Also novel at this year’s golf outing was the Caddie Competition within the Berkeley Memorial Golf Tournament in which foursomes of caddies from Winged Foot Golf Club, Atlantic Golf Club, Hudson National Golf Club and Westchester Country Club competed among themselves for the best gross score…and the winning caddie foursome was Westchester Country Club.

We are delighted that Winged Foot, the cradle of Mike’s passion for golf, hosted this year’s Berkeley Memorial Golf Tournament for the first time!   Michael began caddying at Winged Foot at the age of 12.  He was the first recipient of the Gene Hayden Outstanding Caddie Award.  He caddied at Winged Foot for approximately eight years.  Winged Foot nurtured Michael’s passion for golf, lifetime relationships with peers and members of the Club, career opportunities and overall character development as an honest and respectful human being.  One of his lifetime dreams was to become a member of Winged Foot.  During the awards dinner, the attendees were moved by Mr. Pat Collins’ tribute to Michael.  Mr. Collins, the former Starter and Caddie Master at Winged Foot, was one of Michael’s mentor and supporter since adolescence.  We are hopeful that his outing was the beginning of a tradition at Winged Foot.  Many participants commented, “…this is where the Berkeley Memorial Golf Tournament belongs…”

The Foundation continued to celebrate Audrey Berkeley’s memory in presenting the Audrey P. Berkeley Spirit Award to Mrs. Lyn Silfen.  Lyn clearly reflects the strong moral character and heartfelt core values which Audrey exhibited throughout her life:  loving dedication to family and friends, the tenacious pursuit of education and professional achievement, a genuine respect for others with an uncompromising commitment to inclusion and tolerance, a zest for life and a passion for sports and good sportsmanship.  We were truly honored to have presented Lyn Silfen the Audrey P. Berkeley Spirit Award!

We were also honored to have four 2007 MJB Scholars (or family representative) attend and participate in the Berkeley Memorial Golf Tournament at Winged Foot.  These scholars were only a few of the 20 scholars who were awarded a $3,000 scholarship for academic year 2007-2008.  Present this year were scholars Sarah Jones, a sophomore at Spelman College, Amber Peden, a freshman at Kalamazoo College, Alexis Costales, a junior at Loyola University and the parents of Theodore Garrett III, a freshman at Hampton University.  Each scholar expressed their gratitude and fortune in being an MJB Scholar and having experienced the Berkeley Memorial Golf Tournament at the prestigious and legendary Winged Foot Golf Club. 

One event sponsor subsequently wrote the Foundation saying, “…I understand how opportunity and exposure can grace an individual.  When Alexis Costales spoke, and during those long moments when he could not quite find the right words to express his gratitude, I could not help but think that being the recipient of a Michael J. Berkeley Scholarship means far more than it’s monetary stipend...We were fortunate to have Amber Peden, another recipient, in our foursome.  She was delightful.  She played well, was focused on her game, and was so poised and self-assured.  She, like Alexis…is really a very good example of someone whose behavior on the golf course mirrors her attitude and effort in life.  Your gift of scholarship does so much more than provide funds for education.”

For the third year, participants enjoyed the silent art auction with beautiful artwork by our artist partners Alvin Clayton, Willie Baez, Alonzo Adams, Eric Berkeley, Jason Berkeley and, debuting this year, Maria Dominguez and Daniel del Valle.

The Foundation is forever grateful for the leadership of this year’s Berkeley Memorial Golf Committee which was co-chaired by Butch Graves of Black Enterprise and Cyrus Walker of Nemco Brokerage.  We thank the many corporate and individual sponsors/donors of the event, the Board of Directors, and the staff at Winged Foot Golf Club for their assistance, attention to detail and cooperation in preparing and executing a flawless event!  Congratulations and thank you to all involved.  As Mike would say “stay tuned” and “golf your ball” at the next Berkeley Memorial Golf Tournament!

PRIZE WINNERS

Ist Place Low Gross Score: 67 Jim Petela Gary Brown Joe Mele Jose Tavarez	Ist Place Low Net Score: 57 Eric Abraham Bill Hanraham Evan Schwartz Glen Griffin

2nd Place Low Gross Score: 68 Jim Kelly Ron Homer Michael Brown Wade Houston	2nd Place Low Net Score: 57 Marilyn Booker Ernest Booker Doug Anderson Alexis Costales

3rd Place Low Gross Score: 70 Thomas Bouvier Dan Litt Michael Green Mike Kearney	3rd Place Low Net Score: 60 Cyrus Walker Eric Woodland Corky Lorenzo

Closest to the Pin: AM Winston Valdez	Closest to the Pin: PM John Roos

Longest Drive AM: Men Garfield Layne	Longest Drive AM: Women Beverly Walker

Longest Drive PM: Men Brian Nurse	Longest Drive PM: Women Janice Bayer

Diamond Sponsors_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Platinum Sponsors__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Gold Sponsors_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jansan Financial Group