The Rotary Club of Oxford yesterday honored (and surprised) longtime member John Hubbard, owner and founder of the Oxford Hills Golf and Country Club,with a ‘This is your life? presentation. Rotary President-elect Bill Devine researched Hubbard’s life and recounted his story at the club’s weekly luncheon. Hubbard was visibly moved by the presentation and very grateful.
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John was born on a farm in Beech Creek, Pa. on February 13, 1916. His mother was Ina Mae (Putman) Hubbard and his father was Morris Hubbard. He had two sisters, Minnie (Hubbard) Gladding, and Alice (Hubbard) Holland. Minnie is deceased and Alice currently resides in Rochester, Mi.
In 1919, when John was three years old, the family relocated initially to Auburn Ave., then subsequently to Edith St. in Pontiac, Michigan, where Morris Hubbard had a neighborhood milk delivery route.
When John was eleven-years-old, he began helping his father deliver the milk, by jumping down from the truck at each customer’s home and running, with a wire basket containing the correct number of bottles, type of milk and/or cream as prearranged by his father, to the milk chute or the door stoop of each home, where he would place the customer’s order. During the depth of the depression, John helped the family financial situation by delivering the Pontiac Press (now the Oakland Press) to two separate delivery routes.
John’s education began at the McConnell School in Pontiac, where he attended grades K thru six. Grades seven thru nine were accomplished at Eastern Junior High School in Pontiac and grades ten thru twelve were at Pontiac High School, now known as Pontiac Central High School.
During these high school years John’s developing industrious character was very much on display. Not only did he assist his father with the daily milk route, but also played drums in the high school band, delivered two daily paper routes and still found time for a girl friend, Ann Kastner. This ‘casual romance? didn’t last too long however when, at the Moulin Rouge Roller Rink in Pontiac, during John’s senior year in high school, he observed a beautiful girl who was gracefully skating around the rink, suddenly and unexpectedly take a tumble. Now here we see another of John’s developing characteristic’s ‘opportunist?. He sprang into action and quickly skated to the scene just in time to assist Virginia Nelson to her feet. They introduced themselves, talked and began slowly skating together to the rhythm of the music and flow of other skaters. Now here, once again, we observe another of John’s developing characteristic’s, ‘decisive and action oriented? Before long they were holding hands, laughing and skating to the music. As the evening progressed, John asked Virginia to the Senior Prom and Virginia accepted. John showed up on prom night with a corsage. Virginia admits that it wasn’t just the flowers that did it, but John’s often demonstrated characteristic’s of friendliness and thoughtfulness. They dated exclusively throughout their remaining high school years, graduating in 1935.
Virginia and John were married on June 4, 1938, when John was twenty-two years old. Virginia relates that the honeymoon was spent in Port Huron, Michigan. While driving back to Rochester, Mi. to their newly renovated home, John was sighted by a traffic officer for driving through a caution light. He was presented with a ticket costing $5.00 and was extremely upset about this, since $5.00 was a lot of money at the time. The officer tried to soften the blow by giving John a month to pay it. Well, John waited to the last day and until five minutes before closing time, when he presented the authorities with $5.00 worth of loose pennies as payment in full of the fine. They were so upset they weren’t going to accept the payment, but John told them he was paying the fine on time in U.S. currency and therefore, they reluctantly accepted payment. Virginia recalls the event vividly, since she feared John would be confined to jail for the night. Here we see another of John’s developing characteristics ? ‘dogged determination.?
Virginia attended the Pontiac Business Institute after graduation from high school and subsequently went to work in the employment office of Pontiac Motor Division, GMC until the birth of their first child Nancy in July, 1942.
After graduation, John found full time employment working on the assembly line at the Yellow Cab Co., which was subsequently purchased by General Motors Truck & Bus Division. A short time thereafter, John was transferred to the payroll department of Yellow Cab where he performed the function of timekeeper. Two weeks before their wedding in May 1938, John was laid-off from his job as timekeeper. However, through the intervention of a friend, John was rehired in the Sales Department of the Yellow Cab Co. until October 1942, at which time he sought and found employment with the Fisher Body Division of GMC, where he initially worked on technical manuals for aircraft production for the war effort.
During evenings, John attended General Motors Institute in Flint, Mi., where he studied welding and design. These were considered to be critical skills by the government, due to war-plane production by GMC. Therefore John was exempt from the military draft associated with WW II.
John’s career at GMC progressed steadily upward during the time of his employment. Ultimately he rose in the Fisher Body organization to become Senior Engineer in charge of the Production Engineering Department, where he managed the activities of approximately 125 employees. John retired from the General Motors Corp. on April 1, 1974 after forty years of dedicated and exemplary service, at the age of fifty-eight.
John’s father Morris Hubbard was also very industrious. In addition to the milk route he would buy, fixup and sell used homes. John and his father purchased a home together at 504 west Third St in Rochester, Mi. While performing interior repairs, Morris fell down the basement stairs, suffering injuries that led to his death in 1937.
At the young age of twenty-one, John was now the only man in the family and he was feeling the responsibility. Even though John’s mother Ina Mae was an employed, licensed practical nurse, absent the father’s income, the family needed to consolidate their living arrangements. Therefore, John busied himself with completion of the renovations to 504 w. Third St. Renovations were completed in 1938 and the home in Pontiac was sold. John’s mother and his sister Alice, as well as Virginia and John relocated to the newly renovated home in Rochester. John then saw fit to acquire nearby land and proceeded to build a home at 510 W. third St. This allowed Virginia and John to relocate to 510 W. Third St. in December, 1941, just in time to prepare for the birth of Nancy, their first child in July 1942. This was all accomplished while John held a full time job with the Yellow Cab Co. This period represented a very critical time for the family and everyone had to work. Bob, the second child was born on July 27, 1948. His birth created the need for additional living space, so John, tackled the job of expanding the home at 510 W. Third St. to include two additional bedrooms and an additional bath.

