Diana was full of vigor and energy. She was outgoing, competitive, feisty, an overachiever, an alpha dog. She was genuine, forthright and generous with her time. She was an organizer, a teacher by vocation and in many ways a teacher of life itself. She was a trailblazer. She was not afraid of challenges or failure.
On May 8, 2013, Diana was on her way to a golf outing sponsored by Golfweek Magazine at the Trump International Golf Club in New Jersey. Diana had been a rater for Golfweek for more than 10 years. She never reached her destination. She was hit from behind by a semi-tractor trailer while stopped in traffic near Columbus. She was killed instantly. Her untimely death rocked the golfing world in Dayton. Her legacy will be felt for years to come in the participation and management of the sport.
Diana’s list of accomplishments in golf are many, but to students through the years she was coach and mentor. She graduated in 1964 from The Ohio State University with a BA in Education. She later earned a Master’s Degree in education from Miami University. She spent 27 years as a teacher in the Kettering School system. Throughout those years she coached the boys’ high school golf team, girls’ basketball and field hockey, softball and volleyball. She taught her student-athletes not only the game but also the lessons of life through the sport; rules, good sportsmanship, etiquette, fairness and hard work. Through her teaching years, she introduced so many of her students to golf, the game she loved.
Diana’s golf legacy includes 14 Dayton City Amateur championships. She was medalist in the first USGA National Public Links Tournament and runner up in the same tournament the next year. She won the WOSGA State Amateur twice in 1989 and 1990 and the WOSGA Seniors once. She won OSWIGA 4 times in 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2001. She was a qualifier for the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur five times. In 1982, Diana was elected to the Dayton Golf Hall of Fame. She served as a regional affairs representative to the USGA and shortly before her death, she was awarded the Ike Grainger Award for individuals who have donated 25 years of volunteer service to that organization. In 2002, she was recognized as a state legend by Golfweek Magazine.
Diana loved playing golf but also was very active in other aspects of the game such as organizing, teaching and coaching. She co-founded the Dayton District Women’s Golf Association (DDWGA) in 1991 where she served as the first president. She served on the Board of this organization in various capacities through the years, most recently as Women’s Course Rating chair. She organized and ran Get a Girl Golfing each summer for girls ages 8-17 and initially ran the Janet Beardsley Golf Tournament for girls.
Diana was instrumental in organizing the Ohio Women’s Golf Association (OWGA) in 1979 and ran the tournament each fall at one of the Ohio State Parks. Each summer she also worked the Junior Golf Clinics at Beavercreek Golf Club teaching junior golfers how to play the game. For several years, she organized and ran the OHSAA Boys Golf Division 1 Section Qualifier and then helped with the Ohio Golf State Championships Division 1 in Columbus each fall.
Diana was a member of the Ohio High School Golf Coaches Association and was elected to their Hall of Fame. She was also in the Fairborn Schools Hall of Honor.