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Louis 'Lou' King Jr., 01 Jan 1915 - 20 Oct 2018

KING, COWAN, KNOWLAND, BURNSON, SCOTT

Posted By: Sarah Witte (email)
Date: 10/6/2021 at 14:44:31

Louis (Lou) King Jr., veteran, Iowa sports and business figure, and force behind an innovative program to help injured veterans adapt to their new situations died October 20 in Iowa City at University of Iowa Hospitals following a brief illness. He was 93.

Born in Perry, Missouri, to Louis King Sr., a Presbyterian circuit minister and Hazel Cowan, Lou was one of six siblings. He attempted to enlist in the Navy at 16 but was too young. He did enlist at age 17, enrolling in the Navy V-5 flight program, where, in addition to earning his wings, he quarterbacked the 1944 national championship Seahawks team.

When World War II ended, he then enrolled at Tulsa University, spending one year on campus, long enough to quarterback the Golden Hurricane to the Oil Bowl and meet Eunice Knowland, whom he would marry.

From 1946-47, Lou transferred to the University of Iowa where he became starting quarterback and defensive back for the Hawkeyes. After graduation, he declined a $500 offer to sign with the NFL Buffalo Bills for a $7,500 salary, and instead started a business career, first with Pillbury and then moved from Clinton to Cedar Rapids to take the position of advertising manager with Amana Refrigeration in 1958.

He advanced through sales, advertising, and marketing at Amana, and ultimately was a member of its Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

It was as VP marketing that Lou developed two landmark ideas to promote sales. First, he established the Amana VIP Pro-Am golf tournament in 1967 at Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City. The event drew as many as 20,000 fans at its peak, with a guest list that featured sports and Hollywood celebrities, many of the finest golfers in the world and country western performers from Nashville. It was dubbed “the Masters of the pro-ams,” and was the envy of corporate competitors. It was also the premier fundraising event for the University of Iowa athletic scholarship fund. and included the largest single donation to women’s collegiate sports.

The second marketing achievement was the establishment of the Amana Cap program wherein touring golf professionals wore logoed Amana caps, making it the first apparel logo program in golf.

In 1982, he was lured to the PGA of America, becoming it's executive director. The PGA needed financial reorganization and Lou returned it to sovancy by guiding a plan for improved revenues and reducing overheads. He retired in 1987 and established a sports marketing consultancy business with Bob, his son.

Lou was inducted into the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame in 1993, went on to be a consult for several golf companies before devoting himself to another passion – serving America’s veterans in the nation’s heartland.

When Riverside Casino & Resort in Riverside, Iowa, opened in 2006, Lou showed the management a list of 30 action items that included moving the Iowa PGA Section headquarters from Cedar Rapids to Riverside and beginning a golf program for veterans.

The resort opened Blue Top Ridge at Riverside in 2007, which led to the launching the GIVE (Golf for Injured Veterans Everywhere) program. Lou considered GIVE the biggest accomplishment of his life, except for his marriage and family. His vision was to provide a cost-free program for veterans that featured the instruction by PGA professionals and the partnership with the local VA hospital, and utilizing the first class golf training and practice facilities at Riverside.

The chemistry worked so well that GIVE operates today at three locations: at Riverside, at Grand Falls in northwest Iowa and at Warrior Run in Des Moines.

The GIVE program didn’t stop at Iowa’s borders. It is the model for PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) and conducted in 32 of the 41 PGA Sections.

Lou King is survived by his wife of 73 years, Eunice; three children: Louis III, Susan and Timothy; a brother, Charles Calvin King; four living grandchildren, Erin Burnson, Nicholas, Tim Jr., and Christopher; and four great grandchildren, Alli and Sara Scott; and Hudson and Oliver King.

King was preceded in death by four siblings, and a grandson, Louis IV.

A private family memorial for Lou King will be conducted at a later date. Any memorial donations are requested to be sent to the GIVE Foundation, Attention: Bobbi Adamson, 3184 Highway.

Published on IowaCremation website.


 

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