Harry Givan
Encyclopedia
Harry L. Givan was an American amateur golf
er, insurance executive, and co-founder of Seattle's Northwest Hospital & Medical Center
. He is regarded as one of the best golfers in the history of the Pacific Northwest. His major national achievement was being selected for the U.S. team in the 1936 Walker Cup
. Sports Illustrated
ranked Givan 37th among the best 50 athletes in Washington state in the 20th century.
on August 26, 1911. When he was nine, his parents moved him and his sister to his uncle's residence in Seattle. He played his first golf tournament in 1923 at Inglewood Golf Club, acing the 12th hole at age 11. He won his first tournament two years later.
Givan attended Lincoln High School
in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood. He tried out for football, baseball, basketball, and golf. Golf was his least favorite of the sports he then played. He and a friend decided to earn extra money by caddying at Seattle Golf Club. He learned to play by watching Bob Johnstone, a professional who won the Northwest Open
eight times.
To raise spending money and money for golf clubs, Givan boxed at the old Austin & Salt Gymnasium at 9th and Olive in Seattle. Fighters earned $3 for going the distance in a fight, and $5 for a knockout. He scored 22 knockouts.
. To the astonishment of the team's manager, Jim Caveny, Givan turned down a lucrative contract offer citing the fact that he wanted to go to school.
Givan attended the University of Washington
and became captain of the golf team.
His golf breakthrough came when he won Seattle's City Caddy Championship at the original Glendale Country Club shooting 75.
Later that same year, Givan again entered the PNGA Amateur. He qualified with a 66, and eventually beat Bob White 3 & 1. In 1935, he won the Amateur at Seattle Golf Club beating Scotty Campbell on the 37th hole. In 1936, he was a surprise selection to the U.S. Walker Cup
team.
, Givan served in the Coast Guard Reserve.
After the war, he began selling insurance for Johnson Higgins. He eventually moved up to manage the company until he retired at the age of 62 to, "make more time for golf".
During the 1950s, he was among a group of business men who helped obtain funding and land for Northwest Hospital & Medical Center
in North Seattle. He chaired its board for several years.
Givan's first wife Velma predeceased him. They were married for 49 years before her death. He remarried Peggy Ratliff, who was by his side at his death.
of emphysema. He was 88.
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er, insurance executive, and co-founder of Seattle's Northwest Hospital & Medical Center
Northwest Hospital & Medical Center
Northwest Hospital & Medical Center is a 281-bed hospital in Seattle, Washington. On September 17, 2009, it announced that as of January 1, 2010 it would become part of UW Medicine, associated with the University of Washington. UW Medicine also includes University of Washington Medical Center,...
. He is regarded as one of the best golfers in the history of the Pacific Northwest. His major national achievement was being selected for the U.S. team in the 1936 Walker Cup
Walker Cup
The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
. Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
ranked Givan 37th among the best 50 athletes in Washington state in the 20th century.
Early life
Givan was born in Sequim, WashingtonSequim, Washington
Sequim is a city in Clallam County, Washington, United States. The 2010 US Census counted a population of 6,606. Sequim is located along the Dungeness River near the base of the Olympic Mountains...
on August 26, 1911. When he was nine, his parents moved him and his sister to his uncle's residence in Seattle. He played his first golf tournament in 1923 at Inglewood Golf Club, acing the 12th hole at age 11. He won his first tournament two years later.
Givan attended Lincoln High School
Lincoln High School (Seattle, Washington)
Lincoln High School is a former public high school in the Seattle Public Schools district of Seattle, Washington, USA.-History:The school was built in 1906 to handle the growth in the area. It was founded in 1907; until 1971 it was a three-year high school, thereafter a four-year high school...
in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood. He tried out for football, baseball, basketball, and golf. Golf was his least favorite of the sports he then played. He and a friend decided to earn extra money by caddying at Seattle Golf Club. He learned to play by watching Bob Johnstone, a professional who won the Northwest Open
Northwest Open
The Northwest Open is golf tournament played in the Pacific Northwest, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Pacific Northwest section of the PGA of America...
eight times.
To raise spending money and money for golf clubs, Givan boxed at the old Austin & Salt Gymnasium at 9th and Olive in Seattle. Fighters earned $3 for going the distance in a fight, and $5 for a knockout. He scored 22 knockouts.
College and early golf career
By the time he graduated from Lincoln High, Givan had 19 scholarship offers. He also had an offer to play professional baseball for the San Francisco SealsSan Francisco Seals
San Francisco Seals can refer to:*San Francisco Seals , a Pacific Coast League team from 1903–1957*San Francisco Seals , a Western Hockey League team from 1961–1967 that entered the National Hockey League in the fall of 1967, as the California Seals*San Francisco Seals , also known as the San...
. To the astonishment of the team's manager, Jim Caveny, Givan turned down a lucrative contract offer citing the fact that he wanted to go to school.
Givan attended the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
and became captain of the golf team.
His golf breakthrough came when he won Seattle's City Caddy Championship at the original Glendale Country Club shooting 75.
1930s
Givan played his first PNGA Amateur at the age of 18 in 1929. He lost to Lloyd Nordstrom, a star golfer from Sand Point Country Club in Seattle. He did not golf much in the early '30s concentrating instead on studying and earning money to get through school. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1933 with honors in Engineering. He immediately went to work for Puget Sound Power & Light.Later that same year, Givan again entered the PNGA Amateur. He qualified with a 66, and eventually beat Bob White 3 & 1. In 1935, he won the Amateur at Seattle Golf Club beating Scotty Campbell on the 37th hole. In 1936, he was a surprise selection to the U.S. Walker Cup
Walker Cup
The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
team.
World War II and after
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Givan served in the Coast Guard Reserve.
After the war, he began selling insurance for Johnson Higgins. He eventually moved up to manage the company until he retired at the age of 62 to, "make more time for golf".
During the 1950s, he was among a group of business men who helped obtain funding and land for Northwest Hospital & Medical Center
Northwest Hospital & Medical Center
Northwest Hospital & Medical Center is a 281-bed hospital in Seattle, Washington. On September 17, 2009, it announced that as of January 1, 2010 it would become part of UW Medicine, associated with the University of Washington. UW Medicine also includes University of Washington Medical Center,...
in North Seattle. He chaired its board for several years.
Givan's first wife Velma predeceased him. They were married for 49 years before her death. He remarried Peggy Ratliff, who was by his side at his death.
Death
Givan died December 16, 1999 at Northwest Hospital & Medical CenterNorthwest Hospital & Medical Center
Northwest Hospital & Medical Center is a 281-bed hospital in Seattle, Washington. On September 17, 2009, it announced that as of January 1, 2010 it would become part of UW Medicine, associated with the University of Washington. UW Medicine also includes University of Washington Medical Center,...
of emphysema. He was 88.
Tournament wins
this list is incomplete- 1935 PNGA Amateur
- 1936 Washington OpenWashington OpenThe Washington Open is the Washington state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Pacific Northwest section of the PGA of America...
- 1942 Northwest OpenNorthwest OpenThe Northwest Open is golf tournament played in the Pacific Northwest, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Pacific Northwest section of the PGA of America...