By Erin Roberts, roberte1@ohio.edu

ATHENS, Ohio (Oct. 8, 2009)—For the eighth year in a row, friends, faculty and alumni of the J. W. McClure School of Information and Telecommunication Systems gathered in Athens to support a scholarship fund benefiting students in the program on Thursday, Oct. 1.

The Thomas Lonsbury Scholarship Golf Classic, named after event organizer, school advisory board member and honorary alumnus Tom Lonsbury, has raised a total of more than $100,000 and awarded seven scholarships. This year's event, at capacity with 72 golfers, took place on the Ohio University Golf Course.

"I usually start my fundraising efforts in January, but this year, I just didn't have the heart," said Lonsbury, who was worried the recession might make this year's event impossible. "When things started to look up a bit in March, I decided to get started, and it all came together."

One person who is glad Lonsbury didn't give up on the event this year is sophomore Shawn Tignor, who is the 2009 winner of the scholarship.

"I was actually studying abroad in Austria when I got a call, at 2 a.m., my time from ITS Director Phil Campbell telling me how exclusive the scholarship was and that I'd won," said Tignor, an Athens native. "I enjoyed meeting Tom the day before the tournament this year. He seems like a nice guy, and he puts a lot of time into the tournament."

Lonsbury said this was the first year that all golfers had pre-paid and is appreciative of the sponsors, golfers and volunteers who help make the classic a success every year.

"It's a top-quality operation," he said. "The gifts, the prizes and the fact that we are here on Ohio's course—it's like coming home."

The tournament offered new board member and Verizon Business employee Sean Davidson, who attended Ohio University, the chance to support students in the school and visit campus on a beautiful fall day.

"From a golf perspective, we had a great day," he said. "It was a lot of fun, we had great weather, and the event was well-coordinated. I forged a camaraderie with people who work at AT&T and Sprint—my competitors in the workforce—and was able to share that with students in the school. The event promotes the industry, the school and Ohio University as a whole."

This year's top raffle prize—a 3-day, 2-night golf villa package from Achasta, a residential golf community in Dahlonega, Ga.—was won by Dan Davies, BSC , IT director of telecom/network platforms for Progressive Casualty Insurance Co. in Mayfield Village, Ohio. 

The 9th annual Thomas Lonsbury Scholarship Golf Classic is being planned for Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010. For information, please  contact Barbara Moran at moran@ohio.edu or Tom Lonsbury at tlonsbury@windstream.net.

Special thanks to volunteers Khalid Elmereedi, Garon Gentzel, Lori Huber, Barb Moran, Tina Stewart,  Shawn Tignor, and Annie Wiebell.