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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Till Open Golf Scramble board members Stephen DeCapua, Sharr Williams McNally, John Tillery and Richard Duffett were joined by lead sponsor Chuck Eddy (left) and Canfield Local Schools Superintendent Alex Geordan (right) at a kick-off press conference to discuss the history of the event as well as the substantial donation that has been made to the schools on June 16.
By ABBY SLANKER
The sixth annual Fourth of July Till Open Golf Scramble will take place at Mill Creek Metroparks North Course on July 1. Registration and breakfast will run from 7:30-8:30 a.m., with a memorial salute honoring honor Grant Galvin, Thomas James, Victor Mohl, Mark Seiser and Helen Tillery from 8:30-9 a.m. and a shotgun start at 9 a.m.
Till Open board members Richard Duffett, Stephen DeCapua, John Tillery and Sharr Williams McNally, along with lead sponsor Chick Eddy and Canfield Local Schools Superintendent Alex Geordan had a kick-off press conference to discuss the history of the event as well as the substantial donation that has been made to the schools.
Superintendent Geordan provided opening remarks.
“Without the support of outside organizations, our athletic complexes can’t grow. Without booster groups and alumni support, like the Till Open, we cannot do what we do today. Canfield is growing in both the classrooms and in athletics with these private dollars which have been given back to the district. Without that support, our students would not have access to what they have. We have over 20 varsity sports, and with the help of these groups and alumni, our pay to play program was been discontinued a few year ago, providing more opportunities for our student-athletes to participate,” Geordan said.
Richard Duffett provided a history to the annual Till Open Golf Scramble.
“This started about 30 years ago when my classmate John Tillery moved to Virginia. He would always come back to visit over the Fourth of July and we would go golfing. We nicknamed it the Till Open. Fast forward to our 35th reunion and Till had the idea to turn it into a fundraiser. The first year we raised $8,000. Canfield is such a special place to support us. We eventually established a memorial to honor those we have lost. Over five years, we have given back $113,000 to the schools to help more than 20 extra curricular activities,” Duffett said.
Duffett then turned the floor over to Chuck Eddy of Chuck Eddy Automotive, who praised Canfield and spoke of the Till Open Shirley Eddy Memorial Trophy.
“I am proud to be a supporter of the Till Open. As the event moved forward and grew, it was a great opportunity to give back to the school system which has taken such good care of us. My family is very proud to live in Canfield. Canfield is a great town, which used to be a cornfield. It grew on its own. It is unpretentious, inviting, innocent, warm, safe, secure community. And that was my mom, Shirley Eddy. She was an innocent, quiet, inviting person. She was always behind the scenes. That is what Canfield is and golf seemed to be the glue which put this all together and I am proud to say this memorial trophy is named after my mom. I am honored to be a part of the Till Open. Canfield has served us well,” Eddy said.
John Tillery spoke on how important Canfield is to him.
“Growing up here in Canfield meant a lot. What our parents and our friends’ parents did for us made life much better for us. The Till Open is about having fun, getting involved and giving back,” Tillery said.
For more information or registration information, visit canfieldschools.net.