As Bethlehem Steel Corp. worked on America’s structure, its executives played on company golf courses and entertained in high-society. The company acted as if it was on top of the world.
That high society revolved around the Saucon Valley Country Club, still recognized as one of the foremost clubs in the nation and occasional home to the U.S. Senior Open.
Founded in 1922, the club had Bethlehem Steel Chief Executive Officer Eugene G. Grace at its center. Grace saw golf as a recreation and also part of his work life. For 38 years, Grace held only one official position at the club chairman of the greens committee.
But nothing important happened at Saucon Valley without Grace’s approval.
By the 1950s, Saucon Valley became an exclusive community of homes where Steel executives lived. The club was a focal point for parties, weddings and other events that bound them together as Steel people.
Recreation taken up by workers defined a lifestyle for the Lehigh Valley. Immigrants brought soccer to the area, building the foundation for an extensive local scholastic sports scene.