John now had experienced success in real estate development on a small scale. He was ready and motivated to expand this activity, therefore during the next several years he purchased and profitably sold several parcels of vacant land as well as a duplex housing property.

It was in 1959 that John noticed an advertisement in the Oakland Press for the sale of 160 acres of vacant land, including a small lake in Oxford, MI. He was immediately interested, but only ass an investment and as a summer cottage, since at that time Oxford was a small town with ample amounts of available vacant land. He had no inclination at the time to build a golf course. The idea struck him after he purchased the property. After paying what he thought were outrageous green fees and standing in line too long at the Goodrich Golf Course, while waiting to tee-off, he thought about converting his 160 acres into a public
golf course. Why couldn’t he do this? After all, he was a trained engineer at Fischer Body Division and skilled in laying out plans as well as performing work associated with the trades. So John moved forward with the idea. He studied golf course layout ideas at the library and he often sought the advice of a golfing buddy, Roland Alexander.

While planning just where the holes would be placed, he determined that 160 acres was not enough land for a well-designed eighteen-hole golf course. Therefore, he arranged to purchase an additional forty acres adjacent to the 160 acres already owned. Once this was accomplished, John did not waste any time commencing construction. First he built a home on the property in order to be near the project. Then he started the golf course. By 1965 he had completed construction of the first nine holes. John forged ahead with construction of the second nine holes, which were completed in 1970, while operating the first nine holes and working full time for the Fischer Body Division. He would come home after work, fire-up the bulldozer and pick up where he left off the day before, moving and shaping the earth to mold it into what is now the Oxford Hills Golf & Country Club, a successful business since the mid sixties, employing over forty people.

Nancy and Bob were raised by John and Virginia while residing on the golf course property. They grewup in the golfing environment. Both attended Western Michigan University and are now employed operating the many complex issues associated with management of a modern, competitive golf and country club.

John has been a Rotarian since his induction on April 18, 1980, twenty-four and one half years ago. John is a Paul Harris Fellow who has been a very active Rotarian. His fellowship and contributions to the success of the Oxford Rotary Club have been inspirational and numerous.

In addition to his involvement as a Rotarian, John is also a past master of the Rochester Masonic Lodge number five, a member of the Shriner Club and the Rochester Elks organization. He is a past member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, the Society of Engineering Illustrators and the Detroit Athletic Club. It was in 1991 that the Oxford Chamber of Commerce elected John Hubbard as their Businessman of the Year.

The caring & giving continues: John supports athletics at both Lake Orion & Oxford High Schools by providing free use of the golf course for the golf teams to practice and compete. In addition, last month John closed the golf course for a day and used it to host the annual Oxford High School Cross Country Invitational Track Meet, which included an estimated eighteen teams from various schools.

Virginia and John celebrated their sixty sixth wedding anniversary on June 4 of this year. They have four grand daughters: Ann, Kate, Beth and Clare Hubbard. They also have two grandsons: Steve and Tom Kraft and a three year old great grand son, Kai Kraft.

When asked about John’s most enduring characteristics, his children responded with the following: A man without limits, one who will tackle any project, loving, caring, giving, kind, friendly and comfortable to be around. What a wonderful legacy!

John, we are certainly proud to recognize your 24.5 years of service to Rotary as well as honored to have and enjoy your fellowship as an Oxford Rotarian.

Interview & write-up by Bill Devine President-Elect, The Oxford Rotary.