Ralph Lomma

Ralph Lomma, born in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1924, is often credited, along with his brother, Al, with popularizing miniature golf in the mid 1950s through their design and manufacture of now famous obstacles such as castles, clown heads and windmills. Lomma Enterprises, which Ralph Lomma founded, is still in business today.

In 1959, he engineered the development of Elk Mountain, Pennsylvania into a ski resort and in 1961, Lomma founded the Village of Four Seasons, Pennsylvania. The "Village" is a private resort community found in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania located at the base of Elk Mountain Ski Resort. It is a secluded vacation getaway for those in the metropolitan Philadelphia and New York areas. All homes contained within the Village must meet strict Swiss-style architecture guidelines, making it seem like you are in the mountains of Switzerland. The resort contains a large community boardwalk, multiple tennis courts, basketball courts, roller-hockey courts, swimming pools, and a large recreational lake for fishing and boating. There is easy access to Elk Mountain (Pennsylvania) for skiing and there are several golf courses nearby. The first wind surfing board was tested on its lake in the 1960s. The main road of the Village, Ralph Lomma Way, is named in his honor.

In the 1980s, Lomma was appointed by Ronald Reagan to the Coast Guard Commission and sat on the board of directors of Allied Artists film company, at that time involved with the production of "The Wild Geese", starring Richard Harris, and "Cabaret" starring Liza Minnelli.