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good afternoon everybody beautiful day
to be outdoors want to thank you all for
coming today as we get our program
underway on a very special day here for
University of Arizona Athletics the
Chown Country Club and of course the UA
golf programs want to welcome you again
to the Tucson Country Club and the
William M B Clements Golf Center a
Collegiate golf at the University of
Arizona as you well know has been a rich
tradition producing national champions
all- Americans and some of the uh top to
Golfers on the LPGA and PGA Tours from
anakah soram to Jim furri and many
others this building behind me
represents a permanent home for alumni
current and future Wildcat greates today
we honor those who have helped build
these programs and open the doors to
this new facility that will keep Arizona
golf among the best programs in the
country as we look around this
magnificent facility uh we’ll hear about
what it took to to build it the
construction but the real reason it
exists has little to do with the
concrete the iron the windows the doors
B Clements Golf Center is here because
of you and that’s it it’s the people
that support Arizona Athletics that make
all this possible now topy in that list
is Bill Clemens whose love and passion
for the U OFA will live forever many
people to thank today uh everyone
couldn’t be here today uh and what I
mean by that the many construction
workers who have spent hours making this
building First Rate I was told that soon
after uh ground was broken Rick lose was
spotted on the back hole digging
trenches for the plumbing so like think
I’m sorry I misread that it was Rick
larusa who was here digging the church
thank you reick if you’re here
appreciate all your help uh I would like
to recognize the prominent contributors
and campus Partners uh that helped make
the bill Clement Golf Center a reality
abore Regent Greg Patterson U OFA
president Bobby Robins JP rosak and the
entire team at the U OFA Foundation
Tucson Country Club Partners Steve
Nile Lesley Steve kic Rick torquest Chad
Nock and Ryan Davis and those who worked
on this project Douglas Frederickson
Architects Concord General Contracting
who are also hosting our reception
following the ribbon cutting eec
engineering Lorie Carroll and Associates
LLC interior design graphic impact
signage and graphics and Arc Studios
Landscaping thank you for all your hard
work in bringing us to reality
the William M Bill Clements uh project
would not have been possible without the
significant support and generosity of
many individuals and to recognize the
contributions please welcome Erica
Barnes executive senior associate
athletic director and senior women
associate wow thank you very much Brian
um what a what a again we always have
the utmost professional um in one of our
some of our most important ceremonies um
we want to thank um so many of you um
that have contributed to this but you’re
going to hear a lot from the Clem family
um you’re also going to hear from Coach
Rick lose but um one thing I wanted to
recognize um at John and Marsha
Orca uh several years ago that um my
husband for some of you that don’t know
my husband played here from 1990 5 to
99 and my um brother-in-law played from
99 to 2003 and then went on to one the
US Amer in 03 my husband was um
recruited by Coach Rick lose and in 1994
on his recruiting trip when he was 17 he
showed him blueprints for a golf
facility and so here we are he’s
47 and we’re about to cut the ribbon
and um just to show the a little bit of
the tradition um and what a what Wildcat
tradition which you hear about from
coach Anderson and Coach ianello um that
also played here um I think it’s really
neat that Andy um is counting for
Charlie Hoffman whose parents went to U
OFA and Ricky Barnes and his CAD is
Derek glesby who also played so um it’s
a a a beautiful Testament to coach luros
in the tradition and this is just
another Testament that this is going to
continue this tradition uh for another
30 years so um they send their best from
there so again we wanted to thank um and
for those that have um given significant
gifts and when you have a tour later
you’re going to see um their names up in
several places like so many of you um so
just to start I want to read off um some
of them that are here in attendance
today first of all Jenny
Clemens Ken quit
hurter and zinaa
Lopez Tim and Jane
grian Jim and Karen
Berwick daav and sha D
Berwick Kimberly
Clemens Jim and Vicky
click bran and Chris
Hogan Tom and Joan
kibido Roger canola and family
and then not in attendance today but we
want to appreciate and recognize their
support um the Thunderbirds um outside
of Phoenix it was um their first
significant gift outside of Maricopa
County so it’s a great partnership with
them and another wild cat that is still
playing this week and so could not be
here um Jim and Tabitha
Burick and then finally Peter and Nancy
Salter um Peter was a uh 1965 grad he
was a u OFA golf letter winner Nancy and
Peter have been so philanthropic um
around the entire University and they
live up in Phoenix they also have a
house in Pinetop where they host an
annual U OFA event up there and so uh
the short game area is named after Peter
and Nancy stter so thank you to
