Patty Miller
The Edmond Sun
EDMOND —
The second annual “Friends of Lynn” Golf Tournament, in memory of Lynn Dunagan, will again swing into action at KickingBird Golf Club on Sept. 17.
All proceeds from the tournament will go directly to the Oklahoma chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America.
“Last year we raised more than $5,000,” said Dunagan’s daughter, attorney Janna Dunagan Hall, “with a goal this year set at $10,000.”
Hall has organized the tournament for a second year to honor her mother’s memory and to support the Oklahoma LFA Chapter to raise awareness about this little known disease.
“My mother was diagnosed with lupus just before her death. I want to help put lupus on the radar of physicians and researchers. My main goal is to find a treatment, or better yet, a cure for this devastating disease,” Hall said.
An avid golfer, Lynn Dunagan died of lupus in 2006. She was a member and past president of the KickingBird Women’s Golf Association. Dunagan organized several charity golf tournaments benefiting the Oklahoma County Youth Services Center, and was a former president of the American Lawyers Auxiliary.
Lupus is a disease for which there is currently no cure. It is difficult to diagnose and the cause is unknown. When a person has lupus, the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues and organs. Approximately 1.4 million Americans have lupus and of those, 90 percent are women.
“A lot of things are happening in the field of lupus research,” said Darla Shelden, outreach education coordinator, LFA-OK Chapter. “A keenly awaited new lupus drug, Benlysta, from GlaxoSmithKline and Human Genome Sciences Inc., will get a priority review from U.S. regulators, potentially clearing the way for its approval by mid-December.”
If approved, Benlysta will be the first new lupus drug in more than 50 years, Shelden said.
The tournament, a four-player best ball scramble with a shotgun start, will begin at 1 p.m. The $75 entry fee for one person includes green fees, cart, range token and a goodie bag. A foursome team is $250. Hole sponsorships are available for $500. It includes one team along with hole signage. Mulligans will also be available.
Entry fees include dinner served at 5:30 p.m. with cash prizes and gift certificates for contests such as Long Drive for Men and Women and Closest to the Hole for Men and Women.
Those interested in participating in the tournament need to register by Sept. 10. Checks made to LFA-OK and registration forms to OK Lupus Foundation may be dropped off at 4100 N. Lincoln Blvd., Ste. 208, in Oklahoma City. For more information call Janna Dunagan Hall at 924-3857 or visit www.oklupus.com.
Also, “Jazz in the Jungle,” the LFA-OK’s yearly dinner, dance and auction, will be Nov. 6 at the Oklahoma City Zoo. For more information or to purchase a ticket call Lea Jenson, executive director for OK-LFA, at 427-8787 or 503-6529, or e-mail her at oklupus@flash.net.
pmiller@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 171
