WGA Evans Scholars Magazine, Winter 2018

the age of 14 At one point he even considered playing professionally While caddying he learned about the Evans Scholars Program He was awarded a Scholarship in 1951 He started his college career at the University of Illinois but with the help of Mac McGuigan then the WGAs Educational Director he eventually transferred to Northwestern University There he began a lifelong friendship with fellow Evans Scholar Ed Piacentini Bernardi They have stayed in touch through the years and remain good friends today Woodworth was a member of Northwesterns golf team While playing against other Big Ten schools he met University of Michigan Evans Scholar Bob McMasters They became friendly competitors and have stayed in touch over the years Bob would later serve as chairman of the Western Golf Association In the Evans Scholars family he found like minded students determined caddies who were driven to succeed Its a fact that impresses him today I believe that if you were to put all the Evans Scholars in one room you would have so much brain power you would need a larger room he said You put opportunity out there for someone who has had very little and you would be amazed at what kind of results youd get and very quickly ____ While in college Woodworth met and married a girl from Cleveland With the help of McGuigan he transferred from Northwestern to Case Western Reserve where he graduated with honors His father in law a Cleveland businessman took Woodworth under his wing and introduced him to the insurance business Woodworth thrived in this environment He became the youngest member of the Million Dollar Roundtable an exclusive group of elite salesmen As a young member his work ethic and determination to succeed stood out I learned I didnt want to ever be in poverty again he said I knew how that worked and I shunned it Consequently I worked day and night selling by phone in order to become financially independent His success in the insurance business led to the investment business specifically mutual funds To many it wouldve been just a job But to Woodworth it was so much more his success was the epitome of everything he had overcome in his past and the fulfillment of the person he wanted to be You learn how to manage money by not having it he said He has spent a career managing clients wealth and eventually became a director of Franklin Templeton Investments Now 84 Woodworth looks back at his career and says one key to his success was continuously reflecting on his goals Work is not a bad word but you have to have a goal he says Its like a road map setting goals is critical to any kind of success no matter what it is These days his life has slowed down dramatically He enjoys spending time with his wife Heidi daughter Brenda and his dog either at his Seattle Pebble Beach Vancouver or Paris homes Im no longer 28 I win no races because I enter no races he says A true philanthropist he remains one of the Evans Scholars Programs biggest all time contributors and will always view caddying as the stepping stone that set the stage for his life success He hopes his story will motivate other Evans Alumni to support the Program in a significant way From left Lou Woodworth and Heidi Charleson visiting with Mary and Ed Bernardi in Lake Forest Illinois in October 2017 25 Winter 2018