them all right thanks we look forward to
a wonderful event
thank you Erica in uh just two short
months on the job Des Reed franois has
made an immediate impact on Arizona
Athletics most notably if I can add
connecting with the student athletes on
campus they love having her and she’s
made an immediate impression on all of
them so we would like to welcome the
well can can I still call you
new five weeks not not not new anymore
please welcome vice president and direct
of Athletics desire Reed
fris down your notes
there it is absolutely fantastic to be
home you know I uh was talking to Maya
earlier and Maya was talking to me about
just coming here and having a home so
thank you so much for giving a home to
our student athletes you know I am I’ve
only been here five this is actually
week six and I’m incredibly grateful to
be back home here in Tucson but you know
I I don’t deserve any credit for being
up here I want to give a special thank
you um to Dave hiiki and to president
Bobby Robbins um I know there are so
many people that gave their Heart and
souls and I’m so excited to hear coach
lose speak earlier I think it’s been 40
plus years that you have wanted this and
I cannot wait to hear from our coaches
too um I know that there may may be some
emotions because you got this has been a
labor of love for all of you so on
behalf of our 508 student athletes and I
say 8 student athletes because when you
invest in our golfers you’re investing
in all of so on behalf of our 508
student athletes thank you for giving my
golfers a home thank you for caring
about our student athletes and making
the University of Arizona Athletics not
just a national Powerhouse but this is
the absolute best golf facility in the
entire
country thank you to the Clemens family
you know I I moved my offices uh I think
the second or third week that I got here
to the jelle Clemens academic center and
and thank you for your generosity for
that every day I get a chance to walk
through and see student athletes and it
fills my heart with absolute Joy they’re
the reasons why we do what we do so I
can promise you one thing I promise you
we will always make them the center of
what we do and we will work hard to make
you all proud thank you Bear Down
well as mentioned Arizona golf is a
success because of the people and that
starts with two of the best coaches in
the nation both have been named Pack 12
Coach of the Year during their time
leading our programs Laura ianello has
been part of two national championships
one as a student athlete in 2000 and one
as head coach in 2018 so please welcome
the women’s head coach at the UA Laura
anello
good evening um thank you well first off
uh we want to start this evening with um
again just with a lot of thank yous
thank you so much uh to the all of the
donors that have really who sorry have
um made our dreams come true with this
golf facility uh I too Erica talking
about Andy um and how coach lose showed
those plans of the golf facility I too
back in 1998 saw the plans of this golf
facility that was as a recruit and um I
also have to do a very big special thank
you to Bobby Robbins um I met you for
the first time um your first year as
president we were in Pint top and the
first thing you ever said to me is that
you know what we’re going to get you an
amazing facility and I was kind of like
okay yeah thanks great probably um and
you meant that and so thank you and and
and JP with the foundation everything
that you have done um Coach Rick
lose uh you and and ni Lesley I remember
you guys coming to us with this little
napkin from TCC and you’re like Blondie
we got a plan and we are going to build
you a golf facility and here’s the
napkin and you had it all drafted out of
um 40 plus years of dedication to this
University and our golf programs and the
man that recruited me to be a wild cat
thank you
the bottom of my heart coach and
um there are so many people to think I
could be up here for hours and hours
thanking everyone but someone to so
special to this project and and special
to me is uh Brent block Bren thank you
you helped everything with every meeting
Jim and I had so many questions back and
forth you helped to to building this
project with with Concord to also
helping us pick out every pillow every
table you name it you did it thank you
and with that my partner in crime there
Mr Jim Anderson I can’t thank you enough
for just being the the best person to
work with as well so um with that I want
to talk about why we we have a home now
um I’ve been to Arizona now for 27 years
and we’ve been all over the the city you
know we’ve had amazing relationships
with other clubs and um to now have this
new home this new partnership with
Tucson Country Club is so special and um
it’s a new partnership but it’s going to
impact our student our student athletes
lives so much because now they have a
home and what I mean by home is you know
we have so many student athletes that
come from all over the world or even
like Maya on my team who’s from Tucson
but you know living in a dorm is not
that glorious and and glamorous so these
kids have a home and they have a home
where they’re going to continue to
improve their games they’re going to
live their dreams if it’s playing
