Following her retirement in 1980, she appeared as a television commentator and became the head professional of the Clearview Golf Club in 1995.

[8][9] Her early life was quiet, and Powell played a number of different sports as a young person, including archery, ballet and basketball.

[13] She had won the Great Lakes Bantam Golf Tournament, the Columbiana County Open, Clearview Golf Club junior, Sixth City Ladies (three times), Tiretown Open Ladies (twice), Vehicle City tourney, and the Midwest District Junior in three consecutive years.

[19] In the summer of 1964, she won a "sudden death" match in the Lyle Chevrolet women's golf tournament.

[20] She was considered a favorite in the 1964 United Golf Association (UGA) National Open and went on to take the amateur title that year.

[9] When she was a rookie in the LPGA, she received death threats by people who did not want to see a black woman playing golf.

[29] When she toured with Canadian golfer Sandra Post, the two would work together to ensure that Powell would be able to get a room.

[10] By 1969, the LPGA insisted that they were an integrated tour and announced this at any towns they were visiting in order to head off problems before they might start for Powell.

She undertook a USO Tour in 1971, which included meeting troops in Vietnam at the height of the war.

[7] She was friends with fellow golfer Patty Berg, who encouraged her career and advised her on how to hold golf clinics.

[7] She styled herself "the lone ranger" due to being the only significant black female professional golfer.

[27] Clearview HOPE is a golf program that is recreational, therapeutic, and free for veterans in Northern Ohio.

"[39] Powell earned an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of St Andrews in 2008.

[40] In 2015, was invited to become one of the first women members of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

[8] In 2018, Powell came back to St Andrews for a ribbon cutting ceremony for two new student residence halls at the university, one of which was named after her.