Emily T Gail Talk Story with fellow Detroiter Jack Berry reflecting on his 50+ years as a Sports Writer

Emily T Gail Talk Story

Jack Berry is a long time friend and in many ways has been a mentor.
We had a fun talk story. Reminded me how much I love my friendship with Jack and mutual support. I hope you will listen.
Whether you were a reader of Jack's during his many years at the Detroit News, and now in his retirement with Art and Jeannie McCafferty's Michigan Golfer or just enjoy taking about sports and how it weaves into our lives and friendships I think you will pick up how much Jack loves what he does so well. Tells stories.
And I love pulling the stories out of Jack ... about how he has made a difference. Like how he was the one who got the locker room ban of females into the locker at the Masters lifted because he felt it was the right thing for them to do and he was going to do something about it. Jack covered 43 Masters!!!!
This is the bio from when Jack was inducted into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 2003.
Jack Berry is a renowned sports writer who honed his ability reporting sports in the Detroit area. Beginning his sports writing career with the UPI, United Press International, in Detroit, he went on to write for both the Free Press and the Detroit News. A talented writer, Jack covered most sports and all of our national sports teams. Covering golf for many years allowed Jack to bear witness to some of the great events in golf. Jack also loved writing about amateur golf and covered 30-plus Michigan Amateurs. For committee service on the Michigan Golf Summits I and II, he received an Outstanding Service Award.
Jack wrote about Michigan golf for 40 years. During this time, he had a strong, national influence on promoting the sport for all golfers. He served for more than ten years on the Board of Directors of the National Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), two years in the mid 80’s as President and eight years in the 90’s as Secretary-Treasurer. As President in 1984, he successfully intervened with Augusta National Golf Club Chairman, Hord Hardin, to lift the ban on female reporters in the Masters’ locker room.
Golf throughout the state of Michigan benefited from Jack Berry’s powerful pen. He advanced the promotion of golf in our state by writing the Guide to Michigan Golf, first published in 1991 and updated in 1993. He followed this in 1992, with an influential inside back cover column for Golf World entitled, “A Convincing Case for Michigan: When it comes to golf, this Northern state is state of the art.” Jack also used his skills to promote and publicize the formation of the Michigan Women’s Publinx Golf Association and the Metro Detroit Executive Women’s Golf Association. He is a regular contributor to the Michigan Golfer. The GAM Distinguished Award in 1997 acknowledged his wealth of contributions to amateur golf and more than three decades of writing that inspired the growth and maintained the popularity of golf in Michigan.
Since retiring, he freelances for national and local golf publications. Locally, he serves as the GWAA’s representative at Michigan State University, interviewing journalism students as prospective scholarship recipients. He hosts an annual celebrity golf day fundraiser for the Friends of Wayne County Parks Committee. He has four bright, beautiful and loving daughters with whom he is very close.
Elected to Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 2003.