John Curry’s eye for detail polished island’s image far and wide.
Every year around springtime, as the Heritage golf tournament approaches, Hilton Head Island gets a makeover.
The already beautiful landscape is freshened up with lush plants in all the fower beds and new pine straw around every tree.
All the pollen is power-washed away and all the lawns are neatly trimmed.
The discreet elegance and natural displays are polished to a shine. These details make this place ready for the thousands of visitors and the global television audience of viewers.
And details make Hilton Head Island unique and beautiful and sought-after as a world-class destination.
Perhaps no one knew this better than John Curry — the man who is best known for helping Charles Fraser carry out his vision of the island and for leading the massive efort to save the island’s legacy from bankruptcy.
Curry was the man who made sure the Heritage tournament is still played here today. The man who believed the details could make all the diference.
John Curry was born and raised in the mountains of Yosemite National Park in California. In 1899 his grandparents founded Camp Curry, then nothing more than a collection of tents and a dining facility that ofered park guests affordable lodging.
By the time John was born, his family had built the camp into the ideal destination for families coming to Yosemite, with a swimming pool, ice rink, and evening entertainment. John’s father died when John was only two, and not long after that his mother put him to work with his brother and sister taking care of guests at the camp.
His mother, according to John’s widow Valerie Curry, was the most infuential person in John’s life. She taught him how to make people feel welcome, to be friendly to everyone, and to ofer help whenever it was needed. From these beginnings, John became a man who went out of his way to do what needed to be done so everyone could be helped.
YThe man wanted to do anything he could to make the island better...He understood how details afected the experiencee
John’s inborn interest in hospitality and serving people developed into a career. Before coming to Hilton Head, he worked at other destinations, including Disney. But in 1973, Charles Fraser hired Curry as the executive vice president of the Sea Pines Co. and brought him to the island where he lived for the rest of his life. And while he was here, deals that he negotiated, decisions he helped make, and problems he helped solve have made Hilton Head Island a place millions of people love today.
The Heritage golf tournament may be the best example of Curry’s contribution to Hilton Head. In 1986 when the Hilton Head Holdings Corp. collapsed under $100 million of debt, numerous communities and businesses on the island lost money. The PGA Tour noticed that maintenance on the Harbour Town Golf Links where the tournament was always held had slipped, and the purse check from Harbour Town for another PGA Tour event bounced.
When the Tour threatened to eliminate the Heritage because of Hilton Head Holdings’ bankruptcy, Curry helped form the Heritage Classic Foundation and found the money to keep the tournament. He knew the tournament was critical to maintaining the island’s status as a year-round destination, and he believed everyone in the community would suffer from the loss.
“The man wanted to do anything he could to make the island better,” Dave Ames said of his long-time friend and colleague. “He understood how details affected the experience.”Last September, John Curry passed away. Despite his public work, he was a private person who will be missed by his wife, Valerie, his three children, and his friends.
But as landscapers, restaurants, neighborhoods, and resorts are checking and rechecking every detail of their image with the publicity of the Heritage in mind, John Curry’s infuence will be felt around the island and showcased for the world.
