has served as Program Director for Ophthalmology residency programs at Case Western and University Hospitals from 1993-2013. Lass remains on staff at University Hospitals Eye Institute, following 20 years of service as Department Chair, and currently serves as Medical Director for both Eversight Ohio and the Case Cornea Image Analysis Reading Center. He is on the editorial board of Cornea: The Journal of Cornea and External Disease.
Lass has more than 200 publications in the fields of corneal physiology and immunology, genetics, cornea image analysis and clinical trials of corneal disease. His research has contributed to major advancements in corneal preservation and transplantation, including the NEI-funded Cornea Donor Study, which found that donor age does not affect graft success or cell loss for the majority of donors aged 34-71 transplanted in the United States. Lass is the study chair of the Cornea Preservation Time Study, a multi-center prospective trial and the largest clinical trial in corneal diseases sponsored by the National Eye Institute, that examined the effect of preservation time of the donor on graft survival and endothelial cell loss following DSEK surgery. Among several other awards, he received the Senior Honor Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology in 2004 and the R. Townley Paton Award from the Eye Bank Association of America, its highest award, in 2012. He received the 2017 Castroviejo Award, the Cornea Society’s highest award for recognition of an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of cornea and anterior segment surgery.
Lass serves as Medical Director for Eversight in Ohio and board member for the Cleveland Eye Bank Foundation. He volunteers with the Cleveland Free Clinic where he organized a free eye clinic. He is also an avid cellist and member of the World Doctors Orchestra.
Roni M. Shtein, M.D., M.S.
Roni M. Shtein, M.D., M.S. is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center.
Elmer Y. Tu, M.D.
Elmer Tu, M.D. is a Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology and Director of Cornea Service in the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. Infectious diseases of the cornea form the core of his clinical and research interests. Widely viewed as having special expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of Acanthamoeba and other severe infections of the cornea, Tu and colleague Charlotte Joslin, O.D., Ph.D., were the first to identify and study the statistically significant increase in Acanthamoeba keratitis in the United States. They established an association between a specific contact lens solution and Acanthamoeba outbreak, theorizing that an environmental change related to water supply standards may be responsible for the persistence of its increased incidence. Tu’s area of expertise also includes new and innovative forms of corneal transplantation and treatment of challenging ocular surface disorders. He is on numerous national and international committees and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Cornea Society. He joined the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary faculty in 1999. Tu is board certified in ophthalmology.
B.S. — University of Miami, elected to Phi Beta Kappa
M.D. with Honors — University of Miami School of Medicine; elected to Alpha Omega Alpha
Residency — University of Wisconsin School of Medicine
Clinical Fellowship in Corneal and External Diseases — Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miami
Selected Honors and Awards
Chicago Super Doctors: 2012, 2013
Best Doctors in America: 1999, 2002-present
Guide to America’s Top Ophthalmologists: 2002-present
American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award: 2010
American Academy of Ophthalmology Secretariat Award: 2009, 2015
William H. Constad, M.D.
William H. Constad, M.D., is Clinical Professor at Rutgers Medical School and affiliated with Jersey City Medical Center and St. Barnabas Medical Center, and he has been in private practice with Hudson Eye Physicians and Surgeons since 1985. He served on the editorial board for the Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine for several years, contributing numerous articles and textbook chapters to the ophthalmic literature. Constad specializes in corneal transplantation and external corneal disease, as well as specialty contact lens fitting for keratoconus and scarring, post-transplantation and post-refractive surgery. He serves as Medical Director for Eversight in New Jersey. In 2012, he was honored by Eversight in New Jersey with its “Man of Vision” award and received the Founders’ Award from the Eversight Board in 2014.
David Chu, M.D.
David Chu, M.D. is an Associate Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at the Institute of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School; Director of the Metropolitan Eye Research and Surgery Institute of New York and New Jersey; and Ophthalmologist for the New York Jets.
M. Soledad Cortina, M.D.
M. Soledad Cortina, M.D. is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of the Comprehensive Ophthalmology Faculty Practice and General Eye Clinic at Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary at the University of Illinois College of Medicine.
Catharine J. Crockett, M.D.
Catharine J. Crockett, M.D. is a board-certified ophthalmologist and a fellowship-trained specialist at Eye Surgical Associates in Champaign, Ill.
Jeffrey Goshe, M.D.
Jeffrey Goshe, M.D. is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology in the Department of Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University and Residency Program Director at Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute.
Christopher Hood, M.D.
Christopher Hood, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center.
Mark A. Lister, M.D.
Mark A. Lister, M.D. is Director of Cornea, External Disease and Ophthalmic Surgery at Metropolitan Hospital; Ocean County Medical Center; Hoboken University Medical Center in Jersey City; Co-director of corneal services at St. George’s University School of Medicine; Director of Cornea Services at Children’s Eye Care Center of New Jersey, at Clara Maass; and Clinical Assistant Professor at New York Medical College and Rutgers University Medical School.
Marian Macsai, M.D.
Marian Macsai, M.D. is Chief of Ophthalmology at NorthShore University HealthSystem and Professor of Ophthalmology at University of Chicago.
Allen S. Roth, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Allen S. Roth, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Department of Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute.
H. Kaz Soong, M.D.
H. Kaz Soong, M.D. is a Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center.
Alan Sugar, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Alan Sugar, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center and Department Vice Chair.
Maria A. Woodward, M.D.
Maria A. Woodward, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center.
Meet the dynamic team leading the effort to make vision a reality for people in need.
"The gift of sight is truly one of the greatest gifts someone can give to another human being.”
Julie Collins joined Eversight in 2007 after holding positions as Managing Director at Comerica Insurance Services, as well as Director of Training and Development and Director of Accounting Services at Comerica Bank. Her 25 years of accounting, management and financial leadership has guided Eversight through a period of rapid growth in which the operational budget grew from $7 million to $24 million and the employee count grew from 50 to 170. In addition to her financial responsibilities, Collins oversees human resources, risk management, information technology and facilities at Eversight. She received her bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in accounting from Eastern Michigan University.
Michael O’Keefe
“Eversight is committed to restoring sight and enhancing the lives of as many people as possible.”
Michael O’Keefe, CEBT, M.B.A., joined the organization in 1994 as a Laboratory Technician. Soon after, he was promoted to Laboratory Manager and then Technical Director of Eversight in Michigan. In 2009, he was named Executive Director of Midwire and built that service line to include 10 nonprofit eye banks and Vision Share. In 2017, he was named Chief Operating Officer with a focus on strengthening organizational compliance, improving operational effectiveness and delivering excellent customer service using principles derived from the Center for Positive Organizations at the University of Michigan. O’Keefe received his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, is accredited to facilitate cultural surveys by Human Synergistics International and is a member of the Positive Organizations Consortium at the University of Michigan. He has served on numerous Eye Bank Association of America committees and subcommittees, including a six-year term on the Accreditation Board.
Diane Hollingsworth
Executive Vice President of External Relations
“We accepted the responsibility to provide the gift of sight 70 years ago, and we will not stop until everyone has the chance to live a life full of sight.”
Diane Hollingsworth has been with Eversight since 2010 after eight years at the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois where she served as Director of Medical Education. She also spent 20 years in senior sales and marketing management positions at IBM, Siemens & Rockwell. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western Michigan University. Hollingsworth is an active volunteer of the Naperville Noon Lions Club, Chair of the Advisory Council for Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Network and a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Teresa Clark
Vice President of Philanthropy
"It is an honor to work with such committed philanthropic partners in efforts to restore vision and prevent blindness worldwide."
Teresa Clark is a seasoned philanthropy professional with experience in all aspects of development gained through senior roles in the arts, education and healthcare. Her varied background includes more than 15 years of fundraising and nonprofit leadership experience fueled by a personal commitment to do good. Clark is charged with defining, planning and implementing all philanthropic efforts with emphasis on major and annual giving, and foundation relations.
Vice President of Global Development
“Restoring sight is a catalyst to empowering self-worth and allowing people to contribute in their community in ways many had only dreamed before.”
