by Dr. Iain
Corness
The chairman of the Pattaya Sports Club Golf section is
one of the few people who does not mind being called a bastard. “I never
take offence - it’s my lineage!” Steve Donovan was born in Ireland and
adopted by an American Air Force serviceman and his wife when he was 12
months old. He came here in 1999 to stay for 3 days - but he’s still
here and still loving it!
Soon
after the adoption, Steve’s new parents took him back to America and he
grew up in Bellvue, just across the lake from Seattle. There was no secret
ever made of his ancestry and he grew up quite comfortable with being an
adopted child.
He proved to be a good student and enrolled for the
University of Washington, initially taking engineering, but soon realized
this was not the career for him. He next thought he might take history,
but his golf partner talked him out of it so he re-enrolled to take a B.Sc
degree with a major in mathematics.
Four years later he graduated but had no real urgency
as far as real work was concerned. In fact, quite the reverse. He went to
Sun Valley and took a job as a desk clerk in Elkhorn. After 12 salary
increases in 2 years he was now on the princely sum of $2.70 an hour - but
he got free ski lift tickets and vouchers for golf - that was all that
mattered. “If I had any more fun I would have died.”
However, despite the fun, eventually something
generally equating to maturity caught up and he returned to the University
of Washington to study law for the next 3 years, a profession that his
adoptive father had also taken.
He then returned to Bellvue and took over the family
lawyer’s office where he spent the next 8 years. “I enjoyed trial
work, but I didn’t like the office. I had a little problem billing
people, and if you don’t send out bills you don’t get paid.”
He sat back and looked at what he wanted to do - and
that was travel. In Seattle there was a large corporation involved in the
travel business called Boeing. Yes, the one which makes rather large
planes. Some friends wangled him a job and he was on board the corporate
ladder, even if nowhere near the top. “I started off with a menial job
but they didn’t know what to do with a lawyer on board. I was a little
underutilized,” he said with a grin.
Golf was to play a large part on his next career shift.
In many countries of the world, Boeing has what are called “Offset
Programs” and he was advised to apply for the position of overseeing
these. The man who made the decision had seen Steve at his golf club and
decided that as his golf was reasonable, Steve would be too. He packed his
clubs and began to travel. “Every other week I was heading off to some
seemingly exotic location.”
Around this time, mainland China was entering
negotiations with Boeing regarding aircraft purchase, but the Boeing
executive who was in charge of this became ill and Steve stepped in to
become a airplane salesman. He covered S.E. Asia, China, the Philippines,
Taiwan and eventually Thailand. “I would come to S.E. Asia fourteen
times a year.”
Since your average Boeing is no ‘red ticket
special’ with prices around 185 million dollars for a 747 in those days,
selling a plane is not an everyday event. “It took two and a half years
to sell nine 747’s to Philippine Air Lines.” Much of the work was
again done on the golf course, other than in China. “The Chinese are
politically unpickable” was Steve’s summation of his business dealings
there.
Steve began to have much to do with the top people in
Thai Airways and always enjoyed himself in Thailand. “We had a synergy
of purpose.” However, he did admit that in those days, for him, most
countries were alike. “You live in the cocoon of a hotel, drinking the
finest scotches and wines and eating in the best restaurants. A five star
hotel is just another five star hotel. It equalizes countries.”
Despite the lifestyle, he decided to take Boeing’s
voluntary retirement program, even though it was hard to leave. “I
wanted to do something else - whatever that was going to be.”
He went to Palm Springs for 6 months where he had a
house, but then bought a round the world ticket, with destinations of
Manila, Bangkok and Ireland. Once again golf was to play a major part in
Steve’s decision-making processes. While in Manila he joined a golf tour
to Pattaya. He enjoyed it and returned a second time for another golf
weekend here but when ready to return to the Philippines suddenly thought,
“Why am I going back to Manila? So I stayed. That was November 1999.”
It was not only the golf that attracted Steve to
Pattaya, it was the acceptance of him by the people here. “I liked the
camaraderie. This is an easy place to get a 4 ball together.” They liked
him too and he took on the position of chairman of PSC Golf, a post he has
settled into well, despite his handicap blowing out from 13 to its current
20.
For Steve, success is purely happiness and honesty. And
his advice to the new generation is, “Life’s not so serious - enjoy
it, even though it’s terminal,” he said with that cynical wit coming
through again.
So the man with his round the world ticket has stayed
here, where he’s enjoying his golf too much to leave. He admits to no
further ambitions which are unresolved, other than getting ready for his
next round of golf. Steve Donovan is a refreshingly open and gregarious
man - a man whom you could trust when buying your next plane! Let’s talk
about it over a round of golf!
