OT - George H. "Pete" Bostwick, Jr. R.I.P.

[David_Tepper]

Pete Bostwick recently passed at 87 years. He was a remarkable amateur athlete.

In golf, he played in the US Open at Winged Foot in 1959. He won the Northeast Amateur. He & his brother Jimmy won multiple 2-man golf events.

In tennis, he played in the US tennis championships at Forest Hills in 1952. He also won national championships in squash, court tennis and racquets. 

He also played intercollegiate and amateur hockey at a pretty high level. A remarkable sporting life.

His obit: https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/25309873/george-h-bostwick-jr

"He could do it all":  https://thealbatross.substack.com/p/he-could-do-it-all

An article about him written in 2020: https://www.tennisandrackets.com/news/peter-bostwick-jr-still-a-legend-at-86



 

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

He was a great man.  Years ago he was an afternoon driving range staple at Piping Rock, where a couple close friends were teaching pros.  Had some great sports conversations.  He had the Claude Harmon wedge technique spot on, and would hit wonderful pitch shots around the tiny pitching green.

[David_Tepper]

Here is an article on Pete Bostwick from the Met Golfer magazine in 2019.

"Long Island's Pete Bostwick may be the greatest athlete you've never heard of"

https://dl-mail.aolmail.com/ws/download/mailboxes/@.id==VjN-HTCmmpYLdHussfauGaucDM7ZBeA8lO83SK2zxcJ2TNR0TnzY7dOzkeZswQvIvTkx/messages/@.id==AJoQ9QxS4R2fYtChkQHkYJkFP3s/content/parts/@.id==2/raw?appid=aolwebmail&ymreqid=199d0b4e-9d9d-cbaa-2f2c-5a01bf013d00&token=JetM7S284WZX2EjArKFTD-kY8fJNLCynH0RJgOQ8npxi6Vs1cHHdDThAY2utb401GCs6XkdvuBYl6Dzx-fPQ3nROfNjt07OR5mzBC8i9OTE

[Mike Sweeney]

David,


I never met him personally, but obviously knew the name. As "College Sports" re-forms into a Mega Conference or 2 and then everything else, this quote by "Pete's" daughter rings true, for me:


“Use the new facility to work hard, to be the best player that you can be, and never forget your love of the game and the family that you will make in the four years that you play.”



In the big picture of life, I sucked at "college sports", but it was life changing for me and my older son. Here is the family:

[David_Tepper]

Mike -

I would think guys like Pat Mucci and Tom Paul crossed paths with Pete Bostwick more than once during their golfing lives.

Ed Moylan, my college tennis & squash coach, was the tennis pro a Piping Rock during the summer months. The Bostwick family were members there. It would not surprise me if Coach Moylan gave the Bostwick kids tennis lessons in the 1960's & 70's.

DT

[Jim_Coleman]

   Although he’s before my time, I know his name from squash. He was a very big name in college squash more than 10 years after I graduated. He won 3 national championships at Middlebury.

[Ronald Montesano]

David's link was from an email, and probably won't work for anyone. This one should, both viewable and for download.

https://uscourttennis.org/2019/american-sportsman-long-islands-pete-bostwick-may-be-the-greatest-athlete-youve-never-heard-of-from-met-golfer-magazine/

[KBanks]

I had the good luck of a pairing with Pete Bostwick in a club competition. Upon learning I was a Georgian who shared his high opinion of Palmetto he spent more time with me than his partner during our round together. Of course his name is all over the walls of the original PGC locker room. He kindly put me in touch with his old friend Woody Millen, another golf treasure.
Pete must have been in his mid seventies when we played, and the control and variety of his iron and pitch shots was stunning, as was his enthusiasm for the game. A memorable day. RIP Pete.


Ken

[Tom Bagley]

The Flagstick Books' reprint of Ernest Jones' Swinging Into Golf includes "A New Commentary" by Pete Bostwick.  It is actually in the form of an interview with Bostwick conducted and penned by publisher Robert Macdonald.  Bostwick's sports resume is recounted in great detail, along with Bostwick's insights into the teachings of Jones, from whom young Bostwick learned to play golf.  As it turns out, Bostwick was also an occasional playing companion of Ben Hogan at Seminole.


It's all very interesting stuff from a different age and time and worlds apart from most of our own life experiences. 

[Wayne_Kozun]

Wow, what an accomplished man.  Thanks for posting David.

[David_Tepper]

One last obituary for Pete Bostwick. This one does focus more on his remarkable achievements with a racquet in his hand, but there is a nice photo of him & his brother Charlie receiving their trophies from Bob Hope after winning "the Ike" 2-man golf tournament in 1970.

http://www.dailysquashreport.com/7_11_22_pete_obit.htm