The course welcomed family and friends of the late Larry Olson to a ceremony on Sunday dedicating a new lighting project at the course in Larry’s honor, donated through contributions by Musco Lighting and Larry’s widow, Nancy.

The installation will provide for late-night golfing on holes No. 7, 8 and 9, with tee times being accepted starting this week.

Sunday provided an opportunity for a large group of Larry’s family and friends to remember the long-time Conrad resident, who passed away earlier this year on New Year’s Day at age 79.

“He would have loved the lights,” said Lorry Lewis, née Olson, Larry’s daughter, speaking through tears. “He would have loved everybody being here. He loved Conrad, and this is going to bring in a lot of people to Conrad, and we’re so excited about that. And he loved golf, but what he loved more was being with his friends and his family.”

T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER — Wyllo Collins tees off from the No. 7 hole at the end of Sunday's dedication ceremony at Oakwood Golf Course for a new lighting project donated in honor of the late Larry Olson. Wyllo is one of Larry's great-grandchildren.

Larry Olson’s connections with the Oskaloosa-based Musco Lighting company run deep, based on his decades of work at Structural Engineers P.C. in Marshalltown.

“Larry’s been one of our partners, and more importantly, one of our friends for over 35 years,” said Jeff Rogers, President and CEO of Musco. “He’s an outstanding individual. We don’t normally do things like this for employees, or even partners, but what our company really cares about is family. And that’s the ultimate description of Larry: family man, community man, and we’re very honored to be a part of this.”

Musco co-founders Joe Crookham and Myron Gordin also shared their memories of working, and playing, with Larry.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with engineers throughout the US and around the world and I never worked with an engineer as talented, … he knew how to embarrass me by pointing out that I didn’t know what I was talking about,” Crookham said to laughs from the gathered crowd, “and he would laugh just like you all did.”

Gordin added: “Larry was not only a partner, he was my friend, and one of my closest friends. … We spent many years racing [cars] together and he was always the ultimate competitor.”

PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK -- Oakwood Golf Course in Conrad has installed lights on the seventh, eighth, and ninth holes, with tee times currently being accepted for late-night rounds at the course Tuesday through Saturday.

Oakwood Board President Andrea Kopsa noted that the project went from idea to completion in a little over three months.

“That’s pretty amazing,” Kopsa said. “And it’s very fitting in Larry’s memory that this project is so incredibly unique and incredibly exciting.”

Kopsa noted the “Oakwood After Dark” feature is still in a testing phase, as employees try to figure out what works best for what they hope will be a popular feature.

“People like Larry have been instrumental in making Conrad what it is today,” said Conrad Mayor Jeff Martin. “This unique project will help Conrad further stand apart from other towns and help Conrad grow and continue to be the best we can be, bringing others to visit and potentially become members of our community.”

Tuesdays through Thursdays, the lights will stay on until 10:30 p.m., with the last tee time accepted at 9:45. Golfers can sign up for three-hole speed rounds after 9:30 or nine or 18 hole rounds with tee times after 7:30. On Fridays and Saturdays, the lights stay on until midnight, with the last tee time accepted at 11:15. More details and pricing are available on Oakwood Golf Course’s Facebook page. Scheduling tee times are encouraged to be done in far advance as possible and times and prices are subject to change.

Many speakers at Sunday’s ceremony agreed: there was no better way to honor Larry’s legacy.

“Larry shared his inner light with all of us,” Matt Schryver said in a toast to Larry at the end of the ceremony. “When he walked in a room, everybody would get a smile on their face. … And when we see these lights, we can think of the light that Larry shared with us.”