Collin Ross, CEBT, has been with Eversight since 1997, leading the organization’s international efforts and building collaborative relationships with overseas partners. He has extensive experience managing Eversight clinical and administrative projects, including facility designs, strategic plans, and new programs and service lines. Ross holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Michigan State University, a master’s degree from the University of Maryland School of Public Policy and is a Certified Eye Bank Technician (CEBT).
Michael Titus
Vice President of Clinical Operations
“Eversight is focused on delivering high-quality tissue and excellent customer service.”
Michael Titus, CEBT, joined Eversight in 2017. He is the former Chief Clinical Officer of Saving Sight, an eye bank in Kansas City, Missouri, where he successfully crafted the strategic direction of its clinical program, oversaw lab renovations and improved tissue quality and surgeon satisfaction. Prior to his time at Saving Sight, Titus excelled in various roles with Eversight from 2008 to 2013, including managing the laboratory in Michigan and playing an instrumental role in developing the Eversight DMEK program. He is a Certified Eye Bank Technician (CEBT) and currently serves on the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) Research Committee and Accreditation Board.


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Battle for Berlaymont is open
EPP's Manfred Weber was first whose name was waved as possible Juncker's successor
Svetoslav Stefanov
The race is open. And the first horse is already on the field. Almost nine months ahead of the 2019 European Parliament elections, the battle who will succeed Jean-Claude Juncker as European Commission President began.
The starting signal for the race came from Germany as several German newspapers reported last week that Chancellor Angela Merkel has backed her fellow conservative Manfred Weber's bid to lead the centre-right's campaign in next year's elections. Currently he heads the European People's Party caucus in the European Parliament. Weber still needs the nod from other member parties in order to get the approval. But once got, he would, no doubt, become a front-runner to succeed Juncker as Commission's head. The EPP's member parties are in government in nine of the bloc's 28 members, and lead in polls across much of Europe.
“I want to become the EPP’s lead candidate for the 2019 European elections and be the next president of the European Commission,” the 46-year-old tweeted last Tuesday during a meeting with members of his European People’s Party (EPP) in Brussels.
Nothing is sure so far. The process of nominating a lead candidate for the EPP will officially begin next week, with an official announcement set for November. While Merkel has thrown her support behind Weber, other strong candidates wait to jump on the stage at due moment. Former Finnish PM and Finance Minister Alexander Stubb and Commission's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier have also emerged as possible and rather strong candidates. And Germany's Christian Democrats have also floated the country's Economy Minister Peter Altmaier and Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen as potential options.
Supporting Weber for the Commission's top post is part of a wider game, according to people close to the matter. With putting his name at the front, Merkel makes a step back on the ECB front where another German, Jens Weidmann, has an ambition to succeed Mario Draghi when his mandate expires next year. Taking both posts for Germany is impossible and Merkel has to make a choice. Obviously so far she has concluded that it is more useful for Germany to secure the Commission post than the top ECB job. But this can change in the coming months. The last German to head the Commission was Walter Hallstein in the 1960s.
Born in 1972, Manfred Weber can not be pointed at as a veteran in European politics although he has experience more than enough. He has been a MEP from Germany since 2004, and since the last elections in 2014 he has served as EPP leader in the European Parliament. Currently heading the EPP Group, he is the youngest group leader in the current Parliament as well as the youngest-ever group leader of the EPP. Weber is known as a moderate politician and power broker in EU politics.
Weber is known to be a staunch pro-European. In June 2014, he dismissed demands by then-British PM David Cameron to put the brakes on European integration. According to Weber, “the EU is based on an ever closer union of European peoples. That is set out in the treaties. It is not negotiable for us. We cannot sell the soul of Europe if we grant every national parliament a veto right, Europe would come to a standstill”.
At the same time, he is courageous and feels free to express his own thoughts even contradicting the main line. In 2011, when the Eurozone crisis raged, Weber said: “We in the CSU must finally stop always blaming Brussels. The current crisis has primarily been caused by a few national governments, not by Brussels.” In a party that includes some of Germany's most outspoken Eurosceptics and is now under attack from the even more outspoken Alternative fuer Deutschland, such comments require strength.
With such abilities, the 46-year-old Bavarian could easily sit at the helm of the EU as it attempts to navigate a world in which a Donald Trump-led United States is seen as an unreliable partner, it faces a stiff challenge from Russian and Chinese rivals, and reinvents itself following Britain's departure from the Union.
But at the same time it is a common knowledge that the names thrown first into the flames rarely make it to the end. So far, Weber has declined to comment on his ambitions about the Commission's top post. As a Bavarian himself, he has also secured the support of Bavarian PM Markus Soeder, but this is far from enough. “I really hope the German conservatives make our Manfred Weber the lead candidate for the European election,” Soeder said in Abensberg, Bavaria. If finally Weber gets the nomination, the European People's Party is likely to need the support of liberal parties to install him as the next European Commission head. So the game has just begun.
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New old ombudsman
Irish Emily O'Reilly secured second term to further serve European citizens
Incumbent ombusdman, Irish Emily O'Reilly, was on Wednesday expectedly re-elected on the post for the 2019-2024 parliamentary term. She was backed by 320 MEPs in a secret plenary vote. Former journalist, she has served as the first female Irish Ombudsman for ten years prior to being elected European Ombudsman in 2013.
Italy's anti-Salvini 'sardines' take protest to Rome
Tens of thousands of people joined a demonstration in central Rome on Saturday organized by a grassroots movement known as “The Sardines”, launched only a month ago to protest against far-right leader Matteo Salvini. The sardines began in the city of Bologna in November when Mattia Santori, 32, and three friends invited people to protest against Salvini’s League, whose popularity is high ahead of an election in the northern Emilia-Romagna region.
Controversial magistrate's sweetest victory ever
After tough battle, Romanian Laura Kovesi has been finally chosen to become the first European Public Prosecutor
The first woman to be Romania’s prosecutor general, Laura Codruta Kovesi, was only 33 when appointed in 2006. At that age she was also the youngest Prosecutor General in Romania's history. Seven years later, Kovesi marked another milestone when she was named the head of the Romanian Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) - an institution created to fight high-level corruption in the years when Romania was preparing to join the EU.
Weber secures EPP nomination
Slovakia's first female president declares war on political bribery
Judge me not by my name
Extravagant Brexit doer
Spain conservatives pick successor to ex-PM Rajoy
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The Early Architects:
Beyond Old Tom
Thomas MacWood
The Postage Stamp at Troon.
Most of us are stubborn by nature. Once we get an idea in our head its very difficult to remove it, at least that has been my experience. In contrast to this human nature a good researcher should strive to keep an open mind when approaching their subject, and for the better part of a year my subject has been the golf architecture of the 19thC, unfortunately when I began my mind was hardly open. Just the opposite, I entered with a predisposed and frankly poor opinion of the golf architecture of this period. My view had been formed by the likes of Colt, MacKenzie, and Simpson, who dismissed the era, going so far as to call it the Dark Ages. Because of their harsh treatment I had always thought the nineties were a wasteland, and as a consequence focused my energies on the so-called Golden Age. However ignoring the nineties proved to be difficult. While researching the more acclaimed age I continually came across references to this apparently unrefined period, and as I dug further I found many of the leading figures of the good years were either products of that previous era or influenced by men from that era. It became clear the two periods were linked, and in order to fully understand the Golden Age I had to better understand the earlier period, and so I set out to learn what I could.
Early on in the investigation what struck me was the sheer amount of activity, especially in the 1890s. The game’s popularity exploded in these years, and as a result there was great demand for new golf courses. Reports of new courses inundated magazines and newspapers, and as I made note of these courses a group of names surfaced as the primary designers. Some of the names are well known to us today, men like Tom Morris, Tom Dunn and Willie Park-Jr, but there were other names-Charles Gibson, Peter Paxton, B.Hall Blyth, and James McKenna as examples-that were unfamiliar. I concluded that the key to uncovering the truth would be found through these men.
Another surprising discovery, in contrast to what the critics implied, not everything created by these early architects was bad. On occasion they produced very good work, and sometimes historically significant work. In fact some of our most acclaimed courses trace their origins back to this period. I am not suggesting Simpson and the others were entirely wrong, it is true this period and these early men produced their share of average to below average designs, but there were notable exceptions.
