Gary George was the man of the hour at the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation Legends Dinner benefit, which was more toast than roast of George, whose friends shared anecdotes and fond memories with the more than 200 supporters gathered Oct. 15 at Heroncrest in Springdale.
George serves as chairman of George's Inc. and Legacy National Bank and on the boards of J.B. Hunt, Arkansas Children's Hospital and Arkansas Children's Northwest. He is a lifelong Springdale resident and with wife Robin is a noted philanthropist and community servant.
The lineup of speakers to regale the crowd with stories included Patrick Swope, Steve Stafford, David Slone, Don Gibson and Travis Woods.
The Burlsworth Foundation was established in memory of the late Brandon Burlsworth, who went from walk-on offensive lineman for the Razorbacks to All-American then to being selected as a third-round draft pick by the Indianapolis Colts.
Marty Burlsworth, founder and CEO of the foundation, shared highlights of the group's work since 1999 and how they're fulfilling the mission to "support the physical and spiritual needs of children, in particular those who have limited opportunities. Our foundation encourages a strong faith, character and sportsmanship, developing positive values and a life pattern that would exemplify 'Doing it the Burls way.'"
• Eyes of a Champion, in partnership with Walmart and independent optometrists, has provided 13,812 eye exams and glasses for pre-K through 12th grade students whose working families cannot afford eye care and don't qualify for state-funded programs. "This is a life changer for kids," Marty added.
• Burls Kids has welcomed 6,266 underprivileged kids to Razorback and Indianapolis Colts games. The UA games are often the kids' first exposure to a college campus.
• Burlsworth football camps offer scholarships for the camps held in Harrison and Little Rock and feature former Razorback players . More than 8,500 campers have attended.
• The Burlsworth Character Award is given nationwide in all 50 states and "recognizes high school football players who display character and sportsmanship" -- though some may never get to play in games. More than 6,600 players have earned the award.
• Burlsworth Scholars are UA graduate students -- 340 have received some $1.8 million in scholarships.
• The Brandon Burlsworth Foundation is set to announce the 2021 Burlsworth Trophy recipient at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 at a ceremony at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville.
Established in 2010, the trophy "recognizes the most outstanding NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision player who began his career as a walk-on."
The trophy joined the National College Football Awards Association in 2019 and is one of some two dozen awards presented by the group. Other NCFAA awards include the Heisman Trophy, the Outland Trophy, the Doak Walker Award and the Broyles Award.
For more event photos -- nwadg.com/photos/society.
Columnist Carin Schoppmeyer can be reached by email at [email protected].
