James Ray Carpenter
MGA Hall of Fame 2019
A Hattiesburg, MS native, Carpenter was born December 12, 1926 and died on September 19, 2018. He was a member of the Hattiesburg High School golf team (1943-1945). He attended MSU (1945-1946) and USM (1947-1951) where he lettered in basketball and baseball (’45-’46,’47-’50). Carpenter’s Professional Golf Career earned him outstanding awards and honors including Professional Golf Association Membership (PGA) from 1969-2018; Golf Professional at USM (’64); USM Golf Coach (1968-1980); President of the Mississippi PGA (’73,’75,76); Secretary of the Gulf States PGA (’73); President of the Gulf States PGA (’74); MS PGA Professional of the Year (’75); President of Mississippi Turfgrass Association (‘76); Gulf States PGA Professional of the Year (’77); Member of the National PGA Board of Directors (’80-’82); PGA Rules of Golf Committee (1979-2018); Rules Official, PGA Championship (1979-2018); National Treasurer of the PGA (’83-’84); National Vice President of the PGA (’85-’86); Chairman of the 1985 Ryder Cup; National President of the PGA (’87-’88); Mississippi Pro Sportsman of the Year by the Jackson Touchdown Club (’87); and Golf Person of the Year by the Southern Golf Journal (’88). James Ray is a member of four Halls of Fame: Southern Mississippi Athletic Hall of Fame (1977); Charter Member of the Gulf States PGA Hall of Fame (1999); Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame (2003) and PGA of America Hall of Fame.