Editor’s note: In honor of what would have been Arnold Palmer’s 90th birthday this year, “90 for 90â€� is a celebration of 90 moments from Mr. Palmer’s incredible life – one highlighted each day, for 90 days, from June 13 until his birthday on September 10, 2019. More than just historical notes, the 90 moments showcase Palmer’s love of family and of aviation, his business acumen, his philanthropy via the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation and other efforts and, of course, his incredible golf career. Each month, we will highlight stories that show the positive impact Palmer and the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation have on local communities. We invite you to join the celebration at www.arnoldpalmer.com as well as via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and to share your thoughts and personal Palmer memories online using #AP90for90. Stories, photos and creative courtesy of www.arnoldpalmer.com. June 15 #3: Every Time Arnie Helped a Child There are few environments as thrilling as Pebble Beach Golf Links in the midst of a tournament, but for a young Roger Maltbie the crowds proved too much—until Arnold Palmer stepped in. In the early 1960s a 10-year-old Roger went to a tournament at the famed California course and become separated from his parents. He was standing behind the second tee looking worried when, as he explained to Golf Digest years later, Arnold Palmer looked over and saw him. Palmer, who was playing in the event, asked Roger if he was OK. Maltbie explained that he’d lost his parents and was scared, and Palmer took him by the hand and said, “Come with me. They’ll see you with me.â€� They did, and Maltbie treasures the memory of his mother yelling “ROGER!â€� from the gallery as he walked down the fairway with a legend. Maltbie eventually became a five-time winner on the PGA TOUR and a golf announcer, and when he recounted the “lostâ€� story to Arnold many years later, he said Palmer had no recollection of the event. “I think it says a lot about the man,â€� Maltibie said. “He’d done the same thing for other kids.â€� Quotes from Golf Digest “Life of the Partyâ€� by Craig Bestrom, June 4, 2008. June 18 #6: The Day He Said “We Can Do Better” In the mid-1980s, when Arnold and Winnie Palmer visited the neonatal intensive care unit and pediatrics wing of Orlando Regional Medical Center, they were impressed by the talent and dedication of the staff, but they were bothered by the modest facilities. “We can do better than this,â€� Arnold said. “We should do better than this, for the children of our community.â€� That statement led to what is today the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, the fourth-largest neonatal intensive care unit in the country, and Central Florida’s only pediatric Level One Trauma Center. With the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies, it’s just part of the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation’s commitment to improving children’s health—and an inspiration to us all to “do betterâ€� whenever an opportunity presents itself.
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