East Boros Sports Hall of Fame Golf Tournament Raises Scholarship Money

When it comes to golf around the Pittsburgh area lately, rain has been par for the course.

And so it was for the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame East Boros Chapter's eighth annual Scholar-Athlete Golf Classic, which started at 10:30 Monday morning at Edgewood Country Club in Churchill.

The 72 golfers who turned out for the event hit the practice range, had the putting contest and broke for a hot dog-and-hamburger lunch before the shotgun start at 12:30 p.m. But about 1:15, the dark clouds rolled in, bringing rain but not dampening the spirits of those gathered to raise money for the East Boros'  scholarship fund.

Over the last seven years, the organization has awarded 24 $1,000 scholarships to deserving students. This year's recipients, who will be honored at a dinner this evening at the country club, are:

• Anthony DiLonardo, Plum Senior High School, a football player and wrestler who will attend the University of Pennsylvania to study biomedical engineering.
• Phillip Morford, Penn Hills High School, a football and baseball player who will study engineering at Penn State University.
• Cassandra Barker, Penn-Trafford High School. She participated in swimming, track and field, and cross-country; and will attend Lehigh University to study chemical engineering.
• Annie Beliles, Penn Hills High School, a bowler who will attend St. Francis University to study biology.

The East Boros Chapter encompasses the communities within the Plum, Riverview, Woodland Hills, Wilkinsburg, Penn Hills, Gateway, East Allegheny, Franklin Regional and Penn-Trafford school districts. Each year in October, the chapter inducts deserving alumni from these high schools and schools that preceded them, who have brought lasting fame and recognition to Pennsylvania through their athletic achievements.

Mary Beth Ford, who grew up in Plum Borough, co-chaired the event with Chris Schneider of Trafford. Her eyes kept looking at the dark skies south of the golf course as she made her rounds.

"We were a little nervous (about the rain)—absolutely," Ford said. "It's a great day for golfers. They treat us great here at Edgewood. It's a great value for a golfer."

Ford is most appreciative of the many local businesses that provide tee signs and prizes for the event, as well as participants. She particularly noted East Suburban Sports Medicine, which provided nice leather portfolios for each golfer, and Arnold Palmer Motors, the sponsor of four prizes for the event.

This evening, there will be an auction that includes autographed sports memorabilia and golf equipment.

"In this economy, any money helps," Ford said, referring to support of the scholarship fund. "What's so nice about everything is seeing the golfers come back year after year."

Another nice thing was the rain— which had stopped by about 2 p.m., letting the play continue.

The East Boros Chapter represents a total of 18 communities. The golf committee also includes: Pete Antimarino, Dave Balmert, Bob Duvall, Bob Ford, Bo Garitano, Tom Harbert, Tim King, Mike Love, Vic Maccarelli, Ron Markowski, Chuck Martoni, Dick Misenhelter, Ray Reilly, Bill Roland, Herb Sendek, Deanna Seruga, Larry Sobek, Tim Sobek, Tom Storey, Jim Suley, Angelo Tardio and Bob Thomas. Tracy Conley is administrative coordinator.

The advisory council includes: Joe Battista, Dave Bucar, Barry Driscoll, Jack Fullen, Pat Lanigan, George Novak, Bill Priatko and Dr. Michael Rogal.