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Preserving Golf's History for Future Generations
Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame Members
Beverly Pearce (1936 - )
Inducted in 2009
Beverly Eller Pearce of Jackson significantly influenced Tennessee golf on and off the course. Beginning in 1953 she played in more State Women’s Amateurs than any other competitor. She was a semifinalist twice and won five State Women’s Senior Amateurs (1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1994). She served as president of the Women’s Tennessee Golf Association and was a board member of the WTGA/TGA for over forty years. The eldest child of the Harold Eller Family, long known as the First Family of Tennessee Golf, she was a tireless promoter of the TGA State Junior, a tournament started by her parents.
Lew Conner (1938- )
Inducted in 2010
Lew Conner of Nashville has been associated with Tennessee golf since his early playing days at McCallie School in Chattanooga and Vanderbilt. He was 1973 Tennessee Amateur Player of the Year and played on 20 Challenge Cup teams. He has been a Tennessee Golf Association director since 1966 and president in 1984-85. He is credited with facilitating the original agreement between the TGA and the Tennessee PGA to operate jointly. He is a Southern Golf Association director and a former chairman of the Tennessee Golf Foundation. In 2002 he was the inaugural recipient of the Society of Tennessee Golfers’ Person of the Year Award.
Willie Gibbons (1940- )
Inducted in 2010
Willie Gibbons grew up caddying in Texarkana, AR. When he retired in 2002, Belle Meade Country Club was 102 years old. During this period, Gibbons and a former caddie from North Berwick, Scotland, George Livingstone, each had served as the golf professional at Belle Meade for 35 years. Gibbons has served as chairman or vice chairman of the Tennessee Golf Foundation since its inception in 1990. He was president of the Tennessee PGA in 1979-80, TPGA Section Golf Professional of the Year in 1980 and 1994 and PGA National Merchandiser of the Year in 1983. He played on 12 Challenge Cup teams.
Bill Greene (1937- )
Inducted in 2010
Bill Greene of Elizabethton has served as president of the Tennessee Golf Association and chairman of the Tennessee Golf Foundation. The East Tennessee banker played on seven Challenge Cup teams. He serves on the board of trustees for his alma mater, Wake Forest University, where he played on its basketball and golf teams. In 2002, the College Golf Foundation honored him with its Rolex Achievement Award for career excellence. He has been one of Tennessee’s biggest golf benefactors, supporting Wake Forest, East Tennessee State University, and the TGF’s junior golf programs.
David Meador (1948- )
Inducted in 2011
David Meador was a multi-sport high school athlete who lost his vision in a car accident at the age of 18. Despite his disability, he earned two college degrees and excelled as a sales executive for Northwestern Mutual. He won the 1977 National Blind Golf Championship and has finished second seven times. The Nashville resident beat cancer twice. He is the author of Broken Eyes, Unbroken Spirit: The Story of a National Blind Golf Champion and a noted motivational speaker.
Joe Taggert (1942 - )
Inducted in 2012
Joe Taggert has been a part of Tennessee golf for over 50 years in the capacity of player, club professional, and administrator. He served as the head professional at Richland Country Club and Nashville Golf & Athletic Club and held every elected position in the Tennessee Section of the PGA of America, including president in 1975-76. In the 1970's he helped broker a partnership between the driving force behind The Vinny tournament that has raised over $6 million for junior golf.
