By: Patricia Francis Good     

Left to right: Board Member, Mrs. Palmer, Arnold Palmer, Board Member, and Pat

On Sat, Aug 7, 2021 at 6:32 PM Patricia Good  wrote:

Dear Brett,

As you reminded me in your email, life is all about what lies ahead…  The past is just that and we all have a few things that happen to us along life’s journey that tests us and make us who we are.  I am no different from you in this respect. 

So, Brett, you better go get a beer, I have a little story to tell you …

While working for the March of Dimes (my dream job – I volunteered through high school) I learned that Arnold Palmer, our National Chairman,  was qualifying for the Seniors Golf Tour and would probably be playing in his first seniors tournament in Austin, Texas where I was the local March of Dimes Executive Director.  I called his agent and asked if Arnold would hold out until I could get in my application for us to be considered the tournament charity. I asked him to agree to be part of my package, and asked him not to accept the invitation to play without endorsing the March of Dimes as the official charity of the event.  The agent called me back to say Arnold Palmer agreed.  

I appeared with over 100 other charities to apply for that honor.  The line wrapped around the clubhouse.  I was about the 50th charity to make a bid. I walked up to the table, laid my proposal down, and said, “Here’s the bottom line fellas… Make the March of Dimes the charity of this tournament, and you get Arnold Palmer.”  They laughed at me.  I said, “My phone number is inside the package. I look forward to working with you.” And then I left.  The next day they called to say that they had called Arnold’s agent, and low and behold, the agent said, “the girl is right – Arnold won’t come unless you accept the March of Dimes as your charity.  The deal was done! 

 Arnold arrived the week of the tournament and told me that there were two conditions to working with him.  If I kept my promise to abide by these two conditions, he would work with me. If not, the deal was off.  I gave him my word. 

Next, I had to tell my board of directors that these were his two conditions:

1)  I was not to pass him off to anybody else to work with … he was only working with me.

2) I was not to change the schedule that we had agreed to.  Simple enough.   

It would have been if the Chairman hadn’t already planned a private party in his home for his friends to meet Arnold Palmer.  I told him Mr. Palmer had made it clear he would not do anything other than the agreed schedule. (And I would be breaking my promise to Arnold.) 

 After a few days of working with Arnold Palmer (by the way he was a very nice man) the Pro Am was about to begin, and we finished in the clubhouse that morning.  I had invited my father (a big Arnie’s Army guy) to watch the tournament and buy him something from the Pro Shop. So I took my father to the Pro Shop and waited for Mr. Palmer.  As Arnold entered, you could have heard a pin drop as he crossed the room and said to me “I had some thoughts about switching up the last two events today before I start playing”.  We conducted our business, while my sweet daddy kept pulling on the back of my shirt.  I finally looked up at Arnold Palmer and told him the man behind me was my father.  Arnold reached around and grabbed my dad’s hand and told him how nice it was to work with his daughter.  My dad didn’t wash his hand for a week!  Ha. 

But, meanwhile, without my knowledge, the Chairman of the Board was working fast and furious to get me fired. While I had been working that week with Arnold Palmer, people were searching my office for anything that could get me fired. I kept the books. They were clean. All they could find was a big jar of pickles that I had put into my office closet and forgotten to take back for a refund.  And, even though I worked night and day, 7 days a week at my job, I often went home for lunch and sat out by the pool to get a tan. (That’s important to southern gals!) 

So, when I finished up with Arnold Palmer, I was told that I should go over to one of the board members’ offices, where a meeting was being held.  I thought they were going to thank me for the good work I had done getting Arnold Palmer to represent us and the many things he did for the children we served, or maybe for the $50,000 we made as the charity of the tournament. 

Instead, they asked for my resignation based on the following allegations:  1) I kept Arnold Palmer to myself and didn’t let anyone else escort him around or have him do the things they wanted him to do. (Chairman’s private party)    2) Accused me of hoarding pickles. (this was my favorite allegation!) and 3) that I often came back from lunch late, with a tan.  Ha!  I gave my resignation because I didn’t think it would be fair to me or the donors to fight over these ridiculous accusations and left for Tahiti with my parents. Apparently, it got real ugly after I left.

When I got back, I had a job offer waiting from the Regional Director of Easter Seals. 

