The Mt. Vernon Community, and Arkansas in general, is home to one upstanding citizen in a man like Bubba Wyse.
This 37-year-old was born in Florida, but moved to this state with his parents 34 years ago. He wears a perpetual smile and exudes joy and good will to all. He has many accomplishments but wears his successes without even a hint of arrogance. In fact, arrogance is not in this man’s repertoire. Humility would be a more apt description.
Bubba is a living example of prayers answered. He was born with serious mental and physical challenges, but by faith and the hands on nurturing by his parents, Richard and Linda Wyse, Bubba has met those challenges in miraculous fashion. By the time he was 5 years old he was competing in track and field events in the Special Olympics. Encouraged and coached by his dad, he began to participate in sports offered at the Magnolia Boys and Girls Club, mainly basketball. He played basketball there until he became ineligible because of age requirements.
Bubba participated in his first Special Olympics Golf Tournament in 2009 held in Searcy. Then, in 2010, he once more entered the golf competition as well as the individual skills competition. Coached by his pastor and good friend, Lyndell Chaffin, he won gold medals in both events. It was clear at that point that golf was his sport.
He has played golf in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Illinois, Colorado, and Texas and he has accomplished feats on the golf course that should be the envy of any golfer. In 2017, on the Arnold Palmer Course in Austin, Texas, during Special Olympics competition, on the final hole he sank a 40-foot birdie putt. Once in lifetime? No, just this year, 2019, he did it again. He sank a 50-foot birdie putt on the first hole on that same Arnold Palmer Course.
At this point, the talented golfer has to his credit five gold, six silver, and one bronze medal.
Golf is not Bubba’s only interest however. He is an avid sports fan and he has a mind like a steel trap when it comes to remembering players’ names, their accomplishments, and statistics of all sorts. He is likely to remember who caught a particular pass in a game that took place five years prior, and he often consults his younger brother, Josh, for verification. Josh, a handsome and brilliant young man, is Bubba’s constant companion.
“Isn’t that right Josh?” Bubba will ask.
“I’m sure it is,” Josh will answer. “Bubba, your memory is better than mine.”
Gospel music is something that Bubba loves as well, and there again his fantastic memory comes into play. He can name singers and songs and where concerts took place as if he were a disc jockey on a major radio station.
He first became enthralled with gospel music through Bill Gather videos. He later was able to attend a concert featuring The Talley Trio and they came to be, and still are, his favorite group. In 2004 the group came to El Dorado and felt blessed to meet Bubba.
Since then, he has managed to meet many gospel groups. In 2016 he spent an afternoon with Jeff and Shari Easter. That night in concert they invited Bubba onto the stage to sing a song with them.
The greatest thing about Bubba though, is his love for Jesus and his fellow man. His faith is admirable as is his sincerity. This five time gold medalist is a man amongst men.