professional golf or you know being a
future CEO or whatever that is they’ve
got a home where they’ve got the tools
and the resources and the support with
Coach Jim and and Matt and Braden here
for them every day and and with that um
some pretty amazing stuff that you’re
going to see in there with trackman
range and the putt view lab and and and
everything else and club repair um which
we’ve never had we’ve always had to
Outsource and go to the PGA Superstore
and things like that so really really
cool um another great area is we’re
going to be able to showcase the history
here the history of Arizona gol I’m
going to I’m going to give you some
quick facts why this place is so great
why I love it and that’s why I get so
emotional because it’s just it’s home to
me and I love it but we have won four
national championships we have
won yes 164 team tournament
championships over the years 15 major
championships like I’m talking like
major championships like the Masters the
women’s open all those good things 176
professional golf wins two former
players in the World Golf Hall
Hall of Fame that is what this is going
to continue to bring this facility and
um the William M
Bill comment Golf Center is a dream come
true and
um thank you thank you guys for
everything and and we we’re going to
continue to make you proud I promise you
that um I’d like to introduce now uh our
amazing men’s golf
coach Jim Anderson my guy come on up
Jim good afternoon um thank you Laura
for for your remarks and your heartfelt
speech um I know better than to get
assigned second to follow Laura anello
on a speech um but I was drawing the
short card tonight only once did I draw
the short card tonight though because
quite honestly um I feel like one of the
luckiest people alive um to get to be a
part of this program get to lead this
program um have a wonderful team that’s
doing some great things this this year
um and uh to get to call so many of you
here in the crowd friends um I I really
mean that and uh speaking to some of the
thoughts that we shared on May 17th 10
months ago a shout out to Concord on an
unbelievable job with the project um and
uh groundbreaking was just here 10
months ago and we talked about this
facility being a home and the importance
of having a real home for our teams to
to build relationship to share time to
do all the things that that we all get
to do as family when we go home and I
think the way we lead our teams the way
we choose to to to be together with our
teams as speaking with coach inello and
and her teams I know they do the same
thing we feel family and so you folks in
the crowd here your your family with
Arizona golf and um we’re we’re just
incredibly blessed uh so many thank yous
to share president Robbins um we we we
we wouldn’t be here without you and
really I I just commend the job you do
and and the leadership that you
demonstrate and uh I know it’s not easy
and I and I I know that you you’ve done
some amazing things for us and you’ll
forever be indebted um JP with the
foundation very creative project very
challenging to get to where we needed to
be you and your team have been A+ to
work with from day one thank you for all
you’ve done uh the Tucson Country Club
the members the staff the board have
been so welcoming um I think it’s great
to share
this physical location but I think the
relationships that are going to continue
to to unfold and open up will only
enhance uh future lives for our team and
and and and and hopefully provide you
with two teams that you’re incredibly
proud of um we we couldn’t do it without
every one of you as well um also you
know the donors that are sitting here
all of you who made made this possible
um you know it it’d be really fun to
have open invitations for an event like
this and certainly this facility is
going to be shared and welcom but the
reason you all are here is because you
believe in us and you believe in this
program and you believe in and what what
we’re doing to try to help young men and
young women continue to to grow and
continue to chase their dream to be a
professional but also have some really
really good backup plans for what life
could entail if competition or
competitive golf isn’t part of that and
uh you know the history that we share on
the on the walls that you’ll see I I I
really challenge you to spend some time
in that Champions room coach aelo
touched on it so perfectly um the
history here of this program and having
40 Years of of success has really uh
created an opportunity for us to share a
day like this and time is such an
incredible thing because you know I
think there’s moments where you think
about 40 years and it’s it’s like wow
that took forever I’m I’m really excited
to hear coach lose later too because I
know he’s going to have some some great
uh context on on on on how we got here
um and perspective but on the other hand
too things move so quickly you know we
we we we’re here now and it’s it’s it’s
a exciting moment to think about 10
months ago this was part of deserted
area and uh part of a driving range over
here and and now we share this great
space and have a to call our own so um
it’s incredible uh to to to think of
those things I I was kind of thinking
today was a little bit like a wedding
