The 1996 United States Senior Open
Published by Canterbury Golf Club, Beachwood, Ohio
July 4-7, 1996
IT'S NO SURPRISE!
Cleveland winks at becoming a robust 200 years of age
By Bill Nichols
CONDUCTING THE UNITED STATES SENIOR OPEN can be one of a city's largest and top-rated parties all year long. When it becomes one of several jewels in the crown of a year-long celebrations, something special is taking place. It just happens to be taking place in Cleveland in 1996.
This year, the city of Cleveland sticks out its collective chest with pride in honoring its own people and businesses for their 200 years of very special and unique history. The story of Cleveland and how it became a center of industrial development while also becoming a focus of trial development while also becoming a focus of community pride and sporting excellence is worth every candle on its cake. It is a celebration which exudes honest American pride.
"Cleveland's Bicentennial could not have happened at a better time," said Robert W. Gillespie, KeyBank CEO and Cleveland Bicentennial Commission co-chairman. "We are in the midst of one of the most impressive development cycles that this city has ever experienced - in terms of new housing in our neighborhoods, downtown development and new attractions that have elevated our city on a national level."
The story of Cleveland is one of humble beginnings like many great American cities. As early as 1765, the area was being mentioned as playing a role in the growth of America. George Washington knew of the Great Lakes region and the Cuyahoga River running into Lake Erie from his study of early surveyor maps. Appropriately, he predicted the rise of a community of vast commercial importance here.
General Moses Cleaveland and his Connecticut Land Company surveyors founded the city on the banks of the Cuyahoga River on July 22, 1776. In a year which saw American independence being born, a little known piece of property had just been identified for settlement and the beginnings of what was to become a giant in U. S. industrial history was taking place without fanfare or excitement.
Settlers reached Cleveland in 1797. Lorenzo Carter, one of the area's first permanent dwellers, was active in Cleveland's character development. Carter would serve as a special liaison to native Americans in the Ohio Valley region while filling the roles of mayor, marshal, judge and tavern keeper. It made for interesting times for Carter and his constituency who were seeking new roots.
Washington, Cleveland nor Carter, for that matter, visualized this community would find its first true industry to be that of distillery. Greater things would arrive swiftly.
A young entrepreneur by the name of John D. Rockefeller founded a small oil refining enterprise called Standard Oil Company here and would go on to become one of America's true icons of capitalism. Little known Charles F. Brush would invent the electric arc lamp in Cleveland as well.
It has been in recent years, however, that Cleveland has displayed the pride of its people and the unmitigated willpower to succeed.
Widely acknowledged for its being a center of development in areas such as the arts and in medicine, Cleveland boasts an array of sights, sounds and services rivaled by few. The Cleveland Orchestra, Museum of Art, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are all mainstays of the community and provide wonderful attractions for visitors. The grand opening of the Great Lakes Science Center, a state-of-the-art interactive science education museum at North Coast Harbor, falls in line with Cleveland's progressive philosophy of providing a myriad of positive lifestyle components for residents to enjoy.
Sports remains a large portion of a zealous, true-blue sports fan base. Golf continues to play a significant role in the overall presentation of sports. Canterbury Golf Club has contributed significantly to national sports history and to that of Cleveland by conducting major championships over a span of 75 years. Hosting the '96 U.S. Senior Open only elevates the club by adding the USGA's senior championship to the club's honor roll of events.
Canterbury Golf Club isn't alone in Cleveland, either. The area has more than 100 golf courses which blanket the landscape, providing golf as a recreation to many of the city's inhabitants.
Legendary sports venues are also a part of Cleveland's pride. League Park, Municipal Stadium, The Elyseum and the Arena have been stalwarts of area teams and have been joined recently by the exquisite Gateway Complex, featuring Jacobs Field and Gund Arena.
The Bicentennial is the biggest ongoing party in the city's glorious history, with millions of dollars invested in over 40 different public events. The kick-off of the Bicentennial event series began on New Year's Eve with a salute by Disney titles, "Fanfare for Cleveland", a show which took place on Public Square.
Other major events in the Bicentennial series include the Caravan, a series of events, walking tours, brochures, history panels and a giant birthday card. Featured events highlighting the schedule are Cleveland on Stage, The Unity Walk, the lighting of the bridges in the "Flats", The Waterfront Line, the planting of 10,000 trees and the unveiling of a new lakefront park at the north end of East Ninth Street.
The sports scene is no less dramatic. Of course, there is the U.S. Senior Open Championship. Joining it are the Ohio Games, an exhibition by the Olympic "Dream Team" basketball team, the World Triathlon Championships and the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship at Cleveland State University.
A pinnacle of the Bicentennial Year will bring together elements from across the area in a spectacular celebration focused on the riverfront from July 19 through July 22. Festivities will be held in acknowledgement of when General Cleaveland stepped foot on the shore of the Cuyahoga River. Exhibits and live performances on twelve different stages are included for everyone to enjoy. Illuminated boat parades along with fireworks and laser shows will bring to life the brick, mortar and sweat that have made people proud to call Cleveland home.
"There's something for everyone in Cleveland and especially this year, in its Bicentennial celebration," says Richard W. Pogue, co-chair of the commission. "We have planned a 200th anniversary that will last all year long. Its impact will remain for future generations, so that they too can enjoy the spirit of 1996 this year, and for many years to come."
Bill Nichols is a retired sports writer for the Plain Dealer.
Return to Bill Nichols' Lakewood Luminary page