KEYWORD
Scales Aldridge Garner 12th Annual Golf Tournament
BY ELEANOR LEWIS ON OCTOBER 18, 2013
After decades of involvement in Rose athletics, the Scales, Aldridge and Garner families will be inducted into the Rose Athletic Hall of Fame. This honor adds extra significance to the twelfth annual Scales Garner Aldridge Golf Tournament, co-founded by Griff Garner, Jeff Aldridge and Waighty Scales, that will be held on October 18 at Greenville Country Club. The annual tournament raises money for the Rose Athletic Foundation and is held in conjunction with the Hall of Fame inductions.
Over 140 community figures participate in the program, along with about fifty volunteers. The tournament started twelve years ago when Boyd Lee was the first chairman and ran the first tournament. “I give Griff the credit for the idea,” Scales said. Garner was the chairman of the Rose 2000 Campaign before helping to lead a new fundraiser for Rose athletics. The Rose 2000 Campaign was started by Garner in an attempt to boost the athletics at Rose for the new millenia. Because of their involvement in this project, Scales, Garner and former Athletic Boosters president Jeff Aldridge came together to form a new tournament to raise money for Rose athletics in honor of their fathers W.M. “Booger” Scales, Dr. M.W. “Henry” Aldridge and Leslie H. Garner. “Booger” Scales, father of Waighty Scales, was an insurance salesman in Greenville. “Booger” Scales raised $1000 for Greenville’s first rescue truck back in 1957 and then $525,000 for Rose’s Minges-Farley Athletic Complex, where the football stadium and fields preside. Along with fundraising for Rose, “Booger” Scales helped raise $278,000 for the construction of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium and another $1,000,000 to increase the seating capacity for East Carolina University. He once raised $250,000 for the Boys & Girls Club in two days. His last project was the restoration of River Park North. Dr. Henry Aldridge, father of Jeff Aldridge, served many different roles during his lifetime. Throughout his 50-year dentistry career, Dr. Aldridge served two terms in the State House as well as six years on the Greenville City Council. As President of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, he also served on the Rose High Booster Club and many other civic organizations. Dr. Aldridge devoted his time and effort to the city of Greenville for more than five decades. Leslie H. Garner graduated with the class 1937 from Greenville High School. After flying 51 missions over Eastern Europe for the Army Air Corps in World War II, Garner received a Distinguished Flying Cross. Back in Greenville, he would later serve on the local Salvation Army Board for over 40 years, as well as run the annual Christmas Drive for 30 years. Garner was also a 33rd Degree Mason, and Grand Master of Masons in North Carolina. A member of the Kiwanis Club since 1968, Garner served as Governor of the Carolinas Club and started more than 50 new clubs. He also started the Golden K club in Kiwanis International, which now offers seniors across the world the opportunity to serve throughout their own communities. “The goal was for this to last for at least ten years,” Garner said. “And we’re on our twelfth year now so we’ve outlived our original goal.” This year is special for the three founders. Not only have they been able to continue the project for two years beyond the intended goal, but Scales, Garner and Aldridge are all being inducted into the Rose Athletic Hall of Fame. “The hall of fame started five years ago and originally was not connected to the tournament,” Aldridge said. “We thought it would be nice event to tie the tournament together with dinner on Thursday night, invite them to play in the golf tournament on friday, and have them introduced during the game on friday night.” They will be inducted on October 18 at the halftime of the Rose vs. Eastern Wayne football game for their work as sponsors of Rose athletics, along with other Rose alumni. Those alumni include JC Daniels, Chris McLawhorn, Waynes Sumrell, Lashonda Horton and Ryan Gordan. Daniels graduated in 1972 and was an All-State and All-Conference baseball player in 1971 and 1972. After attending Louisberg Junior College when he returned from the Army, Daniels was drafted in 1977 by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second round. He would then go on to play five years of professional baseball. He is now retired and serves as Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. McLawhorn graduated in 1982 as a track and football athlete. He was an All-State football player in 1981 as well as an ACC long jumper in 1982. He played in the 1979 state championship where he caught a pass for a touchdown. He went on to play football and track at ECU. McLawhorn now works with Outreach Ministries, as he was ordained for ministry in 1996. Wayne Sumrell was a football player who graduated in 1962. Sumrell played varsity football all four years as well as being a co-captain for four years. He scored a touchdown in the 1961 3A state championship game. After graduation, he joined the Marine Corps before being discharged in 1966. He then attended a data processing trade school in Nashville Tennessee, where he worked in data processing for 43 years. He retired in 2009 as a project leader and was awarded the "Old North State Award". He is now certified as a Master Diver, as he scuba dives in a variety of places with his daughter who is also a certified instructor. Lashonda Horton was a basketball and track athlete in the graduation class of 2001. As Student Council Vice President, Horton won the Female Athlete of the Year award in 2001. She was MVP in basketball for both 2000, 2001 seasons. Horton was also MVP in track in 2001 along with as first place finish in the shot put event of the 2000 State Championship. She was a three sport athlete while attending Winston Salem State University. Horton received CIAA Rookie of the week four times in basketball as well as being named as the Winston Salem University Rookie of the Year in 2002. She won Rookie of the Year for her school in 2003 for bowling and obtained MVP for both 2004, 2005 seasons. Horton won the Chancellor’s Cup in 2006 for tennis. She currently resides as a Physical Education teacher at Philo Magnet Academy where she won Teacher of the Year in 2011. Horton has coached a variety of sports while teaching at this Philo Magnet Academy. Ryan Gordan graduated in 1999 as a baseball player. He received multiple awards while attending J.H. Rose including the following: All-State honorable mention, 2 time County Player of the Year and NC State Player of the year. After graduation, Gordan attended UNC Greensboro and was a three time All-American. He accomplished many feats while attending UNC Greensboro including the following: 2 time Southern Conference Pitcher and Player of the Year, 2 way collegiate Player of the Year, top 15 national batting average and a four time All conference player. He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 42nd round and signed with the Milwaukee Brewers as a free agent, but due to an injured arm, his Major League Baseball career ended a little early. Gordan now works in Hedge fund for real estate at Econohomes as a Reo specialist. They will be joining the ranks of many other talented athletes and Rose alumni. The three co-founders are being inducted as families because of the work of their fathers. “We’re going in the back door via our parents legacy,” Scales said. The tournament will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the Greenville Country Club on October 18. Entry fees include $500 per team or $125 per person. For more information, please contact Jo Ann Wilder at (252) 756-3991 and [email protected] or at [email protected]. HTML Comment Box is loading comments...
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