The Remarkable Story of Rodney Lavard

From Scratch
The Remarkable Story of Rodney Lavard
By Tim Cotroneo
Golf became 19-year-old Rodney Lavard’s ticket to college and a new life.
Rodney Lavard thought he’d heard it all before. The 19-year old clubhouse
attendant at the only golf course in the Turks and Caicos Islands was used to
hearing resort talk from vacationers. But what Lavard heard on this day was
different. This felt almost cruel.
Natives of Providenciales, the most inhabited of the Turks and Caicos Islands,
know they shouldn’t take too seriously what a vacationer says while staying for
even the shortest period of time near Grace Bay Beach. This stunning 12-mile
stretch of white sand and turquoise water can make one a little giddy. Caught up
in the sheer beauty of one’s surroundings, an island newcomer tends to say
things one normally wouldn’t promise.
Vacationers get caught up in the sheer beauty of Providenciales’ Grace Bay Beach.
When a golfer from the states said he was going to send Lavard a scholarship
application, Rodney flinched. Then Lavard did what he’d always done in the past.
He smiled and nodded. The vacationer had no way of knowing how this extreme
form of resort talk would hit Lavard like a thunderbolt. The singular thought of
going to college was at the very heart of Lavard’s hopes, dreams, and aspirations
to get ahead.
What if ….
But what if the vacationer was telling the truth? What if this resort talk could
change Lavard’s life forever?
Lavard would soon learn that this lingering exchange was more than just talk.
Mere weeks after the scholarship conversation occurred, Lavard was summoned
to the Provo Golf Club office. Lavard’s boss handed him a Federal Express
package with his Rodney’s name on it. Lavard wasn’t used to receiving mail, let
along a Fedex. On the day his life would reach a tipping point, Lavard opened a
package with the potential to unleash his dreams.
“Inside the envelope was a golf scholarship application for Southern University in
Baton Rouge, LA. The first thing I did was look for a map. I had never been to the
United States and had no idea where Louisiana was,” Lavard said.
Lavard looked up Louisiana on a map after receiving a scholarship from Southern U.
The whole idea of a scholarship and going to college came at Lavard like a rush.
Lavard wasn’t like every other college kid. If Lavard were to pursue college, there
was some unraveling he needed to do. The whole history of Lavard’s tumultuous
life would need to get sorted out. Would college even be possible, or was he
kidding himself?
Humble Beginnings - A Family Torn Apart
Rodney Kenny Lavard was born in Haiti’s capital city of Port au Prince in 1976.
With an average annual income of around $1000 per year, Haiti’s 9.5 million
people toil in an economy that is annually ranked one of the poorest in the world.
The financial status of the Lavard family leaned toward the low end of this scale.
At the age of four, Rodney’s family was literally fractured in half. In search of
work, Rodney’s father moved his wife and four boys with him to Providenciales.
Shortly thereafter, Rodney’s parents got divorced. After living for a brief period
back in Haiti with his Mom and brothers, Rodney’s grandfather sent him, and his
older brother Bobby, back to Providenciales. Rodney would never see his mother
again.
The Lavards spent the next several years scratching out an existence in
Providenciales. For Rodney and Bobby, this time went by like a blur. Rodney’s
already tough childhood then took a wicked turn. “We woke up one morning to
learn my Dad had left. He moved to Miami in search of construction work. I was
10 years old and Bobby was 12. My Dad’s girlfriend was in charge of taking care
of us,” Lavard said.
This arrangement lasted for six months. The girlfriend changed her mind about
taking care of the boys and she bolted too. Rodney and Bobby were now left to
fend for themselves.
Two Thoughts Never Left
Rodney’s father left two thought-provoking legacies ingrained in his boys’ minds.
The most important was “you have to go to school.” The other was to recognize
the value of hard work. So the two boys survived in Providenciales while leading
what could be considered a dual life. By day, they attended school. After school,
they worked construction.
The Lavard boys earned $3 per hour in jobs that ranged from mixing concrete, to
plastering walls, and laying tiles. This work generated enough cash to pay for
what Rodney refers to as a “four by four” shack in the Blue Hills neighborhood of
Providenciales. Minus electricity and plumbing, this shack was sturdy enough to
withstand Hurricane Kate’s 110-mph winds in the mid 80s.
Eventually, a school problem reared its head when a teacher questioned why
Rodney’s father never showed for parent conference meetings. One of Rodney’s
classmates blurted out, “That’s because Rodney’s father abandoned him two
years ago.” The Lavard boys’ situation was forwarded to the Turks and Caicos
government, but the island didn’t have foster care at the time. This problem was
temporarily averted when Roy Chadband, one of Rodney’s teachers, offered the
boys room and board in his apartment.
Not much changed for Rodney and Bobby, other than their new address. They
continued attending school each day and working construction in the evening.
This routine continued until Rodney graduated from Clement Howell High School
at the age of 16 in 1992.
A Life Changing Choice
In 1993, Lavard began applying for jobs throughout Providenciales. Rodney
eventually narrowed his job choices to two. In addition to the clubhouse job at the
brand new Provo Golf Club, Rodney also applied at an insurance company.
