Jack and Barbara Nicklaus Receive Greater Columbus Hospitality Award

Couple Honoreded at Greater Columbus CVB Annual Meeting

Jack Nicklaus, arguably the greatest golfer who ever lived and the man who brought the Memorial Tournament to Greater Columbus in 1976, and his wife, Barbara, today received the Greater Columbus Hospitality Award.

They received the award at the Greater Columbus Convention & Visitors Bureau's 2003 Annual Meeting at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

"I would like to thank the Convention & Visitors Bureau and the entire Columbus community for making this possible," Jack Nicklaus said upon receiving the award. "Columbus will always be the place we call home and the place we love."

The GCCVB presents the award each year to an organization or individual who has greatly contributed to tourism development in the Columbus area.

"Mr. Nicklaus' dedication to our community is unparalleled. For the past 26 years, the Memorial Tournament has been one of the premier PGA tournaments in the country and annually draws thousands of visitors to our community," said Paul D. Astleford, GCCVB president and CEO. "We are forever grateful for Mr. Nicklaus' dedication to our community, both through the Memorial Tournament and the Jack Nicklaus Museum."

A native of Upper Arlington, Nicklaus starred at The Ohio State University before becoming one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. He has won more than 100 professional tournaments worldwide, and has an unprecedented 20 major championship titles.

When Nicklaus founded the Memorial Tournament, his goal was to bring the Columbus area a world-class tournament while also honoring those from the past and present who have made major contributions to the game of golf.

"The Memorial Tournament transcends great golf and great champions. It was created in part to honor the players and people who have shaped what I consider the greatest game of all," Nicklaus said.

The Memorial Tournament, through the efforts of Barbara Nicklaus, has been a major benefactor for Columbus charities, including Columbus Children's Hospital and Columbus Dispatch Charities.

Barbara Nicklaus was presented with the inaugural PGA First Lady of Golf Award in 1998 for her decades of charitable work, which includes more than $10 million raised for charitable causes. The Children's Hospital Foundation became one of her favorite endeavor back in the late 1960s after her then 1-year-old daughter Nan was treated at Children's for pneumonia after accidentally swallowing a crayon.

"The thousands of children she has touched through her charitable efforts is an example of the wonderful things that can be accomplished through golf," said Ken Lindsay, past president of the PGA of America.

In May 2002, the Jack Nicklaus Museum opened at The Ohio State University. The museum includes interactive exhibits and memorabilia documenting Nicklaus' career as a golfer, golf course designer, businessman and family man. Barbara Nicklaus collected through the years a majority of the items on exhibit. Highlights include a series of exhibits that chronicle Nicklaus' playing career through his performance in the sport's major championships--the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA Championship - as well as the U.S. Amateur. "Being able to take all the things I've (collected) through the years and the story of my life and put it together...it's kind of nice," Nicklaus said. "I can't think of a better place for it than where I came from, where my roots are and (at) the school I went to."

Previous winners of the Greater Columbus Hospitality Award include John H. McConnell (Columbus Blue Jackets); Dimon R. McFerson (Nationwide Arena/Arena District); COSI Columbus; The Ohio State University; Jim Lorimer (Arnold Classic); Denny Hales (All-American Quarter Horse Congress); Jack Hanna (Columbus Zoo and Aquarium); The Longaberger Company; John S. Christie (Greater Columbus Convention Center); and John F. Wolfe (Ameriflora '92).