Steady Dan, can I say that Fred? Dan Christiansen again and two in a row, wins first place at Cave Creek today at 69 net. Well done Dan. Second place with a 70 net, Dwain Moore nice work Dwain. Third place was a little cumbersome with five players coming in at 71 net. Tony Dalton got the money on a scorecard playoff and Fred Baldwin, Dan Delgado, Bill Heller, and Frank Szakal share the Atta-a-Boy. It’s my understanding that Rusty Silverman Eagled hole #11 out there today too. In Rusty’s own words, “Big drive left with 215 out. 5 wood to 30 feet off the green. Perfectly struck putt that tracked center cup.” Fine work for the Golden one. It is with much sadness that I tell you Vic Bosiak passed away last night. He was a treasure of a man and everyone appreciated his humor and play through out many years with VGA. See more about Vic below. Rest of the field’s scores below. Don’t forget Aguila Wednesday.
VGA Legends
It is with sadness that the VGA announces the passing of Vic Bosiak on April 7, 2017. The following article about Vic was written last year for the VGA newsletter. However, Vic asked that it not be published until after his death.
Vic Bosiak has been a long-time member of the VGA. He moved to the valley in 1984 and first played in a VGA tournament in July of 1986.
Vic was born on October 17, 1920 in Parsippany, New Jersey He grew up with three sisters and two brothers all of which have passed away. He married Rita Marie Heverly in 1946 and they had one daughter, Victoria. His wife passed away in 1981.
Vic graduated from Morristown Community College in 1940 with a general degree. He then earned a two-year degree in from Bloomfield Technical College. While at Bloomfield, he taught courses in electricity mostly having to do with electrical motors.
As a young man Vic enjoyed playing basketball and softball. He participated in an industrial basketball league and was a substitute for an air force team where he sometimes played against professional players.
Vic was deeply affected by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Soon after the attack, he took the test to enter the Air Force and joined in White Plains, New York on January 13, 1942. After four months of training, he attained the rank of Second Lieutenant and was a First Lieutenant by the time he got out in 1946. Joe Louis, the heavyweight-boxing champion, trained at the same facility at the same time as Vic.
During World War II, Vic was a test pilot in the Air Force in Middletown, Pennsylvania. He logged over 1,200 hours of flying time in which he had three crashes. He flew a variety of airplanes including the P-38, P-40, P-47, P-51, B-17, and the B-25. He also flew a rebuilt Navy A-25 to Texas where he had to make a forced landing.
Vic was first employed in Belleville, New Jersey by Walter Kidde & Company, a corporation that filled Air Force contracts, where he was a production control manager. He later took a job with Cessna Sperry as a production control monitor that oversaw the production of electrical systems for airplanes. The company moved him to Phoenix in 1984 where he retired in 1987.
As a child, Vic lived near a golf course and started to play golf at the age of 15. At first he played just two holes by going back and forth. The first set of clubs he used were his brother’s set of Wilson Staffs with wooden shafts. By the time he was 19, he had a single digit handicap.
Over the years Vic has done very well in golf competitions. He won the Walter Kidde Employee Association tournament in 1947, a tournament at Maryvale in 1984, and the VGA Champion-of-Champions trophy once. He also has many medals for participation in the Class A Arizona Senior Olympics.
Vic traveled throughout the U. S. to play golf in such places as Palm Springs, Florida, Georgia, Washington, and Hawaii. Members of the VGA such as Jim O’Keefe, Steve Mahalick, and Laurie Evans accompanied Vic on these trips.
Vic served on the VGA board for five years. He also was a member of the rules committee. His most recent outing with the VGA was on Saturday September 3 at the Grand Canyon University course where he shot 56 on the front nine not bad for being two months shy of 96. Coincidentally, GCU used to be Maryvale where Vic first played with the VGA.
Vic loves to gamble and play cards. As everyone in the VGA knows Gordon is fond of saying you are luckier than Bosiak which is a tribute to his skill at Crazy Bridge. Vic just smiled about his luck at cards and winning and said “I collected the money.”
Next up for VGA, Wednesday, April 12, 2017, Aguila, 7:45 am $48 + Second Week of Wed. Champion of Champions play.