This led to an obvious question – why was there such a disparity? When analyzing the good and bad results a fairly simple formula emerged. In virtually all the examples of good design the golf architect started with good material, usually near the sea. When they were given less than perfect land the results were often disappointing. The early architects had little or no capacity to improve what they were given. But despite these limitations a number of early designers stood out, not only for their good work, but also the influence they had upon those who followed.
If I may digress at this point, and explain my motivation for writing this essay. I had planned on writing about this subject at some point but had no immediate plans to do so, in fact I had moved on to another project. This changed when I learned of Melvyn Morrow’s fine essay ‘The Early Golf Designers: The Real Golden Age.’ When I first read the title understandably I was interested in his thoughts and how his conclusions might compare to my own. Based on the title it appeared we shared a similar view-that history had ignored important 19thC contributors. However as I read the essay it became clear his focus was different than my own. MM is justifiably proud of his great, great grandfather’s historic accomplishments, and without question Old Tom is a most deserving subject, but presumably, at least based upon the title, the essay was meant to celebrate the early golf architects not just Old Tom. Unfortunately, once again we find the others virtually ignored, and not only are they ignored, Old Tom’s architectural record is inflated at their expense. It was time to give these men their due.
CategoryOne – The Amateurs
I have segregated the architects into two categories – amateur and professional. You will find one or two familiar names among these amateurs but the majority are unknown. Their anonymity is not surprising since the typical amateur was involved in only a handful of courses, if that, and in many cases just a single course. Despite their limited activity it is important we recognize these gentlemen, not only for their outstanding designs, but also for the example they set for the amateurs who followed, men like Fowler, Macdonald, Abercromby, and MacKenzie. While compiling background information on these men a similar profile began to form: good amateur golfers, well educated, successful professionally or inherited wealth, and like so many of their era, multiple interests.
Dr. W. Laidlaw Purves – William Laidlaw Purves was born at Edinburgh in 1842, the son of a physician. Purves was educated at Edinburgh University. In contrast to his father initially he turned to law, but then had a change of heart, and while employed in a lawyer’s office began to study medicine. His parents died during these years and at the age of 19 Purves found himself a ship’s doctor operating off the coast of Australia. After three years in Australia he returned to Europe and continued his medical studies at Universities in Berlin, Leipzig, Vienna, Utrecht, and Paris. After his European educational tour he eventually settled in London as a consulting aural surgeon at Guy’s Hospital. Purves had a most successful medical career, becoming ophthalmic and aural surgeon at the Hospital for Diseases of the Nervous System and aural surgeon at the Aural College and Academy for the Blind.
Dr. Laidlaw Purves
Medicine may have been Purves’s vocation but golf was clearly his passion. He learned the game on the Bruntsfield Links in golf crazed Edinburgh but found a very different situation when he arrived in England. There were but four golf clubs of any note in the entire country – Westward Ho!, Hoylake, Blackheath and Wimbledon. The first two were far from his home in London, and the latter two were nearby but poor substitutes for the real thing. For the next nine years Purves searched Greater London for a perfect site on which to build a golf course. Epping, Epsom, the downs from Reigate to Farnham, Windsor Forest, Bushey, Richmond Park were all prospected. At Epsom he actually marked out a Sunday course in 1875.
The coastal areas within reach of London were also surveyed. Purves inspected the Isle of Wight, New Forest, Southampton, Littlehampton, and Bognor. In 1876 Felixstowe was examined, and a golf course laid out. But Felixstowe was not completely satisfactory, in fact none of the sites were satisfactory, that is until he discovered Sandwich in 1877. Finding the perfect site was only half the battle, for the next several years Purves tried to convince his fellow golfers that the property held amazing potential and they should help finance the project. Finally in 1883 he had generated enough interest to make an offer to secure the land, actually he made four offers, unfortunately all failed. At last in 1887 an offer was accepted, a lease secured and a syndicate of 36 formed. Purves proceeded to lay out the course, and St. Georges was born.
The course immediately drew universal praise, and not long after became a fixture of the Open and Amateur Championships. Although some of the quirkier aspects of the early course are now gone, like the Maiden and Haides, its bones remain very much as Purves originally made them. One must also give credit to Ramsey Hunter, the club’s first professional, who helped to formalize the layout. Purves’s success at Sandwich led to another opportunity in 1888, when at the request of the proprietors of land on the coast near New Romney, he laid out Littlestone. Purves died in 1918 at Hartwick Cottage, his home and one of the oldest residences in Wimbledon.
St. George’s opened to great acclaim, thanks to its wild hazards directly in the line of play such as the Sahara at the old third hole and…
…and the monster Hades bunker at the old eighth.
B. Hall Blyth – Born in Edinburgh in 1849 Benjamin Hall Blyth studied at Edinburgh University before joining the family engineering firm in 1867. His father, the senior Benjamin Hall Blyth, founded the firm of Blyth & Cunningham, which eventually became Blyth & Blyth (a prominent firm to this day). Hall Blyth like his father before him became one of the best-known civil engineers in Scotland. As the consulting engineer for the Caledonian, North British and Great North of Scotland Railway Companies he was involved in the design and construction of a large numbers important works, including the North Bridge and the Waverly Station in Edinburgh. He was also responsible for extending the North Berwick rail line to include stations at Aberlady, Luffness and Gullane. Blyth was elected the president of the Institute of Civil Engineers in 1914, the first Scot to have such an honor. In addition to his engineering activities he was President of the Scottish Football Union in 1875 and 1876 – BHB had been a prominent rugby football player as a young man.
B. Hall Blyth
Benjamin Hall Blyth played his early golf at North Berwick, the family home Kaimend House overlooked the famous Redan hole. As an adult he was a long-time member of the Royal and Ancient Club, Captain of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers in 1880-81, Captain of the Royal Liverpool Club in 1885, and Captain of Tantallon Golf Club from 1896-98. Despite this impressive resume Hall Blyth was only an average golfer, although he did defeat Willie Campbell in 1880 in one of the more bizarre matches in history, a cross-country affair that began at Point Garry, North Berwick and ended at the High Hole at Gullane. “Campbell opted for the shore line and played over North Berwick, Archerfield and the ground that eventually became Muirfield, before reaching Gullane. Hall Blyth elected to play on an inland route through Dirleton and although longer this was a much simpler course. Hall Blyth won easily over the six mile distance and his opponent came early to grief on the rocks.”
Hall Blyth was a powerful voice within both the R&A and the HCEG. He was one of the primary forces behind the creation of the Amateur Championship. He pushed for the formation of the new Rules of Golf committee in 1897, and not only was one of the original 15 members of that committee, he was appointed its chairman. BHB is also credited with securing the transfer of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers from Musselburgh to Muirfield.
In ‘Muirfield and the Honourable Company’ author George Pottinger describes this extraordinary man: “Hall Blyth served continuously on numerous committees concerned with Golf clubs throughout East Lothian and he usually got his way. A tall powerfully built man, he had a loud voice in which he boomed confident opinions and defied challenge. He wore a Dragoon’s moustache and affected something of the air of a marinet. To see him, attired in checks almost as loud as his voice, referee a championship match and hear his resonant ruling was said to be unforgettable.”
A drawing based on Blyth’s 1891 plan for Muirfield.
For many years Old Tom Morris was thought to be the architect of the New Course at St.Andrews however the R&A and Links Trust now recognizes Hall Blyth as its creator in 1895. His formal plan is thought to be the first draft plan to use centerlines to indicate the proper path to the hole. His involvement with the New should not have come as a complete surprise, he had been heavily involved in the new layout at Muirfield in 1891 (along with Old Tom). Early reports mention his name prominently during the design and construction phases of Muirfield. The Honourable Company minutes of April 1914 confirm his important involvement: “On the motion of the Captain it was unanimously agreed to record in the minutes the club’s heartiest appreciation of many services rendered by Mr. B. Hally Blyth in connection with acquisition and preparation of the course at Muirfield,” Remarkably he also designed Muirfield’s clubhouse. In addition to his design work, Hall Blyth was chiefly responsible for the acquisition of Braids Hill for the citizens of Edinburgh. Benjamin Hall Blyth died in 1917 at the family home overlooking the links at North Berwick.
