The Fry Brothers Memorial Tournament honors the five brothers who were responsible for developing the golf programs at Alameda, Lake Chabot, Oak Knoll and San Mateo golf courses. In 1929, Earl Fry started the Alameda Women's Golf Club, and in 1955 Dick Fry was instrumental in starting the Sunward Ladies Golf Club at Lake Chabot. (Thirteen Alameda members belong to this Saturday group).
The Frys were born and raised in Everett, Wash., sons of Mark A. and Elizabeth (Fitting) Fry. Their father was superintendent of bridge maintenance for the Great Northern Railway. Their home was located next to a golf course, and the boys, starting as caddies, spent every spare moment on the course. They learned golf by doing.
In 1923 Fred Fry became the head pro at Oakland Municipal Golf Course (now Lake Chabot). He convinced his younger brothers, Earl and Mark, to leave home and assist him at Chabot. When Earl Fry left in 1927 to manage the new Alameda Municipal Golf Course and Mark joined the Oak Knoll Golf Course, Fred called on his two remaining brothers, Dick and Tom, for assistance. Dick Fry settled in at Chabot, Tom moved over to the San Mateo Golf Course, and Fred left Chabot for Pacific Grove. All told, these five Fry brothers spent 236 years managing, teaching and playing golf.
Earl Fry was married June 9, 1923, in Everett, Wash., to Mabel Leigh Loucks. Their daughter, Elizabeth Leigh (born in 1924) married Robert Warner and had a daughter, Diana Leigh. Earl and Mabel's son, Earl Jr., born May 12, 1925, won the East Bay Junior Golf Championship three years in a row (1941-43), graduated from Alameda High School, entered the U.S. Marine Corps and, unfortunately, died on Okinawa in June 1945.
In the early years the Frys were well-known golfers. Mark Fry was the family's most successful player, having won local and state championships and competed at the national level. Earl, Dick, and Tom were all active in the Professional Golfers Association. On March 18, 1938, Earl, the "Bald Baron of Bay Farm Island," was recognized nationally when he shot a 12-under-par 59 during the California Professional Golfers Championship held on the course we now call the "Earl Fry."
This is the course where the Alameda Women's 18-Hole Golf Club held the 2004 Fry Brothers Memorial Tournament.
Source: Contra Costa Times (California)