because uh you know everyone’s really
excited um and um you know the people
who are here you’re also the people who
sit at the football games some of you
are up in the Suites some of you are on
the sidelines every one of you is at the
football games and and thank you for
your support of that um I see many of
you on the sidelines of the basketball
games I see you at softball and baseball
games so many other events it’s because
you’re the people invest in Arizona and
Arizona Athletics and the fact that
you’re sitting here and you you want to
be a part of the Arizona golf program
provides us with so much pride and it
gives us so much energy and we just
can’t say thank you um we can’t say
thank you enough because uh we we really
just feel so empowered to to make you
proud and and really work as hard as we
can to accomplish all the things we’ve
done in the past and and the things
we’re set to do in the future this
facility is going to provide us with the
opportunity to compete at a national
level and do it at even higher level now
uh we’re we are the team to beat or we
want to be the team to beat um both
teams are having great years ranked in
the top 20 right now and excited for the
postseason good luck to our women’s team
leaving tomorrow for pulman Washington
in the final Pack 12 our men’s team’s
heading up to to Scottsdale the week
after to to compete at desert forest uh
so with that I I I do want to say um to
you know a special shout out to a few
other
people um our Arizona athletics
department really is a family and we’re
very very fortunate to have the support
of so many um our Wildcat Club has done
a great job of having the opportunity to
do this um so thank you to to everyone
in the Wildcat Club um Desiree thank you
for your leadership um it’s been great
to get to work with you for a short time
now but I know this is going to be a
really really great future for all of us
um mentioned earlier Dave HEI played a
great role and helping us get to this
point too and it it really it takes a
village to to to do something like this
so um thank you to all of you um Jeff
ker he didn’t get a shout out yet but
he’s he’s the person behind a lot of the
technology in there and I’m kind of a
techy guy so um Jeff I don’t know if
he’s out there tonight but Jeff
certainly um deserves a shout out too
and and I I do want to say a special
heartfelt thank you to Brent block um
there I see Brent uh he’s he’s the
person who’s really kept us on point
with the things we need to do and uh
awesome person to work with great friend
and uh really this is this has been a
huge success for those of you who know
Brent um you know how great he is at his
job and he’s really tied everything
together and done a great job so Brent
thank you from our teams and from myself
too um the last thing I would say and I
want to introduce our student athletes
um but coach lose uh I know this is this
is a very special day for for all of us
um but I am just honored to get to share
it with you
because this is the reason that the
reason that we have so much history on
both programs but especially on the
men’s program is because of the success
you had for 34 years as the coach here
and you have set an incredibly High bar
um I know how proud you are of your
program and this program and the things
that we’re doing together and to get to
see you realize this day and get to to
see a dream that you you you
had decades ago um not to date you you
know if if if it’s a if it’s if it’s a
wedding you you can be the dad I don’t
know maybe you’d be going into the grand
dad but um uh but you have uh really set
the bar for a day like this and I’m just
I’m just so glad that we get to share
this day with you because we wouldn’t be
we would not be here if if you hadn’t
had a dream and a vision for the
programs that you coached um to build
the programs to continue to grow and the
example that you set that way it it it
charges me every single day and uh I I I
promise I will work my artists to make
you and everyone here in in the audience
very proud of the team that uh I hope
you meet and I I I say this because I
want you to go up to our guys and make
them talk to you because we’re working
on that um but we have a great group of
guys and uh we we certainly are are
really excited about that but coach
congratulations to you as well and uh
thank you all for such a a great evening
tonight thank you for the opportunity to
say a few words um we have many head
coaches in the building too and you know
this this wedding analogy just to wrap
up to
is you know you’re you’re kind of
sending off two of your children now to
the next step with this building and uh
Co Laura and I couldn’t be more excited
for the future of our program and uh you
know we’re probably still going to need
your help in some areas so um you know
but but we have a great a great place to
get going with our teams at our program
in a happy home that we are going to be
competing with winning national
champions with championships with and
making you proud so bear down thank you
so
much I now have the pleasure to
introduce two senior student athletes
both are in the Eller schools management
both have been part of their travel
squads from day one um from our ladies
team Gill B starcut and from our men’s
