Who was Alan Wilson

[Tom MacWood]

For some odd reason TEP would rather question my knowledge of Alan Wilson than address my questions. So as not to derail the other thread I thought I'd start yet another Merion thread. I apologize.

Alan Wilson was Hugh Wilson's older brother. He attended Lawrenceville School and Princeton. He graduated from Princeton 1891 and was a classmate of Howard Perrin. He married in 1897. He was member of the Germantown Cricket Club and Philadelphia CC before joining Merion CC. He played to a 15 handicap in 1913. He was an insurance broker in partnership with his brother. During WWI he was involved with the Red Cross

When the East and West courses were designed and built circa 1911-13 Alan was not involved in any capacity. In 1915 he joined the MCC green committee under the chairmanship of Winthrop Sargent. He was a member of PVGC, and became chairman of its green committee in 1921, that was during Howard Perrin's rein as president of the club. He was on executive committee of the USGA, and was heavily involved with the Green Section. He was an honorary member of the R&A. He died in 1935.

[JESII]

I have heard, but cannot yet confirm, that he was a founding member and on the board of The Merion Cricket Club Golf Association. If I remember correctly, this is the corporate entity that purchased the 120 acres Merion East was in July 1911...not sure when it was incorporated, but the strategic concept was identified in the fall of 1910 as Merion Cricket Club was figuring out how best to move its golf course to Ardmore.

[Mike_Cirba]

Let's start here...

[Tom MacWood]

According to Tolhurst's history the Merion Cricket Club Golf Association was formed in 1909 to examine the effect the Haskel had on the viability of their old course. Tolhurst said the moving spirits of this organization were Griscom, Yarnell, Lelsey, Stephenson, Allan Wilson and Hugh Wilson.

According to Heilman's history the 1910 Annual Report told the members the old course was too short and too expensive to expand, and the MCCGA was formed and this association bought and leased the new land. The old RR maps show land of the West and East course being owned by MCCGA.

The first mention I have found of the MCCGA is 1898 in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The article said the female members of the MCCGA had organized and played in a golf tournament.

Whatever the case Alan Wilson was not part of the golf committee or the construction committee at the time the golf courses were being designed and built, which would explain why he got the chronology of events wrong in his account.

[Tom MacWood]

Mike
I don't believe it is all that important to know who Alan Wilson beyond his involvement at Merion. My purpose in starting this thread was to prevent the other one from being sidetracked. TEP had refused to address my questions, and instead wanted to make me the issue, as if I had no right to ask questions about Alan Wilson's report. Lets get back to analyzing what Alan Wilson wrote, after all wasn't it you and TE who suggested yesterday thats exactly what we should do.

[Mike_Cirba]

Tom,

With all due respect, that is a preposterous contention and unproven assertion and if the only purpose of this thread is simply trying to make it appear as though Alan Wilson had no idea what was going on at Merion when the new course was being built when his brother and business partner was the Chairman of the Committee assigned to lay out and build the new course then this is a waste of time.

This is belied by the fact that 1) William Philer who was writing the history book knew all of the particpants there for many years and asked Alan D. Wilson to write that account, and 2) ALL of the men who were on Hugh Wilson's committee, as well as other key participants like Robert Lesley were all still alive and at Merion at the time PHiller asked Alan Wilson.

The idea that Alan Wilson would be asked to provide this account if he wasn't there is again, just a completely delirious idea and totally fallacious assertion.

If, on the other hand, you're actually interested in learning more about the man,  let's start with the fact that in 1898, it was reported at the Philadelphia Country Club;

"Last year the club had two most excellent golf teams.   The first consisted of Messrs. J. Wilmer Biddle, George T. Newhall, Isaac T. Starr, Lynford Biddle, David H. Biddle, and Alan D. Wilson.   It is probable that this will also be the personnel of the team this year."

As far as Alan Wilson not being directly on the committee in 1910-12, who exactly was going to mind the business?

Besides, we've already established that Merion's Committee was made up of the very top golfers in the club, who were among the very top level players in the region.   Alan Wilson's very respectable handicap of 13 did not make the grade, however, but when one considers that the best handicap in Philadelphia was a 4, with Hugh Wilson and Rodman Griscom at 6, it was clear he was a fine, if hardly great player at that time.

[Tom MacWood]

Tom,

With all due respect, that is a preposterous contention and unproven assertion and if the only purpose of this thread is simply trying to make it appear as though Alan Wilson had no idea what was going on at Merion when the new course was being built when his brother and business partner was the Chairman of the Committee assigned to lay out and build the new course then this is a waste of time.

This is belied by the fact that 1) William Philer who was writing the history book knew all of the particpants there for many years and asked Alan D. Wilson to write that account, and 2) ALL of the men who were on Hugh Wilson's committee, as well as other key participants like Robert Lesley were all still alive and at Merion at the time PHiller asked Alan Wilson.

The idea that Alan Wilson would be asked to provide this account if he wasn't there is again, just a completely delirious idea and totally fallacious assertion.

If, on the other hand, you're actually interested in learning more about the man,  let's start with the fact that in 1898, it was reported at the Philadelphia Country Club;

"Last year the club had two most excellent golf teams.   The first consisted of Messrs. J. Wilmer Biddle, George T. Newhall, Isaac T. Starr, Lynford Biddle, David H. Biddle, and Alan D. Wilson.   It is probable that this will also be the personnel of the team this year."

