November 15, 2024
Column

Green Valley golf tourney honors cancer victims

Through the generous cooperation of its owners and the organizational skills of several hard-working volunteers, the first Green Valley Golf Course Memorial Tournament honors the lives of two golfing sisters who both died of breast cancer within months of each other.

The tournament is being conducted in memory of the late Alyce Sturgen Jordan of Lincoln and Leesburg, Fla., and the late Brenda Sturgen Gagnon of Lincoln.

Jordan was 66 when she died in January, and Gagnon was 61 when she died in May.

All proceeds from the event benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The mission of the national, nonprofit foundation is eradicating breast cancer as a life-threatening disease.

The tournament begins with a 7 a.m. tee time, both days, Friday, Aug. 23, and Saturday, Aug. 24, at Green Valley on Route 2 in West Enfield.

The registration fee is $30 per person, per day, for the two-person team event played on the nine-hole course. There is an extra charge for a cart.

“The front nine is a two-person scramble, and the back nine is an alternate-shot format,” said Gena Smith, one of the tournament organizers. “Golfers can play either or both days,” she added.

The tournament features three divisions.

The men’s A Flight is for those teams with a combined handicap between 20-29, and B Flight is for those with a handicap of 30 and above.

There is one women’s division for those with a handicap of 20 or above

First prize is $200. The second place finisher receives $150; third place $100; and $50 will be awarded for fourth place.

Door prizes will be offered as well.

The Green Valley Women’s League is hosting the tournament, Smith said.

“We’ve been very busy raising money [to cover expenses], and we’ve been very successful at that,” she said. “Everything is covered, so everything we raise at the tournament, all the proceeds, will go to the Komen Foundation.”

The organizers were particularly pleased that Green Valley owners Andy and Kim McLaughlin graciously donated the use of their course for this two-day memorial tournament in honor of two of the community’s favorite golfers who lost their lives to breast cancer.

To register, call the Green Valley clubhouse at 732-3006.

The Bangor Victory Platoon consisted of 56 17-year-old Maine men who joined the military Aug. 22, 1943.

Five years ago, a plaque bearing the names of the largest group of volunteers from Maine to enlist in the U.S. Navy during World War II was unveiled next to the Battleship Maine Monument site on Main St. in Bangor, where they were sworn in.

Platoon member Jim Adams of Otis, who led the effort to have the platoon recognized, writes that members of the Bangor Victory Platoon will hold their annual meeting and lunch beginning at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 21, at Pilots Grill on Hammond St. in Bangor.

For more information about the reunion, or the Bangor Victory Platoon, call Adams at 537-2282, or write him at RR 4 Box 179, Ellsworth 04605.

Congratulations to the Maine State Chapter of the March of Dimes, which for the third straight year has received a major national award.

In 2001 the chapter was recognized with a Chapter of the Year Award for Program Services for small chapters for the second year in a row. In 1999 it received Chapter of the Year honors for public affairs.

The Maine chapter was recognized for program services that include professional and public education concerning pregnancy, prepregnancy, genetics and birth defects, its Folic Acid Campaign, and for community grants to Maine agencies that promote healthy prepregnancies.

The award was presented to the Maine chapter by national March of Dimes president Dr. Jennifer Howse.

“Caring Partners: How Community Members and Support Services Work Together to Ensure the Health and Safety of Older Citizens” is the topic of a forum from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22, at the Bucksport Senior Center on Outer Broadway in Bucksport.

Janis McMannis, supervisor of the bureau of elder and adult services, and Dottie Van Horn, director of social services for Penobscot Nursing Home, will lead the forum.

Topics will include when and whom to call when you are concerned someone you care about is too frail to live alone, unable to drive a car safely, unable to make good decisions, unable to afford medications or health care, or endangered by family members or others.

The forum is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served.

For more information, call 469-7951.

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8288.


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