Prowess and grace on the golf course

Glenna Collett Vare, one of the most important female golfers of the early 20th century, also happened to have ties to Philadelphia.

Vare (1903-1989) was a widely respected and highly skilled golfer who enjoyed a long, prosperous career.

Soon after Glenna Collett was born in New Haven, Conn., her family relocated to Providence, R.I. There, her athletically minded parents encouraged young Glenna to participate in a variety of physical activities. From an early age, she took part in swimming and diving, and she liked playing baseball until she was expected to find a more "woman-friendly" sport.

In her teens, Collett discovered golf, one of the few sports of the era that catered to women. Her parents supported her decision to pursue the sport, and she soon sought the tutelage of the Scottish golf pro Alex Smith.

Collett competed in her first U.S. Women's Amateur Golf Championship in 1919, and she won the tournament in 1922. By this time, the 19-year-old was one of the top golfers in the country.

Collett challenged the oppressive standards set for women of her time while still managing to project an image that the public felt comfortable with. Her feminine looks and demeanor combined with superb athleticism to make her a media darling who drew national praise and respect.

In 1931, Collett's marriage to Edwin H. Vare Jr. of Philadelphia helped further improve her public standing. Vare was a member of a politically potent family that wielded power and patronage in the city. His uncle, William Vare, a Republican politician and notorious political boss, was one of three Vare brothers known as the "Dukes of South Philadelphia."

After their marriage, Edwin and Glenna settled down in Philadelphia with hopes of starting a family. After a brief hiatus, Glenna Collett Vare - now a mother of two - again won the Women's Amateur in 1935, her sixth U.S. championship.

Her ambition soon took on an international scope. In the 1930s and '40s, she captained the U.S. team in the Curtis Cup, a biennial competition between the United States and Great Britain/Ireland.

Collett played golf into her 80s and was inducted into both the World Golf Hall of Fame and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame.

HSP's collections include many photographs of Glenna Collett Vare playing golf and other sports (including tennis, archery, and shooting) and with her children.

Last week's Memory Stream misidentified the year of William Rawle's return to the United States from England. It was 1783.