The Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation threw another big bro-hug hoedown Aug. 20 at Temple B'Nai Israel, this one honoring University of Central Arkansas president Tom Courtway.
About 400 flanked buffet lines of heavy hors d'oeuvres (grilled chicken, artichoke dip, meatballs, ham on biscuits, cheeses and fruits), then sat at tables to hear everyone from Courtway's kids and Courtway's mom to Mrs. Courtway and, in the end, Mr. Courtway.
After joking that the night gave him the opportunity to see his future wake, he thanked just about everyone in the audience. For his wife, Melissa, he used the opportunity to thank the women in men's lives who probably do a better job with men's health than those men.
"You got it right tonight," he told the foundation and event coordinators, "when you talk about women and what they mean in our lives. They are strong. They talk a lot more than we do about things that need to be talked about. Guys sit on the couch and we die. We'd rather sit there and watch a football game, or a fishing show, than talk about what's important in our lives medically."
Folks may long remember the live auction, which probably featured a few too many items but got pretty exciting -- the auction spotters definitely seemed surprised by the action.
"Tremendous night ... just fantastic ... best one yet," said charity development director Patrick Presley. And a lot of that is a credit to Courtway -- he and his people set the volume at 11.
Some winning bids:
• $1,000 for four season tickets to UCA football games.
• $2,500 for a 49-diamond pendant necklace from Deep South Jewelers.
• $3,000 for a party of 10, hosted by Brent Bumpers (former Sen. Dale Bumpers' son) and Nate Coulter, at which state Sens. Jeremy Hutchinson and Jim Hendren (both nephews of Gov. Asa Hutchinson) will engage in "a provocative three-way repartee" with state political columnist John Brummett.
• $7,250 for a seven-night stay at an ocean villa in Potrero, Costa Rica, that includes cooks and maids -- this one was sold twice.
Presley said he'll long remember this event because he had several calls the next day from attendees who said, because of the cautionary tales and pleadings from those who took the stage, they were making a medical appointment about a trouble spot that they'd previously wished away.
This year, the event raised more than $140,000, a fair bit more than last year's reported $126,000.
High Profile on 08/30/2015