Volunteer of the Year

Kenneth Starr

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A selfless member of the courtesy cars committee, Ken Starr represents a group of individuals who support the Memorial outside of the spotlight. The courtesy car committee is made up of approximately 220 volunteers who dedicate their time to insure a critical element of the Tournament runs efficiently and effectively. The committee's efforts begin well before and extend well after the Tournament by supplying a work force to deliver and return the fleet of Tournament vehicles. During Tournament week the committee spends countless hours to insure players, their families and guests, and Tournament officials and guests are transported to their expectations; all of this done without the benefit of viewing the actual golf tournament.

As the 2004 Volunteer of the Year, Ken Starr represents the true definition of the word volunteer. His commitment to the Memorial and Children's Hospital is seen through the effort he has put forth over the past seven years within the courtesy car committee. As a retired truck driver the courtesy car committee fits his strengths perfectly. He has proven over the years to be an invaluable asset and a tremendous leader for the committee.

Ken recently celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary with his wife Kathryn. They are proud parents to four (4) grown daughters and six (6) grandchildren.

Lauretta Godbout, Courtesy Car Chair, relays a great story about Ken:

Ken has always taken on some of the least glamorous jobs that are part of the Courtesy Car area. For instance, Ken volunteers each year to be our late-night guy; picking up players, family members or others that are part of the Memorial Tournament that arrive in Columbus after 1AM. In addition, Ken has also helped us with operations at the airport a few days after the Tournament. He arrives at the airport early on the Tuesday after Tournament to get the Tournament vehicles moved to a central location so that our volunteers can drive them back to the clubhouse - he makes the process so easy for us. This past year, Ken went the extra mile. When we arrived with volunteers to drive our vehicles back, we learned that about 10 of our cars would not start. Ken drove his truck up to each of those vehicles to give it a jump start. All this happened during a steady, cold rain.