b'THETIES THAT BINDH ow does one pay proper respect over a few pages to two men the Club considered beloved members? We certainly could not exhaust the ready supply of personal anecdotes, quips and confidences, nor would we attempt to enlarge on the thoughtful memorials that were written about them. The best honor we can bestow on Jim Elliott and Rusty Hilst is to reflect here on the patented things they brought to our culture as a Club, individually and as lifelong friends.Traditions have a way of unraveling as they travel from one generation to the next. Sure, we hang on tight to golf lore as its passed down through and by literature, film and the great bastions of the sport. We revere golfs legends and laud the ancient locker room attendants still around to keep them alive for us. We make our pilgrimages and collect ball markers, scorecards and the memories of celebrity sightings inked in autographs. But time changes the fabric of tradition so thats where well focus.On a different day recently, in a different context altogether, PD Chairman of the Board Dale Snell delivered the point we wish to make about Elliott and Hilst. Looking around a table in the clubhouse full of members older than himself, he said, We wont easily replicate these kinds of membership clusters. There are fewer people locally who have the passion for country club life and the financial ability to participate in it. We must recruit those individuals from our local community and the wider golf community who will help us retain our vibrant club culture and honor past members, like Jim and Rusty, who gave so much back to Seated in front: Rusty Hilst. Standing behind Rusty, left to right: friendsPrairie Dunes. Charlie Pierce, chairperson of the science department and boys and girls golf coach, Hutchinson High School; Rudy Koenig; Jim Elliott.5'