You'd never know it, even if you met him and talked to him for 10 or 15 minutes, but Paul Jenkins was a very good friend of Bob Hope.

It's not that Jenkins was trying to hide the friendship he and his wife Mary Jane had with Bob and Dolores Hope. It's just that Jenkins was never the kind of guy who would try to impress anyone by casually slipping that information into a conversation.

Jenkins, who died last week a month short of his 82nd birthday, would never try to impress you with who he knew or what he accomplished in his life. But if you knew what he had done and who he knew, you would be impressed.

Jenkins was one of the major figures in golf in the desert, helping the desert and the game in ways most people could only hope to achieve. He was the president of the 1967 Bob Hope Desert Classic and a long-time board member of the tournament. For much of his time on the board, he and his wife were in charge of the Classic Ball, one of the highlights of the tournament and the desert social season. It's also a tough job, as anyone who has tried it can attest.

But Jenkins' influence in the game went well beyond the board room of the Hope. He was a past president at Eldorado Country Club in Indian Wells, and it is said his influence helped secure Tom Fazio's services in renovating that course earlier this decade.

Jenkins, who also was a member at Fairbanks Ranch in Rancho Santa Fe, also served as president of the Southern California Golf Association in 1992, a role that showed his dedication to the game in general, not just for his club or the desert.

More service

But even beyond that, Jenkins served on the executive committee of the United States Golf Association from 1991-93. That's devotion most golfers never dream of.

As with so many who are involved with the game, Jenkins was also involved in how the game helps other people. A stock broker by profession, Jenkins was a founding trustee of the Eisenhower Medical Center and was on the board of the Betty Ford Center, among other institutions.

With that kind of community involvement, it's no wonder that Jenkins became friends with so many famous and powerful people. But Jenkins was just as comfortable talking to you about his love of USC football or his time in the Navy or his early career with his father packing and shipping dates in Thermal. And he'd tell it all to you with a quick smile and a pleasing manner that never let on that a lot of important people thought Jenkins was pretty important himself.

Jenkins led more than a life dedicated to the game of golf. He led a life that was selfless. He tried to help others through the game and through his work with local charities and organizations.

He gave of himself because of his passions for the game and his desire to make the community a better place for everyone. And that's the kind of life we all should want to live.

Larry Bohannan covers golf for the Desert Sun. His columns appear Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. He can be reached at 778-4633.