Eastern Michigan Athletics
Grand Finale for Lucy Parker Golf Outing
6/6/2008 2:45:29 PM | General
20th Year will be the last for women’s athletic endowment fundraiser
YPSILANTI, Mich. — One of the most successful events in Eastern Michigan University athletics history will come to a close this summer as the grand finale of the Lucy Parker Golf Outing will be held here, June 20, at Eagle Crest Golf Course.
The tournament, named for former EMU women’s athletic director Lucy Parker, was inaugurated in 1989 with a goal of creating an endowment for women’s athletic teams to assist general fund budgets. In the 19 years of the golf outing, more than $350,000 has been raised.
The goal of this year’s outing is $100,000. If this year’s outing sells out with 144 golfers participating, the $100,000 will be released and added to the endowment, maknig it the single largest endowment fundraising effort for women’s athletics in the history of EMU.
"On behalf of Eastern Michigan University athletics, I want to express our appreciation to Lucy Parker and everyone who has worked so hard to make this such a wonderful event for 19 years," EMU director of athletics Dr. Derrick Gragg said. "This event has provided some great memories throughout our department and University community. While this is our last outing, the endowment will continue as a great source of funding for our women’s teams for years to come."
Making the grand finale even more special is the fact that Donna Lopiano, Ph.D., the former chief executive officer of the Women’s Sports Foundation, will be the special guest speaker at the celebration dinner following golf.
LoPiano was named one of "The 10 Most Powerful Women in Sports" by Fox Sports. The Sporting News has also listed her as one of "The 100 Most Influential People in Sports." She received her bachelor’s degree from Southern Connecticut State University and her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Southern California. LoPiano has been a college coach of men’s and women’s volleyball, women’s basketball and softball.
As an athlete, LoPiano participated in 26 national championships in four sports and was a nine-time All-American at four different positions in softball, a sport in which she played on six national championship teams. She is a member of the National Sports Hall of Fame, the National Softball Hall of Fame and the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame, among others. Dr. Lopiano served for 17 years as the Director of Women’s Athletics at the University of Texas and is a past president of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.
The cost of an individual golfer is $150 which includes golf, cart, lunch and a celebration dinner. A shotgun start for golf will begin at 9 a.m. at Eagle Crest Golf Course. The dinner is set to begin at 5 p.m. at the Ypsilanti Marriott. For more information on the Lucy Parker Golf Outing, please call Jessica Nietrzeba at 734.487.1866.
