Born September 10, 1929 to Milfred Jerome (Deacon) and Doris Palmer is Arnold Daniel Palmer.
Some September 10th birthday highlights in Arnold Palmer's life include:
- 1966 -- Palmer, 37, becomes agitated by meddling tasks given to him by Winnie in order to distract him from Secret Service men surreptitiously prowling the Latrobe countryside. Unbeknownst to Palmer, they were there to assure the safety of one of the most powerful and popular men in the world who flew to Latrobe for a surprise birthday visit. And for the first time in his life, Palmer’s plane is flown without him or his knowledge -- pilot Darrell Brown flies it to Gettysburg to pick up President Dwight Eisenhower for a surprise visit. "I was oblivious to it all," Palmer says, “until I answered the door and found General Eisenhower standing there with an overnight bag. ‘Say, you wouldn’t have room to put up an old man for the night, would you?’ One of the nicest weekends of my life followed. It was the thrill of a lifetime."
- 1972 -- Tournament volunteers at Firestone Country Club arrange for a birthday cake and surprise party for Palmer, 43, as he served as a commentator for NBC Sports during the World Series of Golf.
- 1989 -- The 255-bed Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando opens to great fanfare. The first baby is born within hours after the ribbon cutting. Within 15 years, more than 100,000 children will be born in the Palmer hospital. Long-time friend Bob Hope serves as emcee at one of Palmer's 60th birthday events.
- 1993 -- Parade Magazine publishes a Hoest & Reiner cartoon that shows a disgruntled man telling his wife, “The doctor wasn’t in . . . His office is closed for Arnold Palmer’s birthday.â€
- 1995 -- Palmer concludes the last round of the GTE Northwest Classic at Inglewood C.C. in Inglewood, California, with a stellar 66. It is on his 66th birthday and is noted for being the first time he’s ever shot his age.
- 2005 -- Palmer celebrates his 76th at the wedding of his granddaughter, Katherine Ann (Katie) Saunders, 23, to James Parker Spears at Lake Toxaway, North Carolina, the Saunders family's summer home.
- 2007 -- On his 78th birthday, Palmer is on hand at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe for the unveiling of the Zenos Frudako's statue of him. An exact replica is unveiled across the Atlantic at the Tralee course in Ireland.
- Birthday luck? -- What might be most remarkable is that 66 percent of Palmer's aces - 8 of 14 - whose dates are verifiable occurred in September, with five of those being struck between September 3 through 7. Three days after his birthday Palmer carded his best score ever, a 60, at Latrobe Country Club on September 13, 1969.
As the legend turns 80, many articles have been published by the media celebrating the storied career and life of the all-american Arnold Palmer.
ArnoldPalmer.com
Golf Digest
September 2009 Issue
Golf World
USGA Museum
- The Arnold Palmer Memory Book -- This site is dedicated to the fans of Arnold Palmer. It is a place for all who have a story to tell about this remarkable man and athlete. We encourage you to share your personal memories - as words, images, or videos - with others who admire, honor, and cherish Arnold Palmer as he approaches his 80th birthday.
Kingdom Magazine
USA Today
September 2, 2009
Wall Street Journal
Golf Channel
PGA Tour
Associated Press
ESPN
Fox Sports
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Desert Sun - Palm Springs
The Los Angeles Times
Reuters UK
The State - South Carolina
LIFE Magazine