Summer invariably draws thousands of golfers to tournaments across Arkansas to raise the funds that sustain many charities. I've played for decades in these events benefiting many causes, from cancer research to hospital foundations and college scholarships.
As of today, I have two smaller-town favorites since they each benefit deserving local high school seniors bound for higher education. The Terry L. Gilliam tournament, now approaching three decades, honors the late Corporal Gilliam, an outstanding Huntsville high school athlete who later perished in Vietnam. Held each summer at the Oakridge Golf Course in Huntsville, that event raises enough to provide a college scholarship for each year's most outstanding senior student athlete.
The other day I joined 85 other golfers, including five sheriffs from across Northwest Arkansas, in participating in the ninth annual Paige Slape memorial tournament held at the course in Diamond City. Alyssa Paige Slape was a popular 17-year-old honor student and incoming captain of the Jasper High School cheerleaders when she died in a car accident May 24, 2008.
She was the daughter of longtime Newton County Sheriff Keith Slape and wife Angela Kay.
The Slapes and friends soon afterwards initiated the annual tournament that also raises thousands of dollars for scholarships in Paige's name, one $1,000 scholarship to benefit a standout senior from the city of Jasper, as well as two $500 scholarships, one each to students in Boone and Newton counties.
The first two events held in Huntsville in 2009 drew 73 two-person teams including sheriffs, state troopers and FBI agents along with many who wanted to support the cause. But 146 golfers don't fit well on any nine-hole course, even with morning and afternoon rounds. This month's event, which fielded a manageable 43 teams, teed it up at the 18-hole Diamond City course near Bull Shoals Lake for a seventh consecutive year.
Slape is a personable man with a sense of humor that sets him apart from some sheriffs I've known over 45 years in the craft. And while he smiles easily, the pain of losing the bright light that was his daughter remains evident as he speaks of Paige.
"I'd much rather have her here beside me," he told me. "But since that can't happen, this tournament in her honor helps fill the gap to some degree. It's like a silver lining to the dark cloud that hangs over us. Benefiting students in her name is a wise investment in young lives like Paige's because one thing that can never be taken from anyone is an education."
On the course, my partner, Mike Norton, and I were paired with Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery and his uninhibited partner, Mark Whitmore, chief legal counsel for the Association of Arkansas Counties. I'd like to to report our clash was a duel to rival legendary mano a mano clashes of history (remember Ali/Frazier and the OK Corral?). But, well, we wound up belly-laughing way too much.
Instead of grinding it out in pools of perspiration, we spent four hours wisecracking and one-upping. Sheriff Montgomery (I preferred Monty) is almost as witty and raucous as Whitmore, which made the morning pretty much a festive hoot. At one point I suggested they might drop law enforcement and legal matters to become "Monty and Whit" as a stand-up comedy team in lounges across America.
The mood turned earnest when I asked Montgomery what this gathering means to him and other sheriffs. "We all are like family," he said. "When one hurts, we all hurt. This was such a tragedy in the life of a special lady and her family. The annual gathering is just a small way we can all get together for a little to focus on honoring Paige while raising money for scholarships so deserving students might continue their education and make a difference in her name."
Boone County Sheriff Mike Moore echoed similar feelings: "This is so much more than just a fun golf tournament. It honors Paige and the Slapes and students who benefit from her life. It's such a fitting tribute to her and her family and those who knew and loved Paige."
Joey Pruitt, sheriff in Searcy County said, "I come for Keith and to help benefit young people with a high education." Sheriff Shane Jones of Pope County agreed: "I'll definitely be back every year to help make a difference."
Tina James has been the cheerleading coach and school nurse in Jasper for 15 years. She was anticipating Paige heading her cheer squad in the fall of 2008. Tina said she's cared for and mentored thousands of students and Paige is one who's remained especially close to her heart through the years.
"I've had many kids in school over my career. Some naturally stand out. Paige was one who genuinely cared about others. For her, there was no such thing as a stranger, and she wanted everyone to feel loved. Paige was, and still is, unforgettable to those who knew her because to know her was to love her."
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Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at [email protected].
Editorial on 08/27/2016