William Powell - 1995
MHS 1936 Graduate
William J. Powell, Class of 1936, was nominated by Gloria "Dodie" Klee. Throughout his high school career, he excelled in sports. He participated in football, basketball and golf. In 1932 he played on the Minerva High School team that scored 332 points to opponents 0. During his four years of football, he captained the team, played position of fullback, called signals from fullback, excelled in punting, passing and place kicking, and was selected All Tri-County most valuable player two years. Powell captained and coached the golf team and also played basketball.
After high school Powell attended Wilberforce University where he played on the great Wilberforce University Green Wave football team. They were undefeated in 1936. He organized the first golf team at Wilberforce University with his brother Berry. The team was quite successful.
He was employed 23 years at the Timken Roller Bearing Company where his service was interrupted with three years of military service in England. He received a certificate of merit from his commanding general in recognition of outstanding performance of military duty. The citation reads, "Technical Sergeant Powell displayed sound judgment in allotting the limited transportation available. The success in this area of truck movements of personnel and equipment from concentration and marshaling areas for overseas shipment for the continental invasion was in great measure due to his fine efforts.” This award is one of his proudest possessions.
Powell hosts the LPGA Pro-Am for Special Olympics, the Celebrity Tournament to benefit the United Negro College Fund, the Minerva golf team and the East Canton golf team.
After returning from military service in 1946 and while working at the Timken Company, he purchased an old dairy farm in the East Canton area where he designed and built Clearview Golf Course. Clearview is the first public golf course in the United States designed, owned and operated by an Afro-American. In 1992 the National Golf Foundation named the Powell Family the Jack Nicklaus Golf Family of the Year.
He married Marcella Oliver and they have two children, Renee and Larry. Golf World Magazine honored Powell with an article entitled "Plotting His Own Course," April 1993, tracing his love of golf from the age of nine to the present.