Worth C. Dalton III died Friday, Aug. 11, 2006, at
his home in Winter Springs, Fla.
Pallbearers included: Paul S. Harris, Charles O. Unfried,
Randy Francis, and John F. Collins III
Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary,
degenerative eye disease, Worth eventually lost his
sight entirely at age 33. At the urging of his good
friends, Elmer Lanthorn and John Brendle, then a pro
golfer at Disney World, Worth took up golf. He fell
in love with the game and over a short period of time,
under the tutelage of Rena Ritson, an LPGA member, he
developed exceptional skills and qualified for the United
States Blind Golfers Association.
Over the next 17 years, Worth unselfishly utilized
his golfing skills -- once scoring a hole in one at
the 1999 RP Fundraiser in Milwaukee, Wis. -- to raise
money for RP research in an effort to help future generations
of people afflicted with this condition. During this
time, Worth arranged matches with famous sighted golfers
such as Payne Stewart, Ian Baker-Finch, Robert Gamez
and others, who in the spirit of true sportsmen, agreed
to be blindfolded to demonstrate the challenges faced
by persons with visual impairments. In the process,
Worth touched the lives of many people, including children
afflicted with visual impairments, and appeared on numerous
national television and radio programs, including "Ripley's
Believe It Or Not" and "Good Morning America" to publicize
his cause.
In 2001, Worth founded the American Junior Blind Golf
Foundation in an effort to help build self-confidence,
discipline and provide an alternative form of recreation
for blind children.
