To any Arnold Palmer fans who happen upon this video, here's the story...   In 1967, at 1:00 a.m. on Christmas Eve (actually Christmas morning), my brother Peter was egged on by a few friends (who were all too familiar with Peter's hero worship of Arnold), to call Arnold at home to wish him a Merry Christmas.  To his shock, Peter got through, and Arnold answered the phone.  Incredibly, and to his everlasting credit, Arnold was polite, gracious and friendly, and he and Pete had a very pleasant chat for about ten minutes.  

Fast forward to 1988... I was a television producer, and by chance was contracted to do a series of brief commercials with Arnold.  After the main work was done, I asked him if he would read a cue card that I had made, which he agreed to do... which was the video you see here.  Arnold didn't say whether he remembered the incident from 1967, but what a good sport to do this message!  I then surprised Pete and his family with the video at Christmas 1988 and they nearly had a collective heart attack!  

Fast forward to 2009... Pete's playing golf at the Old Course in St. Andrews with an acquaintance from the USGA, who hears the story and urges him to write it up and send it in to the USGA for this Arnold Palmer Memory Book site.  Pete does so, along with the video, and his entry generates a huge number of hits, competing with Tiger Woods' submission for most popular.  Then, Golf Digest picks it up, and prints it in its September issue, adding another 1.5 million subscribers to the list of people who've seen the story.  Pete, and his whole family, are astounded by the whole experience!  

But then, so sadly, in late October Peter goes into the hospital for some tests, and within a week, he dies, after being diagnosed -- shockingly -- with cancer.  Golf Digest has very kindly printed a short obituary notice on Pete in its February 2010 issue, for which we're very grateful.  Peter was an outstanding human being in every respect, and while he was embarrassed for his obnoxious prank in 1967, it was at the same time, one of his most enjoyable experiences. And above all, just one of a million great stories about the incomparable Arnold Palmer.   Hope you enjoy it... Jim Deeks