FORT WORTH, Texas -- The newly-formed Ben Hogan Foundation (www.benhoganfoundation.org) has hired its first full-time executive effective April 1: Robert Stennett, former director of the F-22 fighters supply chain program at Lockheed Martin.
"This is an opportunity of a lifetime for me,” says Stennett, who is leaving the aerospace industry at the peak of his career to head the six-month-old philanthropy. Mr. Hogan was my childhood hero, and he has a legacy that I feel really strongly about.”
The Ben Hogan Foundation is dedicated to honoring and preserving the famed Texas golfers legacy and character. It does this by promoting the game of golf for young people, providing college scholarships, supporting families of injured or fallen servicemen and women, and helping fund programs at childrens hospitals.
Im at a stage in my life when I thought, ‘How do I leave this place better than I found it?” said Stennett. I couldnt think of a better way to do this than to lead this foundation and carry it into the future.”
Stennett will be responsible for overall fundraising and cultivating affiliations with corporations and such logical partners as the PGA Tour. Our goals are pretty lofty,” Stennett admits. While we begin with a national focus, our intent is to grow into an international foundation.”
Stennett agreed to run the foundation as a volunteer when it officially began last November. At the time he was overseeing close to one billion dollars in inventory for the F-22 program as an executive at Lockheed Martin. But the foundation grew faster than expected, with inquiries rolling in from all over the country from golf pros, book writers, collectors, fans, and potential contributors. He and the foundations trustees concluded it was time for a full-time executive director.
When Stennett moved to Fort Worth in 1984 and joined Shady Oaks Country Club, he had the opportunity to observe Hogan for years before the legendary golfer passed away in 1997. When you talk with people who actually knew Mr. Hogan, it is interesting to hear them talk so much more about the man than the golfer, about his integrity and character, about his work ethic and being a good friend and a gentleman,” Stennett reflects.
This is why the foundation exists, he says, and why it focuses its support on programs that reflect Ben Hogans core values like integrity, self-determination, courage and hard work.
A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Stennett holds a bachelors degree in business from Louisiana State University in Shreveport and a Masters in Business Administration in management from Louisiana Tech University. He conducted post-graduate studies at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and Clarkson Universitys School of Business.
Stennett served on the Board of Governors at Shady Oaks Country Club from 2001 to 2007, and will serve this year on the Northern Texas PGA Junior Golf Foundations Scholarship Selection Committee. He also is a committee chair for the 2008 USGA Senior Amateur Championship.
The foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) governed by a board of trustees. The officers are Lisa Scott, Hogans niece and heir; Mike Wright; the director of golf at Shady Oaks and a Hogan protégé; Michael McMahan, a Hogan admirer whose company designed and built the Ben Hogan Office at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth; and David Chapman, a prominent West Coast golf course developer.
Those wishing to support Ben Hogans legacy by giving to the foundation may do so by calling Stennett at 817-301-9934 or writing to P.O. Box 121518, Fort Worth, Texas 76121-1518. Visit www.benhoganfoundation.org for more information.
Media contact:
Margaret Ritsch
margaret@balcomagency.com
817-877-9933