team Sam summerh Houser
um I just want to start off by thanking
everybody here for the support of both
the men’s and women’s team um I’ve been
here for four years and I can tell you
there’s no better place to play college
golf than here at the University of
Arizona um under coach Anderson and
Coach Matt it’s been some of the best
years of my life and I’m just um so
happy that we’re able to call Tucson
Country Club our new home and um it
wouldn’t be possible without everyone
everyone here support so we’re super
excited and thank you very
much hello everybody um I committed to
Arizona almost six years ago and I’m not
going to lie there were a lot of things
that I wasn’t sure about I wasn’t sure
about moving to a new country I wasn’t
sure if I was good enough to play
college golf but I knew one thing for
sure was that I was committing to a
program of Champions and that my time
here is going to be an opportunity of a
lifetime and there’s a lot of things
that make this program so special so I
want to just list them our amazing
coaches coach Laura and Coach Braden
that are sitting right there our
athletic support staff Emily Jennifer
our strength and conditioning coach
Chris our trainer Justin and most
importantly the amazing team that’s
sitting right there in the third row um
that we all come from all over the world
we have Italy Germany France uh Thailand
Argentina Kansas Tucson Lithuania but
the one thing that connects us all is
the love for the game the hard work that
we put in when we study or we practice
and the heart that we have when we
compete for the University of Arizona
and honestly I could not ask for a
better group of people that I call my
family now um but once again none of
this would be ever possible without our
community which is all of you guys um
You Believe in Us you support us through
our highs and lows you invest in our
future and our education um and you make
our dreams come true because right now
you gave us a home this beautiful
facility that I’m so excited about um
that will help us grow improve and make
hopefully all of you in Arizona proud um
so on behalf of my whole entire team we
are so grateful and thank you so much
and um Arizona has become my forever
home this program has made me into the
person that I am today uh it prepared me
for the future um it made my dreams come
true of playing college golf um and so
for the future of this team that I’m
very very sad to leave um with all of
your support and with how hardworking
all the players are I know that the
future of Arizona women’s golf is really
really bright so you have made this
program into a program of Champions so
thank you all of you so much and bear
down for
life thank you gilan Sam um I’ve never
played golf with u Dr Robbins probably a
good thing he’d take all my money uh but
in all seriousness uh Dr robt has a
great love for all the athletic programs
on the UVA campus but I know because he
has a love for the game of golf this is
a very special day for him so please
welcome the president of the University
of Arizona Dr Robert
Ravens good afternoon I uh have a lot of
prepared remarks that of course I left
over there with JP because uh everything
that uh should be said is already been
said just hasn’t been said by me so uh
I’ll try to keep it short but I may
ramble a little bit uh first of all uh
what about our students I think Desiree
nailed it I am so proud to be the
president of this great University and
the students that we have and the two
students who got up and spoke to us now
I think You’ hire them in your business
buiness is uh to come and work for you
after they finish off their great golf
career wherever that may be so
congratulations to all the success
you’re having and that you’re going to
have in the postseason I uh I I want to
talk to you I I try to move in and out
and talk to them every once in a while I
most of the time I don’t think they have
any idea who I am just some old guy
wantan to to to chat them up but those
uh those Fairways at pass it to impo are
pretty narrow and those greens are no
notorious so uh you did well there and
and congratulations on this uh this
recent outing when
yeah um you know Lauren Jim I I always
pick up people on airplanes and around
golf courses and I always call up with
great enthusiasm you wouldn’t believe it
I just met this incredible player and
you know you know it it’s uh I I’m I’m
the chief recruiter and hopefully the
chief retention officer of the
university and if you look at my ex
account I’m the chief Storyteller and
Enthusiast for the University and I
don’t know that any of those players
that ever met in all my travels ever
ended up coming but uh I I won’t I won’t
uh keep uh doing that for uh the time as
being a wild cap for life I will always
think about if I see a good golfer and
they’re young so you got to consider
University of Arizona because I know
coach lose is going to talk about the
history and all the stuff
but I I took on the mission of going
around and looking at at Great
University golf facilities and I agree
with desz Ray this is absolutely the
best um I I went to Wake Forest and
looked at the Arnold Palmer uh golf
facility it’s it’s good it’s good uh Jim
Click I have been to the uh the Oklahoma
