Paul Mann (left), a fourth-year OSU student in mechanical engineering, watches his shot on the 13th hole at the Worthington Hills Country Club during the inaugural Scott Harman Memorial Golf Outing Oct. 9.
Credit: Michael Burwell / Lantern photographer
Just a little more than a year after his death, Scott Harman is still making people smile.
Members of Tau Kappa Epsilon, Harman’s fraternity, and other Greek organizations came together Wednesday for a sunny day of golf at the Scott Harman Memorial Golf Outing.
Harman died Sept. 10, 2012, of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic heart disease in which walls of the heart are thicker than normal.
The event was held at Worthington Hills Country Club where Harman, who was a third-year in professional golf management, previously worked.
“What do you say when 76 people show up in three weeks and then another 60 or so sign up to come here (to the reception)? You say, ‘Thank you,’” said Mark Harman, Scott Harman’s father, at a reception after the tournament. “So thank you for honoring my son and being here.”
The tournament raised more than $11,100 for the Scott Harman Memorial PGM Scholarship Fund. Money from the fund benefits a student in the Professional Golf Management program each year.
Harman, who had a passion for sports, decided on his major over 18 holes of golf with members of the PGM program, said Ray Miller, director of OSU Professional Golf Management Program.
“All of a sudden this smile came over Scott’s face, and he said, ‘You can major in golf?’” Miller said. “He started thinking, and by the 18th green, he looked at me and he says, ‘Can I make an appointment with you next week?’”
After transferring from Otterbein College to OSU for his second year, Harman became involved in the TKE fraternity. His fraternity brothers hosted the tournament in his honor.
Scott Feldmiller, a fourth-year in finance and a member of TKE, was in a group project meeting when he heard the news of Scott Harman’s death.
“My heart sank. I was shocked,” Feldmiller said. “My mind was in a thousand places.”
Feldmiller and Harman went to Oakwood High School in Dayton together.
“It certainly is not easy when it’s somebody who’s your fraternity brother and childhood friend,” Feldmiller said.
When Mark, John and Jeanne Harman took the podium at the reception, the three smiled as they told stories about Scott.
“Scotty got his charm from his dad, but he got his knees from me” said Jeanne Harman, Scott Harman’s mother, after participating in the tournament. “I injured myself — again — and had to quit at hole seven.”
John Harman, Scott Harman’s brother, told a story about a time he and his brother lost control of a golf cart.
“The cart starts spinning around. It does a 360, one turn, two turns, and at that point I bailed,” John Harman said. “When I looked back up, Scott’s still in the cart, hopelessly trying to steer.”
Other participants reflected on Scott Harman’s memory.
“He was always in a genuinely good mood,” said Robby Mulvey, a third-year in biomedical engineering and member of TKE. “I miss his conversation more than anything.”
Scott Harman would be upset if he saw his loved ones still mourning his death, though, Mulvey said.
“It’s time to celebrate the memories that we have. It’s time to celebrate his life with the people that loved him and the people that knew him,” Mulvey said. “I think he’d be glad that this is a happy event. I think so.”