As far as Alan Wilson not being directly on the committee in 1910-12, who exactly was going to mind the business?

Besides, we've already established that Merion's Committee was made up of the very top golfers in the club, who were among the very top level players in the region.   Alan Wilson's very respectable handicap of 13 did not make the grade, however, but when one considers that the best handicap in Philadelphia was a 4, with Hugh Wilson and Rodman Griscom at 6, it was clear he was a fine, if hardly great player at that time.

TEP was avoiding my questions on the other thread, that is why I started this thread. For some reason he felt my knowledge (or lack of knowledge) of Alan was an issue, and because of that he refused to address my questions. Perhaps you and Jim could address them too.

[JESII]

... and because of that he refused to address my questions. Perhaps you and Jim could address them too.

I don't see a single question mark from you on this thread.

To tell me his role with Merion Cricket Club Golf Association left him out of touch with the goings on at Ardmore is your biggest wiff yet.

[Chris_Blakely]

Who was Alan Wilson

I think this is a question!!

[Tom MacWood]

Jim
I should have said: address my questions on the other thread. Sorry.

[Tom MacWood]

To tell me his role with Merion Cricket Club Golf Association left him out of touch with the goings on at Ardmore is your biggest wiff yet.

Tolhurst's account is confusing at best. He said he was a moving spirit of the organization, whatever the means. He does not say what led him to draw that conclusion. The Heilman history does not mention him at all.

What exactly was Alan Wilson's role? Is there any evidence he was involved with golf course project in any capacity?

[TEPaul]

"TEP was avoiding my questions on the other thread, that is why I started this thread. For some reason he felt my knowledge (or lack of knowledge) of Alan was an issue, and because of that he refused to address my questions. Perhaps you and Jim could address them too."

Tom:

I'm not avoiding your questions about Alan Wilson on the other thread. I merely would say they are basically foolish questions that don't even deserve consideration since the answers can be nothing but complete speculation, particularly to your first one----eg "Does everyone agree that Alan Wilson's account is second hand?"

Alan Wilson and Hugh Wilson ran a family insurance business together, were fellow members of Merion and PV and had a good deal of common interest with both courses----all documented. Do you have a sibling? Perhaps not but I do and I pretty much know all about everything she has been interested in and done in her entire live. No difference with Alan and Hugh Wilson and certainly being so involved in a common club (clubs), on the USGA board, USGA Green Section etc.

Why would you ask that of "everyone" on here? What do you think "everyone" on here knows about Alan Wilson and his relationship with Merion and his knowledge of the creation and entire evolution of the architecture of Merion East from 1910 to 1926?


Sully:

The Merion Cricket Club Golf Association (MCCGA) was formed in 1909. It was not the same thing at first as The Merion Cricket Club Golf Assocation CORPORATION, which was a REGISTERED Delaware Co, Pennsylvania second class corporation formed and registered in Dec. 1910 to purchase and hold land and amenities for a golf course (courses) and lease them to Merion Cricket Club in perpetuity. The men who were the directors (as it were) of both were some of the same MCC men but not all of the same men.

[TEPaul]

"Tolhurst's account is confusing at best."



Tom:

Tolhurst's account isn't confusing in the least, unless it's apparently considered from Tom MacWood's perspective who seems to pretty much be confused by just about everything Merion's records and Merion's history books say. I suppose that is to be expected, however, if someone is looking to just prove Merion's history wrong, as Jeff Brauer very correctly mentioned on a post that you and Moriarty have been trying to do for over six years now without knowing much of anything about Merion's history and its own records in the first place.




"Is there any evidence he was involved with golf course project in any capacity?"



Apparently you haven't gotten very far in those "agronomy letters" have you? I can't say I blame you really since there are close to 2,000 of them. On the other hand, you're the one who has always mentioned on here that you are an expert golf architecture reseacher/writer!

Happy researching on those letters! Something tells me they will probably be confusing at best to you too.  In the meantime I see you are just sticking with your constant questions of everyone else!

[DMoriarty]

Jim

My understanding is that MCCGA went way back near the time they began golfing at Merion, and that all the golfers at MCC were part of the association.   My assumption is that the Golf Assn was under the purview of the Golf Committee, chaired by Lesley.  As of the fall of 1910, AWilson was not a member.  Not sure who was listed on the corporation papers from 1910,  and not sure it matters.  But if was either of the Wilsons, TEPaul would have brought it forward.

[TEPaul]

If anyone really wants to know, and to know the facts of the evolution of something like MCCGA within MCC the very first thing you need to do is completely disregard anything Moriarty says about the facts behind it that is preceded by the terms "It is my understanding" or "My assumption."

He did get one thing right, however, it really doesn't matter when it comes to the subject of who designed Merion East and who should be given and always has been given architectural attribution for it (at least that early stage).

Today, Merion actually lists the architects of both their courses as Hugh Wilson and William Flynn.

[Tom MacWood]

"A most interesting event, I might almost call it a family affair, took place last Thursday afternoon at Haverford among the feminine golfers of the Merion Cricket Club Golf Association." ~ Philadelphia Inquirer 7/3/1898

[DMoriarty]

"A most interesting event, I might almost call it a family affair, took place last Thursday afternoon at Haverford among the feminine golfers of the Merion Cricket Club Golf Association." ~ Philadelphia Inquirer 7/3/1898

Come on Tom, not that Merion Cricket Club Golf Association.

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