The foreign correspondent Henry Leach wrote this amazing tribute in American Golfer:
“Mr. Hall Blyth was sixty-eight years of age, and a life member of the Royal and Ancient Club. Being an engineer by profession he could not help applying some of his engineering and constructional instincts to golf courses. Probably he was the first real golf course designer. Until he turned his attention to the business, which is now pursued ardently and thoroughly by many persons, golf holes were to a large extent made themselves, as it might be said. Nature, the lie of the land, suggested the places where putting greens should be made, the places for teeing, and the main route to the hole. In course of time it might happen that a number of persons who were agreed upon the point, such as the committee of a club or society that played upon the ground, would dig a hole for a bunker at a spot where it was considered there should be some punishment waiting, but this sort of thing was very sparsely done, for it was considered and generally found that Nature made quite enough trouble for the golfer. It was more or less in this way that most of the famous holes on the old courses came to be made, such as those of St. Andrews, North Berwick and other places, though in latter times bunkers were added according to carefully arranged schemes. But Mr. Hall Blyth considered that fine holes might be made without waiting for the slow evolution from Nature, and he set himself about the design and construction of such holes at St. Andrews itself, North Berwick, Muirfield and Gullane, and on these famous greens there endure testimonies to his fine imagination, great golfing judgment, and skill as a designer.”
S. Mure Fergusson – Born in Perth, Scotland in 1855 Samuel Mure Fergusson spent his formative years at St. Andrews. Ironically he did not take up golf until comparatively late in life, late that is for a lad in St. Andrews, he was fourteen. His father managed an insurance company in London, and acordingly time was split between north and south. His early golf on the Old Course was played with Tommy Morris, David Strath and Leslie Balfour-Melville. At the age of twenty Mure Fergusson was elected a member of the R&A, and proceeded to win the Autumn Medal in his first competition. In all he won twenty medals, the last one coming thirty-nine years after the first. Fergusson was twice runner-up in the Amateur championship, losing close matches to John Ball and FG Tate respectfully. He was fourth in the 1891 Open Championship at St.Andrews and might well have won had his putting not failed, the strongest part of his game. Not only did Fergusson compete at a high level he was also one the game’s most effective administrators, being a member of numerous committees including the inaugural Rules of Golf Committee of 1897. S. Mure Fergusson was captain of the R&A in 1910.
S. Mure Fergusson
Mure Fergusson was a successful stock-broker in London and as such played most of his golf in England. In the early eighties he was connected with Felixstowe but when Sandwich opened he migrated to that club. In 1895 he laid out a golf course on the estate of HF Locke-King, the pioneer in aviation and motoring. This was the New Zealand Golf Club at Blyfleet, and it was an unprecedented design being the first golf course carved out of a thickly forested property. Fergusson was New Zealand’s long time secretary, and in that capacity was regularly improving the course. Fergusson went on to design a nine-hole golf course for King Edward at Windsor and Duff House Royal in Scotland with Archie Simpson.
In 1906 Mure Fergusson contributed a chapter in Horace Hutchinson’s Golf Greens and Green-keeping-sharing his expertise on making a course out of a pine forest. It began, “To anyone who has been accustomed to play golf on a seaside course the idea of making a links in a pine forest seems, to say the least of it, a curious one. But when one thinks the matter out it is not so peculiar, for most pine forests grow on sand, and for a golf links sand is a sine quo non, at least from my point of view.” Later he describes how to construct a proper bunker, and can not resist taking a shot at golf architect’s favorite punching-bag, “Nothing to my mind, is more abominable on a golf course than the awful zarebas that used to be erected by poor Tom Dunn and others who first laid out inland greens.”
Zarebas? Merriam-Webster says they are improvised stockades native to North Africa, another in a long line of military allusions found in golf architecture’s lexicon. Mure Fergusson died in 1928 at his beloved New Zealand Golf Club.
H. Mallaby-Deeley – Harry Mallaby Deeley was born in London in 1863. His father William Clarke Deeley was a prosperous oil merchant. Harry was educated at Cambridge, and went on to become one of the most successful and daring real estate dealers at the turn of the century. “When the idea of acquiring any particular property had occurred to him he would follow it up with an interview with the owner, and usually, if the latter had the least intention of disposing of his interest, Mallaby-Deeley would come from the meeting place with a half sheet of notepaper recording the proposed contract.” That is how is he settled the purchase of Covent Garden with the Duke Bedford for the staggering price of just over Ã‚£1,750,000 ($15,000,000). Similar sums were paid for the purchase of properties at Piccadilly Circus and Founling Estates.
H. Mallaby-Deeley
HMD was an avid golfer who played to a scratch at Prince’s Golf Club, Mitcham Common. Mitcham was designed by Tom Dunn in 1892, and was considered nondescript and ordinary. Mallaby-Deeley became the chairman of the club in the late 1890s and proceeded to overhaul the course. When he was done it was considered one of the better inland courses in the Kingdom.
Infected by the architectural bug Mallaby-Deeley then set his sites on a seaside property where he envisioned a modern links. His dream was to create The super course-a golf course incorporating all the theories of modern golf architecture. It had long been rumored the Earl of Guilford’s estate at Sandwich possessed some of the finest golfing ground in England, and there were several attempts to induce him to sell but he had always declined. In 1904 after a long negotiation HMD was finally able to purchase the 360 acre property.
Mallaby-Deeley then set out to make his dream a reality. Initially he consulted an impressive collection of experts, including Horace Hutchinson, HH Hilton, John Low, Cecil Hutchison and Herbert Fowler, and then proceeded to lay out the course with the assistance of Charles Hutchings and PM Lucas. It opened 1906 and was immediately recognized as a groundbreaking design. Princes was Britain’s version of the National Golf Links three years prior to the NGLA opening for play.
Princes was an incredibly well thought-out design for its day featuring big bold hazards.
Princes was Mallaby-Deeley’s last known excursion into design, but despite his limited activity Josiah Newman editor of the American magazine Golf in 1914 called Mallaby-Deeley “the finest amateur golf architect in the world.” He died in 1937 at his chateau at Cannes, but not before donating Princes, Mitcham Common to the public.
John Sutherland – John Sutherland was born in 1864 the son of a Dornoch shoemaker. He began playing golf at 14 and was admitted to the club three years later, making scratch at once. Sutherland was appointed secretary in 1883 – a position he held for an amazing 58 years. Sutherland first competed in the Amateur Championship in 1891 at St. Andrews, and was a consistent attendant for the next 20 years. If there had been a prize for distance traveled most years he would have won it.
No one knows precisely when golf began at Dornoch, records indicate the game had been played there as far back as 1630. We do know the ‘modern’ game came to Dornoch in the 1870s with a nine-hole golf course. The Dornoch Golf Club was officially founded in 1877. In 1886 Old Tom Morris was engaged to layout a proper golf course, staking out a new nine thus extending the course to 18 holes. Sutherland carried out this work over the next few years. Old Tom deserves credit for getting things started but without question Dornoch was Sutherland’s long term project. Throughout his tenure he continually improved the courses including a major redesign in 1904, which included extending the ladies course to 18 holes.
In 1902 Golf Illustrated wrote of Sutherland: “He has given great service in laying out and altering, not only his own green but many of those in the neighbourhood.” Sutherland was invited in 1891 by the newly formed Brora Golf Club to layout a nine-hole golf course. He returned to Brora in 1902 and extended the links to 18 holes. That same year he laid out Skibo a private course for none other than Andrew Carnegie. In addition to Carnegie’s private course Sutherland designed and built private golf courses for the Duke of Portland at Lanfwell, the Duke of Sutherland at Dunrobin and Mr. Eric Chaplin at Stoer.
