Bob Travis
MGA Hall of Fame 2022
Robert Cecil Travis was born in Jackson, Mississippi and was a lifelong resident of the Magnolia
state. Mr. Travis was an honor graduate of Jackson Central High School, where he competed on
the golf team and won the Big-8 High School Championship. Mr. Travis was also awarded the
Citizenship Award as a senior who contributed most to the welfare and betterment of the
school. Following high school Mr. Travis attended the University of Mississippi where he
graduated with distinction from both undergraduate and law school. Mr. Travis was involved
with a myriad of activities and has received many honors for his time at Ole Miss which include
Student Body President, Hall of Fame member, President of the Sigma Chi fraternity, Army ROTC
Distinguished Military Student, Cadet Battalion Commander of Army ROTC, and a member of
several national honor societies. Alongside his many education achievements, Mr. Travis also
was a letterman and served as Captain on the Ole Miss Golf team. Most notably during his time at the University of
Mississippi, Mr. Travis organized a campus-wide financial drive that brought two Hungarian refugee students to campus
for a full 4-year scholarship during the Soviet Repression of Hungary in 1957. One of those students, John G. Adler, has
since given over 3 million dollars to the University. In his senior year at Ole Miss, Mr. Travis received the Balfour Award
for the most outstanding Sigma Chi in the United States. To this day he is the only Ole Miss student to ever receive this
award. Following school, Mr. Travis served two years in the U.S. Army as a military intelligence officer and photo
interpreter at the Pentagon. Following his military duty, Mr. Travis also earned a Master of Law from Yale University.
Known for many years as Mississippi’s Mr. Golf, Mr. Travis excelled on the golf course and was a true ambassador for the
game. During his half century of tournament golf Mr. Travis competed in three USGA National Championship; U.S.
Amateur, U.S. Senior Amateur, and U.S. Senior Open. Mr. Travis is a two-time Mississippi Amateur Champion (’61, ’67),
Mississippi Four-Ball Champion, and countless winner of many Invitational titles throughout Mississippi. Throughout his
life, Mr. Travis was a member at the Country Club of Jackson, Annandale Golf Club, Hattiesburg Country Club, Whisper
Lake Country Club, and awarded an honorary membership at Laurel Country Club. Outside of competition, Mr. Travis
was a founding member of the Mid-South Golf Association, President of the Mississippi Golf Association, and served as a
Board Member of the Mississippi Golf Association for many years. For Mr. Travis, golf was life’s greatest delight. His
joyous love of the game and infectious high spirits brought delight to countless courses and competitors. Bob Travis
passed away on December 5, 2008, and is survived by his wife, Bonnie E. Carter and daughter.