Golf Course Renamed for Civil Rights Activist

Maggie Hathaway, a longtime community and civil rights activist who helped break the color barrier on Los Angeles’ public golf courses, was honored Monday in South Los Angeles when a nine-hole public golf course at Jesse Owens Park was renamed in her honor.

The Jack Thompson Golf Course was renamed for Hathaway, a former golf instructor who was once president of the Beverly Hills/Hollywood chapter of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People. Hathaway was described as “the most powerful of all drivers” during the ceremony.

As Hathaway watched, a public-private partnership agreement was signed between Los Angeles County, American Golf Corp. and Western States Golf Assn., the oldest minority golf association in the West.

“We see this as an opportunity to step to the plate and take the lead in providing not only the facilities needed to nurture the fastest-growing sport in our community, but also as a chance to develop new programs,” said the association’s Joe Boyd.