Robert H. Dedman Sr. (1926–2002) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He is best known as the founder and past chairman of ClubCorp.

Biography

Early life

Robert Dedman was born in poverty in Rison, Arkansas. His family house only had two bedrooms and no electricity or running water. At the age of fourteen, he and his brother moved to

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

to live with their aunt. He attended

North Dallas High School North Dallas High School is a public secondary school located in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas, Texas, United States. It enrolls students in grades 9- 12 and is a part of the Dallas Independent School District. As of 2017, the principal adminis ...

and graduated as

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...

in 1944, upon which he joined the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. Whilst serving as a sailor during the day, he received three degrees from the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

, in engineering, economics, and law.Stewart Information Services Corporation Board of Directors
/ref> After he left duty, he earned a law degree from

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

in 1953, specializing in oil, gas, and taxation. During that time, he sold insurance during the week and real estate on the weekends.

Career

He started his career by joining a prominent law firm in Dallas. During that time,

H. L. Hunt Haroldson Lafayette Hunt Jr. (February 17, 1889 – November 29, 1974) was an American oil tycoon. By trading poker winnings for oil rights according to legend, but more likely through money he gained from successful speculation in oil leases, he ...

became his mentor. After learning to play

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

from Byron Nelson, Ralph Guldahl, and

Ben Hogan William Ben Hogan (August 13, 1912 – July 25, 1997) was an American professional golfer who is generally considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. He is notable for his profound influence on golf swing theory and ...

, he decided to invest in golf courses. In 1957, he founded Country Club, Inc., later renamed ClubCorp.Robert Dedman, 76; Philanthropist and Golf Course Operator
''

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', August 22, 2002Alan Shipnuck
The Prince Of Pinehurst
''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'', June 14, 1999SMEI Academy of Achievement
/ref>
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', August 21, 2002Obituaries: Robert H. Dedman Sr.
''

The Pilot A pilot is a person who flies or navigates an aircraft. Pilot or The Pilot may also refer to: * Maritime pilot, a person who guides ships through hazardous waters * Television pilot, a television episode used to sell a series to a television netw ...

'',Businessman Robert H. Dedman Sr. dies
''

Dallas Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes The Business Journals, which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States, Hemmings Motor News ...

'', August 20, 2002Dallas businessman, philanthropist Robert H. Dedman Sr. dies
University of Texas at Austin, August 20, 2002Patti LaSalle, 'SMU Law School Renamed in Honor of Dedman Family', ''SMU News'', February 14, 2001Robert Miller
Dedman Foundation gives $5 million to SMU
''

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

'', May 21, 2012 He served two terms as the chairman of the Texas State Highway and Public Transportation Commission of the

Texas Department of Transportation The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT ) is a government agency in the American state of Texas. Though the public face of the agency is generally associated with the construction and maintenance of the state's immense state highway system ...

. He also served on the board of directors of the

Stewart Information Services Corporation Stewart Information Services Corporation (SISCO) is a real estate information, title insurance and transaction management company. Wholly owned subsidiaries, Stewart Title Guaranty Co. and Stewart Title Company offer products and services in the Un ...

. He was invited to

Camp David Camp David is the country retreat for the president of the United States of America. It is located in the wooded hills of Catoctin Mountain Park, in Frederick County, Maryland, near the towns of Thurmont and Emmitsburg, about north-northwe ...

by President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

. He became the Entrepreneur of the Year in 1976 from the

Cox School of Business The Edwin L. Cox School of Business is an American business school, part of Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. The SMU Cox School of Business is headquartered in four buildings on SMU's 210-acre main campus five miles north ...

at SMU, Dallas Humanitarian of the Year in 1980, Texas Business Hall of Fame in 1987, and the Horatio Alger Award from the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans in 1989. He was inducted in the Academy of Achievement of the

Sales & Marketing Executives International Sales & Marketing Executives International (SMEI) is a worldwide non-profit organization offering membership and professional sales and marketing certification. SMEI is dedicated to ethical standards, continuing professional development, knowledge s ...

(SMEI). In 2003, Dedman received the Ambassador of Golf Award, presented annually to a person who has fostered the ideals of the game on an international level and whose concern for others extends beyond the golf course.

Philanthropy

In 1986, he donated $10 million to the

University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts The College of Liberal Arts (COLA) is the liberal arts college at The University of Texas at Austin. The college dates back to 1883, the university's opening year, but today's college was formed in 1970 with the split of the College of Arts & Sc ...

. In 2000, a street on the UT Austin campus, Robert Dedman Drive, was named for him. The Dedman Memorial Hospital in Dallas is also named for him. In 2012, the Dedman Foundation donated $5 million to SMU. He joined the board of trustees of Southern Methodist University in 1976, and served as chairman of the board from 1992 to 1996.Ellen Sterner, 'Robert H. Dedman Sr. Played Major Role in SMU Advancement', ''SMU News'', August 20, 2002 He donated $77 million to SMU. The

Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences is the school of liberal arts at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth- ...

, the

Dedman School of Law SMU Dedman School of Law, commonly referred to as SMU Law School or Dedman School of Law is a law school located in Dallas, Texas. It was founded in February 1925. SMU Law School is located on the campus of its parent institution, Southern Meth ...

, and the Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports on the SMU campus are named in his honor. He also donated to

Sandhills Community College Sandhills Community College is a public community college in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Sandhills was chartered in 1963, and officially opened October 1, 1965. It was the first comprehensive community college authorized and established as the ...

in Pinehurst, North Carolina, where the Robert H. Dedman Center for Business Leadership is named for him.Sandhills Community College: Robert H. Dedman Sr.
/ref>

Personal life

In 2001, the year before he died, Dedman made the Forbes list of America's 400 wealthiest individuals with a net worth of $1.2 billion. He was married to Nancy Dedman. Together they had a son, Robert H. Dedman Jr., CEO of ClubCorp from 1998 to August 2004, and a daughter, Patricia Dedman "Patty" Dietz, who served a couple of years on its board of directors. Dedman died on 20 August 2002 from a long-term illness.

Bibliography

*''King of Clubs: Grow Rich in More Than Money'' (Taylor Publishing Company, 1998)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dedman, Robert H. Sr. 1926 births 2002 deaths Businesspeople from Dallas University of Texas School of Law alumni Dedman School of Law alumni 20th-century American businesspeople American billionaires People from Rison, Arkansas 20th-century American philanthropists Cockrell School of Engineering alumni University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts alumni