Sutherland taught the game to future professionals Donald Ross, Alec Morrison and Tom Grant, and this quote from The Scotsman may indicate which pupil he favored, “John Sutherland I know was proud of the Dornoch boys who carried the fame of his native town across the Atlantic.” One wonders what impact he may have had upon Ross the golf architect. As a young man Ross was both an apprentice to a building contractor and one of the best amateur golfers in the region. Members of the club urged him to go to St.Andrews to learn club-making, however his family wanted him to continue in the trade of carpentry. When the club promised to make him their professional, his parents consented and he was off to St. Andrews and Forgan’s golf shop for a brief apprenticeship. From 1893 to 1899 Ross was Dornoch’s first professional and presumably worked closely with Sutherland, who acted as the club’s secretary and greenkeeper (Sutherland was a self-taught expert in agronomy whose advice was sought throughout the UK). It is difficult to say to what extent Sutherland influenced Ross but it appears at the very least he laid his foundation.
In addition to his club responsibilities, John Sutherland was the Town Clerk, and beyond his public duties he advised Lord Rothermore and WT Tyser of Gordonbush on financial matters. He was also a successful Estate Agent. Sutherland even found time to write the golf notes for The Daily News, and contributed several articles to Golf Illustrated. Through his writing Sutherland was largely responsible for publicizing this islolated gem, and as a result the course attracted an impressive list of pilgrims including the Newton, Joyce and Roger Wethered, John Low, JH Taylor, Ernest Holderness and others. John Sutherland died suddenly at his home Golf View in 1941.
A.M. Ross – Alexander Mackenzie Ross was born in Edinburgh in 1850. His father made Venetian blinds for a living. One of the most famous of the old school Scottish golfers AM Ross was raised on the doorstep of the historic Bruntsfield Links. “It is said in St.Andrews that babies are toothed on golf clubs. Though born in Edinburgh, Mr. Ross’s aptitude for the game found almost the same fostering circumstances, for in boyhood he lived on the verge of Bruntsfield Links, and there, before he had reached his teen, he had become something of a prodigy.”
A.Mackenzie Ross
Had there been an Amateur Championship in those days it is difficult to believe he would not have been one of the first holders. When the Championship was eventually instituted in 1886 he had little time to devote to the game due to business interests. Ross was the most successful exhibition caterer and refreshment contractor of his day, and held the exclusive contracts for the International Exhibitions of Edinburgh (1886), Manchester (1887), Brussels (1888), and London (1891). He was also the proprietor of the famous CafÃƒ© Royal Hotel in Edinburgh.
MacKenzie Ross was a member of the Edinburgh Burgess Golfing Society, and for many years was considered almost invincible over Musselburgh links. He was also a frequent medalist at North Berwick, Gullane and Luffness. Ross won over one hundred medals during his golfing career (They are currently on display at the clubhouse of the Burgess Golfing Society at Barnton).
Later in life Ross was fortunate to have a good deal of leisure time, and this he spent in enjoyment of the game. In addition to playing the game Ross was keenly interested in golf course design. In fact his son, future course designer Phillip Mackenzie Ross, claimed his father was the first to coin the term golf architect. The elder Ross’s first taste of design appears to have come just prior 1890 when he and his friend Colonel Baird discovered Mildenhall and laid out two holes on the property of William Gardner. Eventually a club was formed and in 1891 Tom Dunn was brought in to extend the course. He pegged out 18 holes, however before construction commenced Ross convinced the principals nine holes would be preferable since Dunn’s eighteen was to utilize unsuitable marshy ground. Ross remained closely associated with Worlington and deserves a great deal of credit for what many consider the best inland course built prior to 1900.
In a twist of the Worlington situation Mackenzie Ross was involved with another famous nine-hole course when in 1893 he proposed Musselburgh be extended to 18 holes, and went so far as having the ground surveyed. In the end his proposal was rejected. In 1897 Ross was captain of Luffness New when a group of members broke away to form Kilspindie in 1898, and he along with Ben Sayers designed the new course. From 1898 to 1900 Ross was in charge of the committee that oversaw the construction of the second course at Gullane. Willie Park-Jr. had originally laid out the course but a disagreement over his fee resulted in the termination of that relationship. PM Ross claimed his father was involved in the design or redesign of Royal Burgess at Barnton Gate, Murrayfield and New Luffness.
Ross apparently enjoyed his boyhood home adjacent the Bruntsfield Links for in 1894 he acquired a villa overlooking North Berwick, and in 1904 built the impressive Hill House situated a top Gullane Hill with panoramic views over Luffness, Kilspindie and Gullane Links. A young PM Ross’s first foray into course design occurred at Hill House, when he designed a miniature golf course on land adjacent to the formal garden. AM Ross died in 1915 at Gullane Hill House.
Horace G. Hutchinson – Born Horatio Gordon Hutchinson in London in 1859, the son of General William Nelson Hutchinson. In 1860 the family relocated to Devon when his father was appointed commanding officer of Government House. It was at North Devon (Westward Ho!) that a very young Hutchinson was introduced to the game by his uncle, Colonel Hutchinson, one of the club’s founders. After studying at Oxford, Hutchinson went to London and began to read for the Bar, but before being ‘called’ he had second thoughts, and spent the next several months traveling through Europe. He did not touch a golf club for an extended period and claimed he had to ‘relearn’ the game on his return. Evidently he relearned well for he won the Amateur Championship the first two years it was held in 1886 and 1887.
Horace Hutchinson – the grandfather of golf course architecture
HGH used those championships as a springboard to his writing career, a very successful career that ultimately led to him becoming in essence the voice of the game. Bernard Darwin wrote, “In the early eighties golf was, save in a few places, comparatively little known in England, and Mr. Hutchinson, alike by his fine play and his pleasant writing, did a great deal to increase the popularity of the game. Indeed, it is hardly too much to say that at one time golf to the Englishman was represented by two names, those of Mr. Horace Hutchinson and Mr. Arthur Balfour.”
Hutchinson’s first known architectural involvement came in 1888 after his father moved from Devon to Eastbourne in Sussex. A local man requested HGH lay out a course which became Royal Eastbourne. The downland course was known for two attributes: the cavernous ‘Chalk Pit’ and wild greens. Darwin wrote, “To putt at Eastbourne is an art of itself. It is not that the greens are not good, for they are excellent, but the hidden slopes in them are extensive and peculiar.” That same year Hutchinson claimed to have laid out one of the first golf courses in America for the Rockaway Club in 1888. He toured the United States in 1887 and 1888.
Without question Hutchinson’s masterpiece was Royal West Norfolk (Brancaster)-collaborating with Holcombe Ingleby in 1892. A prideful Hutchinson remarked, “its distinguishing features are the absence of artificiality and the great variety to be found in the holes.” He would go on to design Isles of Scilly (1904), Harewood Downs (1906) with JH Taylor, and Le Touquet (1904) in France, in conjunction with Taylor and Willie Fernie. He also assisted in the redesign of Ashdown Forest where his friend Jack Rowe was the professional. Hutchinson lived in a cottage adjacent to the course. In addition to these projects he was involved in the formation of several new clubs, including Burnham & Berrow, Nairn, and numerous clubs around London. In all he was a member of a mind-boggling 300 golf clubs, and certainly his expertise in architectural matters would have been a benefit to all.
Brancaster’s lack of artificiality has helped make it a stand-out course for well over a century.
Although his design accomplishments are impressive unquestionably his greatest contribution came by way of the pen. In the 1890s he was a regular contributor to numerous magazines, most notably Golf magazine, often discussing aspects of design within its pages. An example of his forward thinking is illustrated in this excerpt from 1897, “Raynes Park itself is a pleasant and interesting course in the summer, but its soil is of very clayey nature, and in consequence becomes almost unplayable in the wet weather. But the country about Woking is all of that light, almost sandy soil in which rhododendrons and Scotch firs especially love to grow. This is, of all inland soils, the kind that gives the best golf, and its characteristics are those that the prudent prospector of a golf course in Great Britain, in America, and all the world over will first look for. Provided the soil is light-such at least is our experience over here-all things are possible, no matter what the growth or what sterility appears on the surface of the soil.”
