Alma Mater Magazine - Fall 2005
Middle Tennessee Chapter Scores with Golf Tournament Title Sponsor
The story behind the Middle Tennessee Chapter's 2005 J & A Partners' Hokie Scramble really began almost 28 years ago. Steve Barry '81 and Bill Ralston '79 were roommates at Virginia Tech in 1977. They shared similar interests and formed a lifelong friendship.
In 1991 Barry became President of J & A Partners, an employee-owned, full service advertising, marketing, and design agency, providing marketing and communication solutions to national, regional, and local clients. Ralston moved from Colorado to Brentwood, Tennessee in 2002 to join J & A Partners as Vice President, Business Development. Together, the agency has grown from 28 to almost 50 employees and exceeded $30 million in annual billings.
Ralston set a very high standard for the Chapter by leading it to the "Outstanding Tournament" award in 2004 and he knew they could organize an even better tournament in 2005. The committee decided early in the planning stages that the one thing that could truly take the tournament to the "next level" would be to secure a title sponsor. Barry and J & A Partners stepped up to the plate to become the 2005 title sponsor.
Highlights of the 9th Annual J & A Partners' Hokie Scramble:
- Grossed over $24,500 and netted over $11,000
- 38 additional sponsors
- Hole-in-One prizes including a new Cadillac and golf trip to Scotland
- Prizes included a grand prize of 4 rounds of golf with caddies at the Valhalla Country Club in Louisville,Kentucky; two Southwest Airlines "anywhere" passes; eight complimentary rounds of golf from the Vanderbilt Legends Club; two tickets to a 2005 production of the Tennessee Repertory Company; Tennessee Titans Club Seat tickets; and NASCAR Club Seat tickets.
The Virginia Tech Alumni Association Middle Tennessee Chapter announced that the proceeds from this year's J & A Partners' Hokie Scramble helped complete a long-term goal of funding a $25,000 scholarship endowment with the university. In addition, two scholarships totaling $3,500 were awarded to local area students attending Virginia Tech in 2005.
Diana "Eckert" Hudson '87, current Chapter President and Tournament Volunteer Coordinator, said "It's a great accomplishment for our Chapter. And, due in part to the last two golf tournaments, we have been able to fully fund our endowment ahead of schedule."
The chapter was organized in 1996 by Chuck Terry '68 and a small group of dedicated area Hokies. For seven straight years the chapter received the "Outstanding Chapter" award. In 2004, in addition to the "Outstanding Golf Tournament", Carol Wilson was recognized as the "Outstanding Chapter Volunteer". The chapter, in support of distinguished alumnus Army Major Mark B. Sherkey '95 of the 101st Airborne Division, provided supplies and comfort items to our soldiers and sent materials to schools being rebuilt under his command in Mosqul, Iraq. This was the inspiration for the VT-Iraqi Outreach Community, an organization formed to solicit and package donations
of school supplies for the Persian Gulf area. Visit the chapter's web site for more information at www.vtechalumni.com.