JOE “JUNIOR” DIPIETRO
Joe “Junior” DiPietro became a force in Stark county golf when he purchased Skyland Pines Golf Course in 1972 and turned it into one of the area’s finest set of fairways. He added to the Skyland image with the addition of a swim and tennis club and the Skyland Pines Rustic Lodge, still one of the area’s top banquet facilities.
Under Junior’s guidance, Skyland brought several high profile benefit tournaments, including years of The Walter Hagen Tournaments, and the Budweiser Pro-Ams, that drew pros and top amateurs from around Ohio, and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charitable causes.
For years Junior has sponsored many amateur tournaments in the Stark County area. Junior is still active in golf, although he and his wife Georgia have turned their businesses over to the young DiPietro’s. He still sponsored the Bud Open, and supports various golf endeavors, including high school teams.
KEN HYLAND
Ken Hyland graduated from Malone College in 1969 and completed his master’s degree at the University of Akron in 1972. While a student at Malone, he became the school’s first All-American and first National Champion when he captured medalist honors at the 1969 NAIA National Golf Championship in Ft. Worth, Texas. He won the Ohio Public Links Championship in 1975 and the Stark County Amateur in
1976. He played in three U.S. Public Links Tournaments and shares the course record (65) at Seven Hills.
Ken has been named to the NAIA Golf Hall of Fame (1977), the Malone athletics Hall of Fame (1986), and the O.P.G.A. Golf Hall of Fame (1998), where he is presently serving as the association’s president. He just completed his 39th season of coaching men’s golf at Malone University in 2011 and has guided the Pioneers to tremendous success during his tenure. Under his direction, Malone has captured 28 Conference/Region/District Titles, four NCCAA National Championships (1999, 2000, 2004, 2008), and one NAIA National Title (2000).
Ken was voted by his peers as the 2010 NAIA National Coach of the Year. He has been named District 22, Mid-Ohio Conference, or American Mideast Conference Coach of the Year a remarkable 24 times and has coached 18 All-Americans and 68 All-District/All-Conference players. In addition, he guided the U.S.A. Golf Team to a World Championship and a gold medal in the World University Games played in Lausanne, Switzerland.
JIM McFARREN JAMES
Jim McFarren James has been a force on the Stark golf scene for years, both as an amateur and after turning professional. He was a regular in the local amateur tournaments, and captured Stark County Amateur Championship three times, in 1979, 1082 and 1084 and was runner-up four times. In 1974, he won the Ohio Public Links Golf Association Championship when it was held at Canton’s Tam O’Shanter Golf Course. Jim placed third and seventh in two Ohio Amateurs and also played in two U.S. Amateurs in 1982 and 1984. He also captured three Stark County Open titles and was runner-up three times.
PEG CUSHING MILLER
Peg Miller, who didn’t even take up the game of golf until she was a “young” 50 years old, is the founder and avid participant of the Stark County Women’s Amateur Golf Association (SCWAGA). Peg started playing in a nine-hole league at Edgewood Golf Course in 1977, and quickly was hooked. A lady legend around Tam O’Shanter Golf Course, she started team golf there in 1989, and that led to the founding of SCWAGA in 1992. Peg served as its president until 2003, when she gave up the title but not her playing status. She has won the Tammy women’s championship six times, including four straight years, in the 1990’s.
Wintering in Florida, she also has won two club championships, 1993 and 1996, at Sandridge Golf Course in Vero Beach, Florida where she served two terms as president.
This is the second local Hall of Fame honor for Peg, who was inducted into the Greater Stark County Tennis Association Hall of Fame in 1996. She once managed the Park Centre indoor tennis club (1974-81), was recreation director for the Canton YWCA (1966-73) and was co-owner and manager of Gymnastics of Ohio (1973-78).
The multi-talented Miller started her professional career as a writer/photographer at The Repository (1944-55) and had authored, illustrated and published a children’s book. She also is an accomplished water-color painter.
She has two sons William in Cincinnati and Doyle in Canton.
DICK TILLETT
Dick Tillett was a graduate of Lehman High School and went on to serve his country honorably as a United States Marine in World War II.
Dick was considered one of the best ever to play out of Shady Hollow Country Club. He won club championships at both Tam O’Shanter Golf Course and Shady Hollow Country Club. Dick won the Stark County Amateur in 1953 and 1958, and had several other runner-ups, including a 1956 playoff loss to Don Nist. He was also runner-up in the 1957 Ohio Public Links tournament at Elms Country Club. Dick won the Champion of Champions and was named Golfer of the Year in 1958.
Dick passed away on December 4, 2008.
BOB VOGLEY
Bob Vogley of Louisville has been a top amateur player for years. He is a two-time winner of the Stark County Amateur winning in 1990 and 1995. He also won the Stark County Open, Tiger Town, Governor’s Cup and Akron District Match Play. Bob won the Ohio Public Links Championship in 1983 when the tournament was played on Stark County’s longest course, Tannehauf in Alliance. He finished as the low amateur in the Ohio Open Championship at Tam O’Shanter in 1996, with his son, Mike carrying his bag. Bob also played in the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur tournaments. Bob’s son Mike is now the head golf coach at Louisville High School.
EVA SHORB WEISKOPF
Eva Shorb Weiskopf was way ahead of her time as a woman golfer. The sixth of seven daughters, Eva taught herself to play the game at 14 and entered high school as an accomplished golfer. She was so good in high school that she earned a letter, the first girl to accomplish it. Also, while in high school, she won the Stark County Women’s championship twice and was co-winner of the Akron District pro-lady title.
As a freshman at the College of Wooster, it was determined that she would not be permitted to play on the men’s team, for fear of bruising their egos. So she took her talents to Mount Union , where she had a successful stint winning with the men’s team.
In the women’s tournament action, Eva Shorb went on to win the Stark County Women’s Championship and the Akron Women’s District title five times between 1935 and 1941, playing for Massillon Elms County Club at the time. She played in the Women’s Western Amateur and the National Women’s Amateur. In the 1936 USGA national championship, she lost on the final hole to the legendary Patty Berg. After graduating from College, she played on local and state wide tournaments for 60 years.
Eva married Tom Weiskopf Sr., who was a good golfer, too. Tom Senior won the 1940 Stark County Open. The couple had three children, including Tom Jr., who became one of the top players on the PGA Tour. Her other children are son Daniel and daughter Joanne Heutsche.
Eva was inducted into the Wooster College Hall of Fame in 1995. She passed away in May of 1999.