A chronological look at Hutchinson’s architectural writing begins in 1890 with Golf from the Badminton series-one of the first and most widely read books on the subject. It touched on every aspect of the game including golf course development. That was followed by Famous Golf Links — published in 1891 — the first book profiling the great golf courses of both Great Britain and Europe. It was collection of articles he had written for The Saturday Review. In 1897 Hutchinson joined the staff of the new periodical Country Life as its first golf editor and almost immediately began commenting on new golf courses, emerging golf architects, and architectural theory. That same year he edited the remarkable British Golf Links – the striking photo essay that remains our best documentation of early golf. His next effort was The Book of Golf and Golfers, written in 1899. It included a chapter on “laying-out and up-keep of greens” written by Mssrs. Sutton & Sons, with supplementary remarks by Willie Fernie. In 1906 Hutchinson edited the first book devoted to the science of golf-architecture and maintenance — Golf Greens and Green-Keeping. Among the contributors were HS Colt, WH Fowler, S. Mure Fergusson, James Braid, CK Hutchison, Peter Lees and HH Hilton. Hutchinson was a guiding force not only for the game, but also for these men who would contribute so much to golf architecture.
Hutchinson’s last book relating to architectural matters was his golfing memoirs – Fifty Years of Golf – written in 1913, though not published until after the War. That same year he had very serious operation that almost killed him. He ultimately survived but was physically limited and in considerable discomfort the remainder of his life. Golf was over forever, as was his influence upon the game. The suffering ended in 1932 when he took his life, jumping from the roof of his four-story home at Lennox Gardens, Chelsea. He was 73 years of age.
Other amateurs – I would be remiss not to briefly touch on these other prominent amateurs golf architects.
Robert Chambers, Jr. was born at Edinburgh in 1832, and the son of Robert Chambers the famous publisher and author of Vestiges of Creation. He followed his father into the publishing business in 1853 and in 1873 became editor of Chamber’s Journal, which he ran with great success. Chambers was a fine golfer who grew up playing over the Old Course but in later years played mostly at North Berwick where he had a second home. In 1878 he won the inaugural Grand National at St. Andrews, the precursor to the Amateur Championship. Although not as prolific a writer as his father Chambers did manage to write one of the first books relating to golf – A Few Rambling Remarks on Golf. He also co-authored (with his father) the famous poem ‘The Nine Holes of the Links’ of St. Andrews, which appears in Robert Clark’s classic book, Golf: A Royal and Ancient Game. Chambers’ lone architectural accomplishment was laying out the first nine-hole course at Hoylake with George Morris in 1869-no minor accomplishment. Robert Chambers died at his house in Edinburgh in 1888.
Rev. AT Scott was born in 1848 at Cambridge where his father was vicar. A good athlete and avid sportsman, Scott was involved in the historic Oxford-Cambridge cricket match of 1871. In 1886 he became the vicar of St.James, Turnbridge Wells. In 1888 he was a founder of Royal Ashdown Forest, and laid out that famous golf course. Royal Ashdown Forest features a total absence of artificial hazards since the original charter of the Royal Forest prohibited man-made alterations to the land. Scott remained at the club his entire life, and was the Archdeacon of Turnbridge at the time of his death in 1925.
Henry Hope of Luffness in East Lothian was born in 1839, and educated at Eton and Christ Church College, Oxford. Henry Hope was the landed proprietor of Luffness House and it adjoining 3200-acre shire. Luffness had been in control of his family since the 18thC. In 1865 Hope laid out the first 18-hole golf course between Edinburgh and London. This was the old Luffness, which he built at his own expense with the help of Old Tom Morris. Sir Alexander Kinloch said, “Mr. Hope was very kind to lay out this course for them, but he did not see where the people were going to come from to play it.” They came, and they came in large numbers, and when in 1893 old Luffness moved to another site, Hope laid out Luffness New on his estate. The next year he asked Old Tom Morris to advise on the placement of hazards however the layout remained essentially Hope’s. Henry Hope died in 1913.
CJ Gilbert was born at New Romney, Kent in 1859. He began his professional life as a solicitor, but later became an electrical engineer and manager of a chemical works. Ironically he was best known as an amateur expert in geology, specializing in the occurrence of sand and gravel deposits. Who better than an expert in sand and gravel to dabble in golf architecture? His only known architectural work was the design of the nine-hole course at Berkhamsted in 1890. The site featured heather, bracken and the ancient Saxon earthworks known as Grim’s Dyke. Like Ashdown Forest there were no man-made bunkers.
George Combe was born at Belfast in 1862 and educated at Rugby. Combe was the consummate sportsman excelling in cricket, football, billiards and golf. He was also one of the pioneers of motoring in Ulster. Another in a long line of electrical engineers turned golf architect, Combe was a founder of the Irish Golfing Union in 1891, and for many years its Honorary Secretary. His status with the Union led to several design opportunities including the lay out of the first nine at County Sligo in 1895. Without question his greatest design accomplishment was transforming Royal County Down into one of the world’s great golf courses. That transformation began in 1900 and continued for the better part of a decade. Combe died at Lisburn, Northern Ireland in 1938.
George Combe
WC Pickeman was born at Montrose in 1868, the son of the administrator of the Royal Lunatic Asylum. As a young man Pickeman was an insurance clerk in Edinburgh – playing his golf over the links at Musselburgh. He moved to Dublin in the early nineties taking a position with the Law Union and Crown Insurance Company, eventually ascended to managing partner. His architectural career began on Christmas Eve 1893, when he and fellow Scot George Ross rowed over to the peninsula of Portmarnock in search of land for a possible golf links. Boating in late December? I suspect Christmas cheer was involved. Whatever the case they found the site perfectly suited, and made a proposal to the landowner Mr. Jameson, the famous distiller, who being a good Scot himself, and an avid golfer, consented. Nine holes were laid out by WCP in 1894, and the full 18 were in play two years later. It should be noted Pickeman wisely sought the advice of Mungo Park (Old Willie’s brother) in this early stage. Pickeman went on to design/redesign an estimated twenty golf courses, including Castle, Skerries and Kilmashogue. He also inspired a group of Dubliners who went on to their own distinguished design careers: Cecil Barcroft, Peter Gannon and AV Macan. WC Pickeman died in 1931 at his home in Dublin.
HS Colt was born in 1869 at Highgate, London. Colt studied at Cambridge where he captained the golf team. In 1893 he joined a solicitors office in Hastings. As one of the leading amateur golfers in England understandably the Rye Golf Club sought his advise when planning their new links. Ultimately Colt and Douglas Rolland (who Colt knew from Malvern) laid out the golf course. Those two were also involved in the redesign of Hastings-St. Leonard the following year. The inclusion of one of the most successful golf architects in history may seem a bit odd, but one must remember his professional design career would not commence for another twelve years. For that reason Colt is a good example of the amateur architect from the early period.
Andrew, Cowan-Dewar, Mingay & Thompson – Canada’s Top Golf Courses
Andrew, Ian – Architectural Evolution of Stanley Thompson
Arble, Sean – Burnham & Berrow Golf Club
Arble, Sean – Burnham & Berrow Golf Club Pg. II
Arble, Sean – Pennard Golf Club
Arble, Sean – Pennard Golf Club Pt. II
Beaumont, John – Herbert Fowler and The Bradford Golf Club
Beaumont, John – Reflections from England
Beaumont, John – Reflections on Ganton
Beck, Bob & Leefe, Nick – 10th Revision Chronology of Dr. Mackenzie’s Presence 1907-1934
Behr, Max H. – Art in Golf Architecture
Black, Jamie – Enhancing The Experience Of Golf Through Landscape Design And Environmental Psychology
Bloom, Kanon – Royal Lakes Golf & C.C.
Borght, John Vander – Hannastown Golf Club
Buie, Chris – A History of Pinehurst No. 4
Buie, Chris – A History of Southern Pines Golf Club
Buie, Chris – The Early Days of Pinehurst
Buie, Chris – The Middle Ages of Pinehurst
Buie, Chris – The Original Pinehurst No. 3
Carpenter, Gib – A Cry for the Golf Course
Carpenter, Gib – A Cry for the Golf Course Pg. II
Chalfant, Mark – The Architecture of William B. Langford
Chapman, Tony – York Country Club
Cirba, Mike – Walter J. Travis “Dropped” at National Golf Links of America Truth or Travesty? (Part One)
Cirba, Mike – Walter J. Travis “Dropped” at National Golf Links of America Truth or Travesty? (Part Two)
Cirba, Mike – Forgotten Foxburg America’s Oldest Golf Club?