state facility Carston Creek that was
pretty special I have to admit it may be
a tie Desiree I don’t know that’s uh is
a pretty special place but this is new
it’s for us it’s for our students and
for the program and it’s going to be an
incredible recruiting tool for our
coaches and I know um you know I I I
can’t even begin to tell the thousands
of hours and people who have made this
day possible I’m just glad that I’m here
to see it when I got here uh I met uh
Andy wild and I’m going to have the
opportunity to to cut the ribbon on his
new building and he’s someone who is a a
guru of integrated medicine and I told
him I’m so excited I want to come and
see your Center he said don’t uh don’t
get too excited because it’s a little
adobe house off the size that we’re
going to build you a facility and with
JP’s help and a lot of donor’s help this
project and that project 100% funded by
philanthropic gifts so all of the donors
thank you for making all of these uh all
of these projects so successful um I
came here also thinking I I’m I’m a golf
Enthusiast but all of you who play with
me know that I really am bad at golf but
that’s okay I like the line I shoot 81
every time because I take 81 strokes and
I just quit so I should I just shoot
every 81 every time coach but uh I had
hoped I was going to come here and that
Laura and Jim were going to teach me how
to you know play the game and get better
and as everyone knows I’ve only gotten
worse now a little of that is I have to
check my birth certificate but I just
just cannot get over to my front side
and I’m looking forward to this facility
hopefully helping me in the next couple
of months uh get better um Jenny flus
thank you thank you for this uh we could
not have done it without you we couldn’t
have done
yes there’s so many things at this
University that we have to thank you for
and and um I know the breast center is
very very special to you I know this
facility is very very special to you but
the lives that you impact with the
academic center and I’m just so thrilled
that Desiree chose to put her office
there um now I have to say we’ve got big
plans uh I have a dream I have a dream
that one day we’re going to build an
entire athletics department office
complex just to the uh just to the east
of the jny clment center um that’s going
to that’s going to mess up some things
with beach volleyball but I I may not be
here to see that dream but I have a
dream uh but Jenny you have done so much
for this University you and Kimberly
your entire family uh so many others
here I’m not going to go through all the
names but just know how much I
personally appreciate everything that
you’ve done uh all of you have done uh
and most importantly for your support
and your friendship and so I’m not sure
who’s next Brian but I’m going to stop
right now I’m happy to take any
questions I I I came here from the Board
of Regents meeting and this is such a
beautiful
thing finally
finally my watch tells me it’s 90° so I
didn’t have to wear a coat to this event
because as you know I like the warm
weather and it’s getting it’s getting
get really good right now but I love you
all bear down go
catch all right thank you Dr Robbins
Rick lose coached the Arizona golf
programs from 1978 through 2012 he is
the only coach in NCA history to guide
both a men’s and women’s division one
team to a national championship a member
of four hall of fames please welcome
Rick
Rose well first of all I want you to
know I did not coach Pete
Salter and I also want you to know
according to Mike kendre I did not share
an office with pop
male but with that being said I’m going
to give you a little bit of Paul Harvey
today I’m going to tell you the rest of
the
story I’ve worked for nine University
presidents here and I’ve worked for nine
athletic directors and now I’d like to
add 10 and 11 because I’d like to
consider Desiree and coach candrea on
that list even though I didn’t have to
answer to him thank God especially
especially
Mike I came here to coach swimming in
water polo and Dave strak the athletic
director asked me if if I would like to
be the golf coach and that was in
1977 and I was still coaching swimming
and water polo and golf all at the same
time for two years three three Sports
together for two years that kept me
pretty busy but in
1978 I met a gentleman his name was Bill
Clemens I didn’t know Bill very well I
knew that he owned a beer
distributorship which was pretty good
and I needed to raise the level of our
golf program we were just not going
anywhere at golf and we needed to get to
be a National Power in golf and I asked
Bill I said Bill I’d like to raise some
money and I want to do it with a a
fundraising tournament and do you think
you might be able to help me out without
hesitation Bill Clemen said well
absolutely he says hey I’m just a little
beer salesman and so off the wi we have
the golden eagle Wildcat tournament from
1979 to
2013 and it was the most successful
fundraising uh college golf tournament
in the country and the first year
actually and Jenny will remind you uh we
we netted
$90 but over the period of time we
netted about four and a half million
doll and that got our chance for our
programs to sustain themselves over all
those years we basically Rose our whole