Provo Golf Club is the Turks and Caicos Islands only course.
“The man at the insurance company said I would never succeed in golf. He said
that golf is a white man’s sport. I never cared for someone telling me I couldn’t do
something, so I chose the golf job,” Lavard recalled.
When Provo (short for Providenciales) Golf Club opened in 1992, the course
became a real source of curiosity on the island. Most of the island natives had
barely heard of golf. Even most of the ex-pat audience, who had found refuge
along Grace Bay Beach, seemed to find the sport foreign. The course’s lush
Bermuda grass is what really captivated the attention of most everyone on
Providenciales.
Golf Hits the Island
A short geography lesson reveals that the Turks and Caicos Islands consist of 40
islands and cays, of which only eight are inhabited. The island terrain is mostly
limestone and the arid Caribbean climate produces about 25 inches of rainfall
annually. The dry climate means that green grass is in short supply in
Providenciales. The new golf club and its beautifully manicured lawn became an
instant hit for weddings and family events.
The second curiosity regarding Provo Golf Club was the sport of golf itself.
Shortly after the course opening, golf balls began vanishing from the grounds
and the Pro Shop shelves. Peter Boyce, Provo’s first Golf Professional
remembers, “I started seeing golf balls showing up on the end of key chains all
around town.”
Provo Golf Club became a second home to Lavard.
Rodney Lavard’s golf career was almost very short-lived. At about the same time
Lavard began working at Provo Golf Club, he also secured another job at Grace
Bay’s newest resort, Club Med. Lavard’s evening work at Club Med was proving
to be both a blessing and a curse for a young man with an eye for the ladies.
Lavard’s disc jockey position at Club Med’s nightclub was the ultimate door
opener for meeting female guests. But the late nights on Club Med’s dance floor
weren’t very compatible for someone who needed to start work at the golf course
by 5 am each morning.
Boyce, Lavard’s boss at Provo Golf Club, told Rodney that if he didn’t start
showing up on time, he would be fired. Lavard found a simple solution to this
problem.
“After dancing all night at Club Med, I would drive across the street to Provo Golf
Club and park my car. I would position myself next to where Peter Boyce always
parked his vehicle in the morning. When Peter arrived for work, he would tap on
my car window until I woke up,” Lavard said.
Lavard would go on to lead Turks and Caicos in international golf competition.
Lavard eventually said goodbye to the extra-curricular activities at Club Med and
began dedicating himself to working at the golf course. “Rodney was a natural for
greeting guests when they arrived at the course. His charm and easy-going
personality made him the perfect person for welcoming newcomers and getting
them set up prior to a round of golf. Rodney became one of our key people at
Provo,” Boyce said.
Rough to Fairway
The now 6-foot-four-inch Lavard took to the game of golf in a big way. “I gave
Rodney some lessons and Tommy Coleman, one of our members, helped
Rodney with his short game. After work, Rodney would play golf until dark.
Rodney became very good, very fast,” Boyce said.
A photo of Rodney with Dot Lyles on campus at Southern U.
One day, Craig Owen, a vacationer from Louisiana, arrived at Provo looking for
someone to join him in a round of golf. Lavard said he would be happy to
accompany Owen. “Craig asked if I was interested in playing a match, for money.
I don’t know how to say this politely, but I handed him his ass,” Lavard said.
Owen suggested that with Lavard’s talent, he should consider playing college
golf. Rodney replied that he’d love to, but money was a problem. Owen
countered that there was scholarship money out there, and he had a friend who
was a college golf coach. This conversation led to the eventual FedEx package
and what to do about filling out the paperwork.
Most college kids have parents to assist with the volumes of paperwork that
stand in the way of the financial aid process. Lavard didn’t have any parents and
there was the complicated matter of his legal residency.
Lavard’s college budget wouldn’t allow for fancy golf clothes.
Hugh G. O’Neill, an attorney who belonged to Provo Golf Club, took it upon
himself to assist Rodney with the paperwork necessary to clear his citizenship
and make his application as proper as can be. O’Neill’s assistance included a
polite tug on the elbow of John Kelly, Providenciales’ governor and an avid golfer
himself.
About the same time, Lavard received a phone call from the Southern University
golf coach. “When are you coming up so I can watch you play?” Coach Clifton
Johnson inquired. “When are you going to send me at air ticket?” the always
straightforward Lavard replied.
Lavard flew up to Baton Rouge to play golf for Coach Johnson. “My knees were
absolutely shaking when I stepped up to the first tee. Luckily, it was so hot that
day, my mind started to focus on the heat, rather than being nervous. I ended up
playing pretty well,” Lavard said.
Lavard graduates Cum Laude from Southern University
The news of Rodney Lavard receiving a scholarship and going to college at
Southern University soon became the talk of Providenciales. The good news was
Lavard was mere days from going to school. But what had yet to be addressed
was how Rodney would live while attending school.
An Island Shines on a Native Son
Dave Douglas, like Boyce, a native of Sarnia, Ontario, took over the reigns as
Director of Golf at Provo Golf Club when Boyce moved back to Canada. Douglas
recalls the members of the golf club uniting to help Rodney get settled financially
before his freshman year in college.