My life went on. When I was a kid, we used to sing this song in church …  

 “I WOULDN’T TAKE NOTHING FOR MY JOURNEY NOW” 

“Well I wouldn’t  take nothing for my journey now; I gotta make it to Heaven somehow, though the devil tempts me and tries to turn me around  … He’s offered everything that’s got a name, all the wealth I want and worldly fame…If I could, still I wouldn’t, take nothing for my journey now.”

My point to this story is this: You kept your promise to your sailors and I kept my promise to Arnold Palmer.  We can’t change what other people think of our choices or even what they do to us … but we can learn something from everything that happens to us in life, and then move on and look forward to the next challenge. 

I have no doubt at all that you will find another career that will challenge you to greatness, and because you are a man of your word, you have no regrets… only memories of making a difference in this old world for people who deserved your very best. 

That’s the end of my story and song! 

Patricia

From:Brett Crozier
Sent: Monday, August 9, 2021 9:42 PM
To: Patricia Good
Subject: Re: A couple of things from Patricia

Patricia,

That was at least a 2 beer story.  One to enjoy while reading, and another beer to contemplate all the valuable life lessons you passed on.  In the end we can never worry about those that are intimidated by our actions, only those that we respect and care for.  And most importantly you got to meet Arnold Palmer and I have no doubt he appreciated meeting you.

I can now say I know someone who knew Arnold Palmer…and I’ll use that story every time I play golf.

Have a great week and thanks for the story.

Brett

NOTE:  Captain Brett E. Crozier, while Commander of the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt, faced the first and worst Covid outbreak on a Navy aircraft carrier in the spring of 2020.  He was removed as commander for sending up a red flag to his chain-of-command when hundreds of his sailors were infected with the Covid virus. He asked for support in protecting his crew by speeding up the evacuation of his crew from the ship.  There was a leak of his message to the press, and the world soon learned there was a serious Covid virus spreading rapidly among the sailors aboard the Roosevelt. Walking through my living room one day, I heard the televised story.

I joined a Facebook page of over 6,000 people called “Standing Up for Captain Crozier” and later was asked to become one of six Administrators. During that time we launched an aggressive campaign to get Captain Crozier vindicated and reinstated to his rightful post on the Roosevelt. I collected a great deal of data and research with the help of two other Facebook members about this incident. After Captain Crozier was relieved of command and sent back to San Diego, he gave his contact information to some of the Administrators so that we could stay in touch with him.  I did. 

Unfortunately, all our efforts failed to restore him as Commander of the Roosevelt and clear his name, but through many emails, Captain Brett Crozier and I became friends. Our research project about the outbreak of Covid on the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt was shipped to him. I was honored, along with the other two researchers to be invited to his Retirement Ceremony in March of 2022, ending his brilliant 30 year career, serving the country that he loved.  That day the Navy lost a brave, honorable and remarkable officer … but I have gained a great friend who is kind enough to read my stories.

The Arnold Palmer Drink 

An Arnold Palmer is a non-alcoholic drink made by mixing equal parts (or a ratio to taste) of iced tea and lemonade and serving it over ice. The drink, named after the famous golfer Arnold Palmer who was known to drink it, is often called a “half and half”.

Ingredients:

• Iced tea (black, green, or your preference)
• Lemonade (homemade or store-bought)
• Ice
• Lemon slices or wedges (for garnish, optional)

Directions:

1. Fill a glass with ice.
2. Add your chosen amount of iced tea.
3. Add the same amount (or your preferred ratio) of lemonade.
4. Stir and garnish with a lemon wedge, if desired.

Different Tea Types: Experiment with different teas, such as green tea or decaffeinated tea.
Sweetened vs. Unsweetened: Use a mixture of sweet and unsweetened iced tea for a less sweet drink.
Ratio Adjustments: The classic recipe uses a 1:1 ratio, but some prefer less lemonade for a less sweet taste.

INSPIRATION:

Arnold Palmer’s wisdom on life and success includes:

“The road to success is always under construction,” emphasizing continuous effort and growth.

He also noted that “The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done”.

“Golf is deceptively simple, endlessly complicated”, highlighting the parallels between the game and life’s challenges.

Palmer believed in a proactive mindset, advising to “dream of doing things before you can do them” and to always give your best effort, stating, “I’ve always made a total effort, even when the odds seemed entirely against me”

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If you know someone who would appreciate these stories, please share it with them! It really helps me and, hopefully, helps them too! – Pat