budget except for salaries and uh a lot
of that is because of Bill Clemens and
the golden eagle Wildcat
tournament then in
1984 we had the pack 10 golf
championships here at Tucson Country
Club and I kept thinking to myself wow
what a place this would be if we could
just be here all the time well things
kind of moved on from that became a
dream of mine and in then in 1985 a
couple friends of mine George and David
me started a little resort called La
Paloma they said hey we’d love to have
you guys use that as our home course I
said fine that’d be great and also de
developed a US Amer champion and Eric
Meeks and then in
1990 we had a new course called Star
Pass which opened up oh coach we’d love
to have you use this as a home course
they gave us one end of the range and it
worked out pretty good and Robert Gamez
won his first professional golf
tournament there the very first time he
tried it was a pretty good place for us
in 1995 I met a guy named Larry lippin
and he owned the Raven Golf Club in uh
Phoenix and he built one here in Tucson
and Larry said we need to have the wild
cats out here there it goes then in
about
19 around 1999 2000 Jeff Silverstein and
iri golf bought the Raven turned into
Arizona
Nationals we spent a little bit of time
there won about two or three national
championships out of there developed
another us Amer Champion named Ricky
Barnes and uh pretty successful and
these are some of the plans I used to
show lur all the time because this this
was going to be our home well I carried
around with me a notebook for from 2000
to 2014 with 33 different site scenarios
of where we could have a practice
facility I spent a lot of time walking
around the dirt in places you’ve never
been in this town
and we came up with some ideas one of
which was the Arizona the University of
Arizona ksen Turf grash Research
Center and uh the director of the time
was Merl Jensen and he thought this oh
my God we’ll get you here we’ll have a
driving range and we’ll have a living
laboratory for our turf grass research
well Merl retired and that kind of fell
through the cracks well then we picked
up the College of Life Sciences because
agriculture turned into life sciences
and Dean Burgess thought you know why
can’t we revisit that and our athletic
director time was uh uh Greg Burley and
we met with them a bunch of times and we
had plans all drawn out schematics and
then it got Nicks somewhere along the
line and then something really fabulous
happened Bobby Robbins became president
of the University of Arizona that is one
of the most important days in my golfing
history
Bobby loves Golf and we need to have a
facility and in 2018 almost coinciding
with it there was a young lady who
played golf at Iowa State University was
out practicing on our Golf Course late
in the afternoon and was killed by an
illegal alien and right then and there
every University in the country was
warning you better take care of your
student athletes make them safe now I’m
thinking Bobby we got to do something so
talked to Wade dunan who was the
director uh the general manager here at
Tucson Country Club and I said Wade what
do you think about getting the Arizona
Wildcats out here it’s something I
dreamed about for a long time and Wade
said I think we can get that done and
the membership at tucon Country Club got
behind us 98 and a half% of the members
were in favor of having us here and some
of the local people in this town who I
went to see right away said yes we can
do that and I went to Bobby I said Bobby
we got got to raise some money and Bobby
Robbins and I spent a lot of time
talking to people and raising money
and one afternoon I remember talking to
a young lady named Jenny Clemens Jenny
you think you’d go to lunch with me I
need to talk to you about something I
also got to tell you that Tom Rogers her
lovely husband kind of goed me into
this and so Jenny and I met and I said
Jenny I I want to build a practice
facility at Tucson Country Club it’s
something we’ve worked on Bill and I
used to talk about it I need to get a
little money from you if I could and we
talked about an amount and and she said
oh yeah I’ll do I can do that and I said
that God bill would be so happy he says
well wait a
minute Bill tell you what let me give
you twice that much and let’s put Bill’s
name on it that was just such a special
day for me I remember exactly where we
were and I’ll never forget it and then I
called Bobby and said Bobby we need to
get going we started breaking ground
they send them pictures every time a
bulldozer would show up
and people would come up to me and come
up to our my friends and go ah you’re
never going to have this here that’s
never going to happen sorry that’s
that’s that’s not going to happen when
you know what take a
look and that’s not the whole story
because the story is continuing we’ve
got great student athletes we’ve got a
great facility and we’ve got great
coaches and we’re moving forward in the
best practice facility in the whole
country bear down go cats you made an
old man very happy and sweet thank
you thank you Rick
Jenny Clemens is a National Treasure
Jenny is given like no other to this
community married to her late husband
bill for nearly 30 years Jenny has
