It takes a village to raise a child and it takes an army to host a major golf championship in Michigan's Great Southwest. Fortunately for the PGA of America, a veritable army of more than 1,700 volunteers stepped up to a variety of roles and helped produce a world-class event this spring when the Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid came for the third time in six years to the Golf Club at Harbor Shores. From that army of volunteers, two have been selected as recipients of the 2016 Dr. John M. Proos III Volunteer of the Year Award. They are Gloria Ender and David Hertog.
The award is named after Dr. Proos, whose warm, personal style, giving nature and willingness to help others exemplified the ideal volunteer spirit. It is voted on by the Senior PGA Executive Committee after receiving nominations from the volunteer chairpersons of the 2016 Championship.
Hertog and Ender were selected from among the more than 1,700 individuals who served during the 2016 Championship in May.
For their efforts, the two received mounted pin flag plaques signed by 2016 Champion, Rocco Mediate, along with the distinction of driving a Mercedes Benz Official Vehicle for one month leading into the 2018 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores.
A volunteer in both Contestant Evacuation and Leader Board, Hertog was nominated by committee chairs, Mark Brown and Chuck Gearhiser.
Hertog went above and beyond for his 10 shifts, which totaled a nearly unheard of 40 hours, yet his peers never sensed any level of fatigue. Rather, they were motivated by his team-first attitude and passion to maximize everyone’s KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship experience.
Brown and Gearhiser concurred, “David was amazingly responsible, reliable and, in essence, the ultimate volunteer.”
Ender’s professionalism, meanwhile, was apparent from the day she signed on as an elevated volunteer.
As a Hole 18 Captain, Ender was on site, ready to go from sun up to sun down every day of Championship Week. When Ender was made aware of a shift shortage, she stepped forward to fill some gaps with her Hole 18 Marshals that answered to her call to action.
Ender was nominated by Jim Spicer and Mike Sarola, the Marshall Committee Co-Chairs, who recalled that Gloria “was always eager to do whatever she could, without any questioning, to make the 2016 Senior PGA Championship experience better for all involved, be it a player, spectator or committee member. She was a joy to work with.”
Mike Todman, General Chairman of the 2016 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, spoke glowingly of both Hertog and Ender.
Todman said, “Both David and Gloria showed incredible leadership and provided exemplary service to spectators, volunteers and contestants during this year’s Championship. We could not be more proud to name them our 2016 Dr. John M Proos III Volunteer of the Year recipients.”
In the photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market.com, provided by the PGA of America, Hertog and Ender were being awarded their pin flags. Shown in the photo (from left to right) are: Senator John Proos, Kristy Proos, Gloria Ender (Recipient), Mike Todman (General Chair), David Hertog (Recipient), Kate Proos, Mary Helen Proos (members of the Proos Family not pictured: Meg and Trent Smith).
