STEVE GRAY
June 17, 2006
Interviewed by John Godley and Bill Kelly at the Yale Golf Course on June 17, 2006.

Interview: part one (6 min.) part two (20 min.)

Growing up in Kansas City, MO, Steve was very active and successful in junior golf competition. With the encouragement of his parents, especially his stepfather, he was planning to attend San Diego State University and hoped to play golf professionally. During the winter of his high school senior year he received a call from David Paterson, inviting him to visit Yale. He came and toured the course [then covered with snow] and met some of the team. He was “drawn to the university,” and his change of plans was supported by his grandmother. At present, he is Columbia University in a Master’s degree program in Organizational Psychology. During the past season he helped Coach Paterson on weekends with the team.

Steve played in every tournament during his 4 years at Yale. The team won the Ivy League championship in his second year and he was the team captain as a senior. The annual spring trips were especially memorable. First year to Scotland, where they played Troon and St. Andrews, then California and Pebble Beach, Spyglass, Cypress Point and Riviera. His third year found the team in Texas playing Colonial, and finally to Hilton Head and Florida. “You can see that after more than 30 years, ‘coach’ has made some great contacts”. Since graduation Steve has had some contacts with former team members at the annual spring Yale Golf Association event.

In describing “Coach” Paterson, Steve used the term “old school”. When asked to define that term, he said that “Coach can be harsh and a disciplinarian, though never on the course. He has some interesting metaphors, and kernels of wisdom”. For Steve, David Paterson was “as influential as many of his professors and “compared to other college golf coaches, much more open to his players personal and academic growth”.