Cirba, Mike – Walter J. Travis “Dropped” at National Golf Links of America Truth or Travesty? (Part Three)
Cirba, Mike – Who Was Hugh Wilson?
Cirba, Mike – Who Was Hugh Wilson? – Part II
Clayman, Adam – Pacific Grove
Clayman, Adam – Spyglass Hill Golf Course
Clouser and Flemma, Debate on Maxwell’s Southern Hills vs. Oklahoma City
Clouser, Chris – Perry Maxwell’s Dornick Hills
Clouser, Chris – Southern Hills: Maxwell’s Crown Jewel
Clouser, Chris – The Designer from the Great Plains
Clouser, Chris – The Designer from the Great Plains pg. II
Clouser, Chris – Why Dornick Hills should be Restored
Cohn, Matt – Golf In Australia
Cohn, Matt – Lincoln Park Golf Course in San Francisco
Cohn, Matt – The Golf Courses Around Lake Merced
Crosby, Bob – Joshua Crane in the Golden Age, Part I
Crosby, Bob – Joshua Crane in the Golden Age Part II
Daley, Richard – Wild Horse Golf Club
Daniels, Bill – Tiger’s Plans for Chicago Course Misses the Mark
Dewar, Ben – Banff: Still one of the World’s Greats
Dorsey, Eric – Brook Hollow Golf Club
Dugger, Michael – Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club
Duran, Lou & Brauer, Jeff – Ralph Plummer, Golf Course Architect
Fay, Michael – Country Club of Farmington, CT, USA
Ferguson, Mark – St Andrews Beach
Ferguson, Mark – The Short Par Fours of the Sandbelt
Fine, Mark – Lehigh Country Club
Fream, Ron – Around the World in 76 Days
Fream, Ron – Around the World in 76 Days Pg. II
Fream, Ron – What Signature?
Fream, Ronald – Oldest Courses Outside Great Britain & Ireland
Freeman, Noel- Deal Me In
Freeman, Noel- Playing Golf at Kawana Hotel GC, Japan
Freeman, Noel- Triskaidekaphobia
Friedrich, Carl – Rye Golf Club
Gholz, Anthony – Bendelow and Alison at Port Huron Golf Club (Michigan/USA)
Giordano, Frank – River Oaks
Giordano, Frank – The Fun’s Gone Out of Golf
Glenn, Jeremy – Banff Springs
Glenn, Jeremy – Computer Assisted Golf Course Design
Glenn, Jeremy – The Reverse Old Course
Glenn, Jeremy – The Reverse Old Course pg. II
Goldman, Jeff – The South Course at Olympia Fields
Goodale, Rich – Royal Dornoch Golf Club
Goodale, Rich – The Architectural Evolution of Royal Dornoch Golf Club
Greenwood, Trey – Coronado Municipal Golf Course and the History of Golf on California’s Coronado Island
Harris, Kyle – Penn State University Golf
Healey, Jim – Glen Echo Country Club
Hunt, Matthew – Another Take on a World Top 100 Ranking
Hunter Morrow, Melvyn – Famous Links That Were Not Designed, But Simply ‘Happened’
Izatt, Bryan – Review of Teeth of the Dog, Casa de Campo
Izatt, Bryan – Teeth of the Dog, Casa de Campo pg. II
Jackson, Dale – Royal Colwood
Jones, Gordon A. – Panmure Golf Club
Lavin, Terry – Olympia Fields CC (North Course)
Lewis, Cory – DuPont Country Club
Lewis, Jeff – Loch Lomond Golf Club
Links & Harris – MacKenzie’s Sharp Park Under Siege
Links & Harris – Venturi Urges San Francisco To Save Sharp Park
Litman, Benjamin S. – Timeless Golf at Quogue Field Club
Lupkes, Todd – Palouse Ridge Golf Club
MacWood ,Thomas – George Arthur Crump: Portrait of a Legend
MacWood, Thomas – A Round of Golf Courses: Bernard Darwin – Outward Nine
MacWood, Thomas – A Round of Golf Courses: Bernard Darwin – Inward Nine
MacWood, Thomas – Arts and Crafts Golf (Part I)
MacWood, Thomas – Arts and Crafts Golf (Part II)
MacWood, Thomas – Arts and Crafts Golf (Part III)
MacWood, Thomas – Arts and Crafts Golf (Part IV)
MacWood, Thomas – Arts and Crafts Golf (Part V)
MacWood, Thomas – Gliding past Fuji – C.H. Alison in Japan
MacWood, Thomas – Gliding past Fuji – C.H. Alison in Japan pg. II
MacWood, Thomas – Magazine Architecture
MacWood, Thomas – Ohio State University Golf Course
MacWood, Thomas – The Dream Decision
MacWood, Thomas – The Early Architects: Beyond Old Tom
MacWood, Thomas – The Early Golf Architects: Beyond Old Tom Pg. II
MacWood, Thomas – The Early Architects: Beyond Old Tom Pg. III
MacWood, Thomas – The World’s Finest Courses
Mandell, Richard – The Best Course No One Will Ever Play
Mark, Chad – Kirtland Country Club Green Expansion
Martin, Scott – Machrihanish Dunes – Environmental Battleground or Golf Course? Or Both?
McBride, Bill – Pensacola Country Club
McKnight, Peter – Saucon Valley Country Club
Mendik, Kevin – H.C. Leeds, the Papa of American Golf Architecture
Mendik, Kevin – Challenges of Restoring a Classic American Golf Course
Mendik, Kevin – Cultural Landscape Assessment for the Restoration of the Golf Course at Sunnylands Estate
Sunnylands pg. 2
Mingay, Jeff – A Great Hole: the 16th at Cape Breton Highlands
Mingay, Jeff – The Evolution of a Classical Golf Course: Essex G&CC
Mollica, Matthew – A Review of Barnbougle Dunes Golf Links
Mollica, Matthew – Titirangi Golf Club
Moran, Kelly Blake – A Framework for Considering Changes at Augusta National
Moriarty, David – The Missing Faces of Merion
Moriarty, David – The Missing Faces of Merion by Pg. II
Morris, Jr., Walter S. – Secession Golf Club
Morrison, Wayne – Rolling Green Golf Club
Morrow, Melvyn Hunter – The Early Golf Designers: The Real Golden Age
Morrow, Melvyn Hunter – The Colossus of Golf Course Architects & The First Golden Age of Golf Course Design
Muldoon, Tony – H.S. Colt of East Hendred
Naccarato, Thomas – In Praise of The Ralph Miller Library
Nishijima, Masa – Golf Magazine Top 100 1983-2011
Ohlendorf, Greg M. – Flossmoor Country Club
Oxman, Nate – Endearing Ed Oliver Golf Club
Pallotta, Peter – Golf Through the Looking Glass
Papazian, Gib – A Lesson from a Lady in Scotland
Papazian, Gib – Preservation of Architecture as Art
Paul, Tom – A Renaissance Movement in Golf Architecture
Plumart, Mac – Extreme Golf
Prystowsky, Michael B. – Evolution of the Westchester Country Club Golf Courses
Ratliff, Gordon – MacKenzie & Woodside CC
Richards, Paul – Beverly Country Club
Ross Society – Ross Restoration Guidelines
Rowlinson, Mark – Golf Courses of Cheshire
Rowlinson, Mark – Great Britain NLE’s
Rowlinson, Mark – Leadhills and the Joy of Gutta Percha
Sayer, Dick – Old Head of Kinsale
Sayer, Dick – Pine Valley vs. Pebble Beach
Shackelford, Geoff – A Historian’s Dream Article
Shackelford, Geoff – Art and Golf Design
Shackelford, Geoff – The Ball Problem by Max Behr
Sherman, Gary – Selling a Tree Program at your Club
Sponcia, Joe – Deconstructing Width
Sponcia, Joe – Green Committee Primer
Sponcia, Joe – Homogenizing the Game
Sponcia, Joe – Trees on the Golf Course – A Common Sense Approach
Stewart, David – Kampen Course at Purdue University
Sturges, Ted – Letter to Golf Digest
Sweeney, Mike – Blending Old and New in Renovating a Classic
Sweeney, Mike – Blending Old and New in Renovating a Classic Pg. II
Taylor, Jeff – Anatomy of a Rebuild
Thomas, David – Sphinx in Your Back Garden by David Thomas
Thomas, Michael M. – A Golfer’s Five-Foot Shelf
Threlkeld, Mike – Cherokee Country Club
Topp, Jason – Oak Ridge Country Club
Tufts, Bradford – Tedesco Country Club
Van Reysen, Matthew – Princes Risborough GC
Vander Borght, John – The Balloon Ball
Versalles, Laz – Goat Hill Park
Wall, Jordan – Gold Mountain Golf Club
Ward, Alfie – Arbory Brae Golf Course
Wexler, Daniel – The Evolution of Augusta National: What Would The Good Doctor Say?