After college, Lavard set his career sights on New York City
“We organized a fund-raising event called the Flamingo Ball. The ball was held at
the Ocean Club resort here in Providenciales. People purchased tickets for a
night that would include dinner, followed by music and dancing at the golf course.
Rodney danced with everyone that night. I believe we raised $2,000 for Rodney’s
college fund,” Douglas said.
As fate would have it, once Lavard arrived in Baton Rouge, his life hurdles were
far from over. There was a snag with his scholarship and tuition. Suddenly it
looked like school would not be a reality. “I called the only people I knew living in
the United States,” Lavard said.
Those people were his United States sponsors, Framingham, MA, residents Irv
and Dot Lyles. The Lyles began vacationing in Turks and Caicos in the late 80s
and had befriended Lavard. The Lyles resort talk was more than just talk. “The
Lyles told me if I ever needed anything, to call them,” Lavard said.
The Lyles wrote a check for $5000 to keep Lavard afloat until his scholarship
paperwork was rectified. Lavard and the Lyles never looked back. The always
even-keeled Lavard chokes back emotion when discussing the Lyles. “I consider
those two people to be my parents. I love Irv and Dot,” Lavard said.
During the summer prior to Lavard’s sophomore year, he lived with the Lyles and
worked at the Sandy Burr Country Club outside of Framingham. One morning,
while he was driving to work, Lavard’s car was hit head-on by a drunk driver
speeding down the wrong side of the highway.
Lavard remembers staggering from the car while covered in blood. The last thing
Lavard recalls is knocking on the door of the nearest neighbor before passing
out. Lavard would need 188 stitches to close his wounds before recovering fully.
Rodney Lavard would become captain of the Southern University golf team his
junior and senior years. Lavard would also graduate Cum Laude with a Bachelor
in Computer Science in May of 2001. Following the unlikeliest of paths that
began in Haiti, Lavard had moved onward to Turks and Caicos and then upward
to Baton Rouge. The now 24-year old Lavard was just getting warmed up.
Make it Anywhere
With his college success behind him, Lavard’s career aspirations turned big, as
in New York City big. Lavard interviewed and was offered employment at Ziff
Brothers Investments, a midtown Manhattan private investment firm. Lavard went
to work in August of 2001 as a computer programmer.
One month after beginning work at Ziff Brothers, Lavard remembers hearing a
co-worker make the strangest comment. “Someone said they heard that a plane
was witnessed flying over Lexington Avenue in downtown New York. I went over
to my 45th floor office window and looked out to see the second plane fly into the
Twin Towers,” Lavard said.
Rodney finds love in the Big Apple and proposes at Provo.
From that point, Lavard remembers walking. He marched down 45 flights of
stairs. He continued walking into the city streets of New York. “Normally, with all
the people, you have to look straight ahead when you walk on a Manhattan
sidewalk. On this day, everyone was looking straight up. It was like people were
searching for another plane to fall from the sky,” Lavard said.
True to the legacy he learned from his father, Lavard came back to work the next
day. He’s been working every day since. Lavard is currently employed at
Cerberus Capital Management as a Software Engineer/Project Manager.
Lavard’s personal life has also flourished since he made the Big Apple his home.
About eight years ago, Lavard met Cassandre Jean, a woman whose
grandparents’ roots also trace back to Haiti. Rodney and Cassandre have been
together ever since.
A Provo Proposal
In 2007, Lavard brought Cassandre and her Mother back with him to
Providenciales. Cassandre was under the impression that Rodney just wanted
company while playing in the Turks and Caicos Amateur Championship. Lavard
has competed as one of the island’s top players dating back to 1996. On this
particular occasion, Lavard had more than golf on his mind.
Rodney and Cassandre return to Grace Bay Beach to get married.
“Rodney wasn’t acting like himself for the first several days that we were in
Provo. I thought it was because he was so focused on golf,” Cassandre said. On
the day before the Caribbean Amateur competition, Rodney revealed why he
seemed so preoccupied. Lavard asked Cassandre to marry him at Provo Golf
Club, the place where so much good had occurred in his life.
Rodney and Cassandre were married in October of 2009. Their Grace Bay
Beach marriage was on the boardwalk of the Gansevoort Hotel. In attendance
were people from Rodney’s past and present life. These attendees were there to
share in the wedded bliss of a man who managed to wring every ounce of good
from what life had to offer.
Resort Talk – It Can Happen
As the song says, regrets, Rodney’s had a few. But then, regrets or hard feelings
were never something Lavard had much time for. When asked what he has
learned from his incredible journey, Lavard replied, “I don’t dwell too much on the
past. I believe that whatever situation I’m put in, I can come out ahead. I have a
lot to look forward to in my life.”
Whatever Rodney says, there is one thing you can be sure of. It’s the truth.
Lavard was never one for resort talk. But then again, no one knows better than
Rodney that some resort talk can change one’s life forever.
Tim Cotroneo is a freelance writer from Lino Lakes, MN, with a passion for travel
and a future Caribbean zip code.