Sign of
a Legacy
Mike White was a local golfer who enjoyed practical jokes. He was continuously, and frustratingly, hitting the same tree when teeing off the ninth hole at Touchet Valley Golf Course in Dayton, Wash. His fellow golfers razzed him mercilessly about it, so Mike (aka “Whitey”) made this sign and nailed it to the tree, just daring anyone else to hit his tree.
Mike was a beloved educator, coach and athletic director from the nearby town of Waitsburg. He passed away this winter at the age of 79 after a brief battle with cancer.
“If something needed to be done at Touchet Valley, Mike stepped up to do it,” said Claudia Nysoe, a member of the club’s board of directors. “The last time I saw him was at a volunteer work day at the course last fall. He was unable to work because of his illness, but his friends drove him around the course in a golf cart. In looking back, I believe it was a farewell ride for him."
And the sign is still there at Touchet Valley, on Whitey’s Tree. He will be missed by many.