White III, Dunlop – An Anatomy of a Restoration
White III, Dunlop – Below the Trees
White III, Dunlop – The Shrinking Fairway
Williamsen, Tom – Musgrove Mill Golf Club
Young, Mike – The Architect as Genius


SNL #35.21 Mother's Day all-stars with Betty White, Fey, Poehler, Rudolph, Dratch, Gasteyer, Shannon
Too many of my acquaintances were hyped up about this show before it ever went live, which to me, is always an ominous sign. With a live show such as SNL, you never really know what you're going to get until it happens, no matter how the rehearsals or the table reads go. And from what I had heard earlier in the week, with so many returning regulars guesting this week, my expectation was that we would see essentially a reunion of recurring characters. What would that leave for the actual cast to do, though? And how would 88-year-old Betty White fare as a host, anyhow? Or are we going to be pleased as punch if it was all reunions and putting naughty words in White's mouth? (Foreshadowing) Onto the All-Star RECAP!
We open cold with the Lawrence Welk (Fred Armisen) take on Mother's Day, so many tiny bubbles and a tease to the Jugglettes: Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey and Molly Shannon. Not a reference to the Juggalos so far as I know. OK, audience, cool it. Stop applauding just because you see Betty White alive. Here she's mother to the sister act of Janice (Amy Poehler), Peggy (Maya Rudolph), Clara (Ana Gasteyer) and tiny-handed big-foreheaded Judice (Kristen Wiig), who sing with Will Forte. Look. They got all of the old ladies in the open with one of Wiig's crazy characters and gave White as little as possible to do. Don't get me wrong. It's cute and all. But this is a comedy entertainment show. Let's try to keep some perspective on it? Just showing up does not automatically warrant complete fawning. A little bit of fawning is expected, though. See? Perspective.
White makes it to center stage in a quicker time than either of my grandmothers did when they were 88 (especially since one never made it to that age). "It's great to be here for a number of reasons," White said. She reminds us that in the 1950s, they didn't want to go live, either, but they didn't know how to do it otherwise. She thanks Facebook, before mocking it. And let there be old people jokes. White does a nice aside while joking about poking. "Guess what? Jay-Z is here! If I had a dime for everytime I've said that, I'd have a dime!" Nicely played. Nicely executed.
MacGruber! Ready for the movie? Ready or not, MacGruber is working with his Nana (White) now, who keeps embarrassing him in front of Vicki (Wiig). As in past weeks, SNL has put the night's trilogy of MacGruber bits into one clip, which will roll at your convenience:
An NPR scene brings back "Delicious Dish," a recurring scene hosted by Gasteyer and Shannon -- and best known for their "Schweddy Balls" bit with then-host Alec Baldwin. Tonight they're celebrating dietary fiber. Their guest is Florence Dusty (White), and she is known for her muffin. "I can't wait to taste your muffin." And so on, and so forth. Dusty admits that bakers of her day may have dry, crusty or even yeasty muffins. Just ask her how long it has been since her muffin had a cherry. We dare you. So yes, you'll probably want to see this:
The first ad of the night is the Snickers Super Bowl ad with Betty White, and don't forget Abe Vigoda! The second ad is for the MacGruber movie. The third ad is for beer. The fourth ad is for Sex and the City 2, which you need to drink a lot of beer before deciding that's a good idea. The fifth ad is for an iPhone. The seventh ad is for Betty White's new TV Land sitcom.
Continue reading "SNL #35.21 Mother's Day all-stars with Betty White, Fey, Poehler, Rudolph, Dratch, Gasteyer, Shannon" »
May 9, 2010 6:44:47 AM | Abby Elliott, Amy Poehler, Ana Gasteyer, Andy Samberg, Bill Hader, Bobby Moynihan, Fred Armisen, Jason Sudeikis, Jenny Slate, Kenan Thompson, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon, Nasim Pedrad, Rachel Dratch, Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey, Will Forte
Betty White's SNL all-star dress rehearsal cuts: Debbie Downer, Bronx Beat, Joyologist, car bomber
With so many former cast members of Saturday Night Live returning to help out guest host Betty White, we knew we were in for a lot of reunions with old characters. And we were, but a few didn't make the final cut after last night's SNL dress rehearsal, including Rachel Dratch's "Debbie Downer," a new "Bronx Beat" with Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph, a "Joyologist" session with Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon, and a slightly misguided "press conference" for the failed Times Square car bomber Faisal Shahzad.
NBC has put these online, but should any of them made it onto the live show? Let's review.
Kristen Wiig's character tried to host a lingerie party with Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon, and Amy Poehler, Ana Gasteyer, and a latecomer to the party, Dratch's Debbie Downer.
Nobody lost it in the scene, but this did feature a flashback to when Debbie wasn't such a downer, but her grandma (Betty White) taught her everything she'd know. Oh, there was a dig at BP for the current Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
In Bronx Beat with Betty (Poehler) and Jodi (Rudolph), they talk about Betty's second pregnancy, pool noodles, and Mother's Day wishes. And White plays Betty's mother, retired to Florida. White plays the straight woman in this sketch. Andy Samberg also appears as White's yoga instructor and her boyfriend. Cougar alert! So if you hoped to hear White talk more about having sex, well, here is that chance.
OK. In "Joyologist," Ana Gasteyer brought back her character Gayle Gleason, host of a TV show called "Pretty Living" that now only appears in the backs of taxi cabs. And she welcomed back Helen Madden, Molly Shannon's renowned "joyologist." Two old characters in one new sketch. "I love it, I love it, I love it," Shannon's Madden said. What do you think? Do you like her new friend?
If they had put these sketches on the air, do you know that most of the current SNL cast could have taken the week off?!? Really.
And this sketch in which Faisal Shahzad (Fred Armisen) holds a press conference to express his displeasure with how the media has mocked his failed attempt to blow up an SUV in Times Square the previous Saturday, with translation from Maya Rudolph's character. It. Well. Hmmm. Doesn't Shahzad speak at least some English, anyhow? Roll it.
May 9, 2010 6:03:46 AM | Amy Poehler, Ana Gasteyer, Andy Samberg, Fred Armisen, Molly Shannon, Rachel Dratch, Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey
Classic Christmas clips! SNL with Alec Baldwin, Glengarry Glen-Christmas & Schweddy Balls
Tonight on NBC, Saturday Night Live went primetime with "A Very Gilly Christmas," with Kristen Wiig's Gilly character introducing clip packages and performing in small sketches with Will Forte as her principal foil. Some funny highlights from the vault. But here are two blasts from the past that really take the Christmas cake, courtesy of recurring guest host Alec Baldwin. First, they showed the Christmas spoof of "Glengarry Glen-Ross," with Baldwin showing up to give the elves in Santa's Workshop the business. This is from Season 31, Episode 8 (SNL #31.8), with Fred Armisen, Rachel Dratch, Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers as the elves, and watch for Baldwin to make a flub so great it's almost not a flub at all. Roll the clip!
Then, toward the very end of the two-hour special, Baldwin himself introduced this clip from Season 24, Episode 9 (SNL #24.9), in which Baldwin played Pete Schweddy, owner of a store called Season's Eatings, and guest on an NPR talk show with Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon. Yes. We're going to be hearing a lot about Pete's Schweddy balls. Roll the clip!
Dec 17, 2009 9:57:05 PM | Amy Poehler, Ana Gasteyer, Molly Shannon, Rachel Dratch, Saturday Night Live