The USGA Golf Museum and Library is proud to announce the selection of the 2026 Wilson Endowed Research Fund recipients. Angella Moore, Lia Rogers and Lisa Wright will conduct research on the Green’s Ladies Golf Club (GLGC), an organization they help lead. Founded in 1954 in the Delaware Valley, the GLGC’s mission is to create a space for Black women to thrive both on and off the golf course, embracing the game and inspiring future generations.
“Lisa, Lia, and I will use the library’s resources to locate documents and photos to help us identify historical figures and important periods in time relating to our club, as well as to tell a comprehensive story of the history of the Green’s Ladies Golf Club,” Moore said. “Being selected as a USGA Wilson Endowed Research Fund recipient is a tremendous honor, and a testament that the story of the Green’s Ladies is an important one worth telling.
Utilizing a vast array of original materials housed within the USGA African American Golf History Archive, including programs, photographs, correspondence, advertisements and more, the group intends to create a body of work that will inform a short documentary about the GLGC in conjunction with the Precious Places Community History Project.
“Our documentary will take a compelling look into the enduring legacy, camaraderie, and impact of the Green’s Ladies Golf Club, tracing its journey from humble beginnings to its role as a vibrant community hub,” she said. “We were humbled to know that an enormous amount of authentic historical memorabilia relating to our club can be included, because it was so well-preserved, which we never could have imagined after all these years.”
A retired Airport Rates and Charges Analyst, Moore formerly served as the Corresponding Secretary, and Entertainment Chairperson for GLGC and is currently the club’s Vice President and Archive Chairperson. She is a licensed foster parent, a substitute employee with the School District of Philadelphia and a golf coach with First Tee of Greater Philadelphia.
Rogers is the owner of Philadelphia’s Reinvention Intentions Design, an award-winning construction, home staging and Airbnb design company. She has served on the GLGC Constitution and By-laws Committee, the Social Media, Publicity, and Website Committee and the Entertainment Committee. Rogers was also the catalyst behind the club’s reinstatement as a 501c3, as well as the brainchild and chairperson behind its annual Invitational Golf Outing.
Wright is a teacher at Murrell Dobbins Career and Technical Education (CTE) High School in Philadelphia. She has been teaching business classes for 19 years — 15 years in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and four years in the School District of Philadelphia. Wright also worked at NCR and Merck in the customer service department for 10 years. She serves on the Archive Committee for GLGC.
The USGA announced the launch of the Wilson Endowed Research Fund in 2024, an initiative that would provide financial support for individuals wishing to conduct original research utilizing the collections of the USGA Golf Museum and Library in Liberty Corner, N.J.
Eric Steagall, who recently earned his Ph.D. at Georgia Tech University, was the first recipient of this grant and conducted research on the life and legacy of Bobby Jones. In 2025, Deirdre Beaumont, a recent graduate from the University of King’s College, and Bonnie Hagerman, Ph.D. and Associate Professor at the University of Virginia were selected.
Beaumont utilized her time at the USGA Museum and Library examining the origin of the iconic suburban American bright green lawn and how research from farmers, scientists and golfers led to its popularity. Hagerman spent her time researching the life of Glenna Collett as part of A Pair of Queens, a dual biography of Glenna Collett and Helen Wills and their contributions to the “Golden Age of Sport” in America.
Interested applicants for the 2027 cycle may direct inquiries to researchgrant@usga.org. The link to apply can be found here.