dedicated her life to the betterment of
others she’s raised millions of dollars
for numerous nonprofits and served on
over 50 boards both locally and
nationally the awards bestowed upon
Jenny would take up an entire section at
the U library
jinny’s name sits on one of the most
important buildings on campus and that’s
the jinny El Clements academic center
since it opened in 2016 Wildcat student
athletes have had record setting years
in the classroom academics have always
been of keen interest to Jenny and Bill
in 1979 Bill established the golden
eagle Awards and with Arizona Athletics
for over a decade the golden eagle
Awards and golden eagle academic
Champion awards that have been given to
Young athletes not only for their
individual athletic achievements but
also for their ability to maintain a 3.0
GPA in the classroom bill passed away in
1995 and left behind a legacy of giving
that continues to this day thanks to
Jenny and Bill’s children Chris and
Kimberly Tucson citizen of the century I
will bestow upon that her today please
welcome Jenny clemet
wow so L to say right
now thank you thank you thank you today
is a very very special day not only for
the University of Arizona women and
men’s golf team but for my family in
me we are truly truly humbled and
overwhelmed by seeing this incredible
building dedicated to my late husband
and Kimberly and Chris’s Father William
M Bill clemet who passed away 29 years
ago as was said bill was always generous
and kind to so many organizations in
this
community and one of them was the U
OFA golf program like Rick
lose
mentioned he had a motto that he shared
on the desk at Golden Eagle
Distributors be humble to everyone
period and he lived by that
motto I can remember the meeting that
Dave II Laura
ionello Jim Anderson Vicky fer and Eric
Barnes
attended I told him a story about Bill’s
generosity to the athletic department
over the years and what he did for the
golf program at the
UFA then I
said this is what I want to be the lead
donor
in memory of my
bill we all had tears in our eyes it was
a wonderful afternoon and I’m so blessed
that I’m able to do that was able to do
that bill loved the game of
golf he wasn’t a great
player maybe he didn’t even have 81 uh
Dr
Robins just
he loved the co camaraderie with the
men that he played with and a lot of you
are here today and I thank you for that
he loved being with
you first of all I want to thank also
Tucson Country Club for allowing this
building to be built for the University
of Arizona men and women’s golf
I shall never never forget your
generosity thank you so so
much also I especially want to give a
big shout and already Erica mentioned
this to the Phoenix Thunderbirds who for
the first time made a
donation out of Maricopa County in the
amount of $1 million to this
project I was so touched by that
donation because Bill Clem loved being a
Thunderbird while we lived in Phoenix
many many years
ago thank you also to all the
donors a lot of you are in this
audience
helping get this building started thank
you thank you thank you you have touched
my heart by your donations to this
project thank
you but I’m not through yet as there is
one very special couple and I know Erica
mentioned their names that I also want
to thank and that is Nancy and Peter
sulter for their huge donation and
kindness thank you so so
much Erica it was so wonderful as always
working with
you Phil and your entire staff thank you
for everything you did to make this
building such a success thank you Erica
Bobby
Robbins you are the best president I’ve
ever served
under I just publicly want you to know
that I’ve served under about three or
four and by far you surpass all of them
and I’m very grateful for all you’ve
done for the University of
Arizona thank you
Bob JP Rosen I’ve served with
you for about 18 years I think and I’m
still serving with you if she still have
me thank you thank you for everything
you do too I really do
appreciate what you have done thank you
last but not least another big shout out
is to conquered
construction and the owner JV nyman JV
where are
you back there there you are and your
superintendent Tom Rose and all the
employees that worked on this project
as everybody has said it is an absolute
beautiful facility you were very open to
my requests and I thank you for that I
also want to recognize them for
underwriting the reception that will
take place after the ribbon
cutting ladies and Gentlemen please
enjoy this moment enjoy this building
and thank
you all for coming to the William M
build
Clement Golf Center ribbon cutting thank
you so much God bless you all and be
down wild
cats all right Jenny before you sit down
it’s time to cut the ribbon okay so I’d
like to invite our ribbon cutting
experts please don’t run with your
scissors uh Jenny Clemens Kimberly Clem
Colt McKenzie Chris Clemens Desiree Reed
Francois and Dr Robert Robbins along
with our head coaches Laura ianello and
Jim Anderson
all
right open
that e
I want to add one more thanks uh terara
Bruce Roberta Stout who put this night
together thank you very much for all
your hard work guess
what the golf center is open come on in
self-guided tours reception enjoy and uh
take a look at this remarkable facility
thanks for being here tonight Bear Down
