A Century in One Room: Nebraska PGA Celebrates 100 Years in Gala Fashion
Written by Stu Pospisil | Omaha World Herald Reporter & Lead Writer
Nebraska PGA Centennial Gala Photo Album
In one room, a filled ballroom on a December holiday night, the past, present and future of the Nebraska Section PGA celebrated their shared 100-year heritage.
Members of the new Nebraska PGA Hall of Fame mingled with students in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Professional Golf Management program. Pros from western Nebraska engaged their counterparts from western Iowa.
All dressed to the nines (golf pun intended) on a red carpet entrance.
It was the gala of all galas, impressive to former Husker golfer Eric Eshleman, who as secretary of the PGA of America is in line to be the first PGA President to have ties to Nebraska.
Eshleman said his invitation from Nebraska PGA Executive Director David Honnens had been a little vague.
“He said, ‘We’re going to have a little party in celebration of our 100th,’ then I got here tonight and saw the red carpet and 500 people. He didn’t quite tell me that it was going to be quite the gala.
“This is, ‘Wow.’ What a special, special evening.”
During the three-hour dinner program Dec. 5 at the Hilton Omaha, Eshleman and Honnens spoke; the evening’s master of ceremonies, Greg Neujahr of Champions Run in Omaha, moderated a panel discussion with PGA of America at-large board member Dawn Neujahr, his wife, and Nebraska Section PGA president Mike Schuchart of Wilderness Ridge in Lincoln; and the six members of the new Hall of Fame were presented.
Dave Marr Jr., the nationally recognized television golf commentator, led sit-down interviews with the honorees or their representatives after they received introductions from PGA Life Member Don Germer.
Dawn Neujahr and Schuchart addressed the three phases of the section’s heritage.
Neujahr: “To the past, those of you that have come before us as officers, We respect you, we honor you, we thank you for all of your guidance and everything when you take a phone call from us, we thank you for setting a foundation that has been unbelievable for our section.
“For the present, there are so many great things that are happening right here, right now. “Our section is amazing.
“For the future, there are so many things that are on the horizon that if you are just new to the industry, or you are just new to being a golf professional in the Nebraska PGA, or you’re an associate, put on your seat belt, because I’m going to tell you what these next five years are going to be like, high-flying. Unbelievable, so amazing and so much fun that everyone in this room is going to look and go, ‘Wow, I am so proud to be a part of the Nebraska Section.”
Schuchart: “We have to thank the past. We wouldn’t be sitting here without the past. The people that started this 100 years ago continue to drive a ship to put us where we are today.
“The present, we have to thank what’s happening right now, it’s pretty impressive. We are a small section, but we are mighty. You don’t have to be big. You have to have a passion for what you want to do. You have to have a will for what you want to do.
“The future, thank you, because you will be the caretakers of what has happened for 100 years. You’re the caretakers going forward. I am incredibly pleased, and the outlook is incredibly bright. We’re in great hands going forward, and it’s pretty fun to see. So the next 100 years is going to be an amazing ride. Hope I’m not around for all of next 100 years, but some of it anyway.”
The late Bob Popp and the late Bob Schuchart were inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame. Accepting in person were Jack Hoskins, Jim White, Tony Pesavento and the younger inductee, Mike Antonio.
Hoskins, the oldest of the group at 86, expressed amazement at the evening.
“I’m really overwhelmed. I’m a little blond-headed kid from Enders, Nebraska. For you people that don’t know where that’s at, it’s the last town before you get in Kansas, in the southwest corner of the state. It’s a town of less than 100 people,’’ he said. “For me to ever think that I could be at an event like this, it just has me overwhelmed.”
Nebraska Section PGA members gather for spring and fall meetings, see each other at section events. The Nebraska Section Gala was a rare time for them to bring their spouses or significant others.
“You get to see what this means to your spouse,’’ Dawn Neujahr told them. “We have never gotten our wives and husbands together, and to do this and celebrate this is amazing and remarkable.
“It makes us so proud, and we hope that you’re proud of what your partner does on a daily basis, because the game of golf is amazing. We build communities, we build relationships, and we build memories for your families that you don’t get to get regularly. So it is incredible.”
The night enraptured Eshleman.
“Nebraska is a small Section, but it’s with a big heart,’’ he said. “And this room tonight shows what the Nebraska Section does. This is unbelievable, this evening.”
About the Nebraska Section PGA
The Nebraska Section PGA is a non-for-profit organization comprised of over 340 PGA Members and PGA Associates who strive to promote the enjoyment and growth of the game of golf. The Nebraska Section PGA encompasses the entire State of Nebraska, western fifth of Iowa and a small portion of South Dakota including Dakota Dunes and Yankton. The Section office is located in Lincoln, NE and acts as a resource for local and national golf information for the golf professional and amateur player alike. Our members are often referred to as “Club Professionals”, not to be mistaken as PGA Tour Professionals.
Each Nebraska Section PGA Professional serves as an expert in the ever-changing business of golf. They are the leading expert players and teachers, skilled business managers, community leaders, and superior merchandisers who have dedicated their careers to the local delivery of these services.