Morgan M. Fottrell Jr. passed away at Vista Cove Rancho Mirage on Friday, March 25, 2011 with his wife, Alvida at his side. He was Kaanapali’s first director of golf, having opened the resort’s fabled course in 1962, and managed its operations until leaving in 1971. In 1993, he was inducted into the Hawaii Golf Hall of Fame.
Born in San Francisco on August 19, 1922, Mr. Fottrell had served in WWII from 1943 to 1946 in the U.S. Navy and The Merchant Marines. A PGA Golf Professional since 1954, he was also a director of golf at Del Rio Golf & Country Club in Modesto, Calif., and considered to have been on the ground floor in the promotion of resort golf in Hawaii.
A resident of Indian Wells since 1973, he served on the Board of Govenors of the U.S. National Seniors Open Golf Association for 29 years. As an amateur golfer, he attended San Jose State University and was on the team that won the NCAA title at Stanford in 1948. The team was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 1986.
Photo courtesy of Wayne Tanaka.
