#PeggyKirkBell October 6
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October 2026 several of us are going to take on the 30-Day Celebrity Alma Mater Coach4aday Challenge. Each day we will identify a celebrity and share where they attended college. For Day 6 it is on PEGGY KIRK BELL.
During the early part of my tenure as Director of Athletics at UNC Pembroke, the university’s television station asked me to host a monthly 30-minute program called “Inside Athletics.” With the exception of me as the host, the entire production was handled by students. Each month, we highlighted an aspect of athletics, whether it involved sports or people on campus or stories connected to athletics beyond the university.
One episode in 2002 gave me the opportunity to interview Peggy Kirk Bell, who was 81 years old at the time. What began as a 30-minute television interview became an opportunity to hear the story of a remarkable woman whose influence on the game of golf extended far beyond her accomplishments as a player.
She first attended Sargent College of Physical Education in Boston which today is part of Boston University, studying there for two years. Peggy then transferred to Rollins College in Florida, where she played on the women’s golf team.
Celebrity Alma Mater Coach4aday Challenge Guidelines
Basic daily format:
Day 6-Peggy Kirk Bell -Rollins College
Celebrity: Peggy Kirk Bell
Alma Mater: Rollins College
Why They’re Famous: She became famous primarily for her accomplishments as a golfer, golf instructor, and pioneering advocate for women’s golf.
College Connection: She drove from Rollins College to Pinehurst NC into play in the Women’s North/South Amateur Tournament. She just thought it was an event you could pay an entry fee. She was embarrassed when she learned it was a prestigious invitational only event. Richard Tufts the grandson of the founder of the Pinehurst Resort granted her entry. Peggy would win the event in 1949.
Interesting Facts: She turned pro in 1950 and joined the LPGA as a charter member at the encouragement of Babe Didrikson Zaharias. In 1953 she married Warren “Bullet” Bell a former NBA player with Ft. Wayne Pistons. That same year Peggy and Bullet purchased the Pine Needles Resort in Pinehurst NC. Pine Needles remains family-owned, with the Bell family still involved, although the ownership structure has evolved.
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