Background
Powell was the grandson of Alabama slaves and was born in Greenville, Alabama.
Powell was the grandson of Alabama slaves and was born in Greenville, Alabama.
He was also the first African American to design, construct and own a professional golf course in the United States. During his youth, Powell moved with his family to Minerva, Ohio. In high school there, he played golf and football.
Later, at the state"s historically African-American Wilberforce University, he played on the golf team
After serving in the United States Army Air Forces in World World War II in England, he returned to the Canton, Ohio-area near Minerva in 1946, and began work first as a janitor and later as a security guard for the Timken bearing and steel company. Due to racial segregation, he was banned from all-white public golf courses and was rejected for a bank loan to try to build his own.
Two years later, in 1948, he opened the integrated Clearview Golf Club. In 1978, he expanded the course to 18 holes and earned a national-historic-site designation in 2001.
As of the 2000s (decade), Clearview was the only course in the United States designed, constructed, owned and operated by an African American.
Powell died in Canton, Ohio, on New Year"s Eve, 2009, following complications from a stroke. Powell"s daughter, Renee Powell, who is a veteran professional golfer herself, was the second black golfer to play on the LPGA Tour, after golfer and tennis star Althea Gibson. His work has been recognized by both National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Golf Course Superintendent"s Association.
Powell was fond of saying "The only color that matters is the color of the greens".