Contact: Heath Fisackerly

STARKVILLE, Miss.—The Department of Communication at Mississippi State University is preparing for its annual golf tournament benefitting student scholarships.

The tournament is hosted at the MSU Golf Course on Oct. 26, the day before the MSU vs. Texas A&M football game. It is a four-person scramble limited to 120 participants.

Player registration, lunch and a putting contest is from 10:30-11:45 a.m., with a shotgun start at noon. Food and drinks are provided by Clark Beverage Group, The Little Dooey, Chick-fil-A and Kroger. Top teams are awarded prizes, including free green fees at MSU and many other area courses. Prizes also are awarded for closest to the pin on all par threes, with multiple prizes for long drives.

Registration is $125 and covers all cart and greens fees, driving range balls, one free entry in the putting contest and an MSU Adidas golf shirt. Proceeds are directed to the Lora J. DeFore Memorial Endowed Scholarships to support summer internship positions.

WCBI-TV is a tournament gold sponsor. Silver sponsors include Cadence Bank, Canon Solutions of America, Insurance Associates of Starkville, MSU’s Department of Geosciences, NewSouth NeuroSpine, Shep’s Cleaners, Statewide Federal Credit Union, and Watson and Heidelberg PLLC. Bronze sponsors include Chick-fil-A, Frank Chiles State Farm, Clark Beverage Group and MSU’s National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center.

A car will be given away by Parker-McGill Automotive for a hole-in-one on a selected hole, while LogoStore USA is providing a $1,000 merchandise certificate for a separate hole-in-one. Additional sponsorships and prize donations are welcome.

A member of the communication faculty for nearly two decades, DeFore died in 2009 following a long battle with cancer. Beyond teaching full-time, she coordinated both the department’s public relations concentration and internship program.

“We appreciate all of the support we have received over the years and hope those who have participated in the past will play, sponsor, donate and/or volunteer for our 12th annual tournament,” said John E. Forde, professor and department head.

“This is a great opportunity for alumni and others to reconnect and help support our department,” Forde said. “For many years, we’ve provided pro shop gift certificates to the top three teams and the choice of a playing package at MSU or other nearby courses to the top 10 teams, so competitive players can help make a difference for our students while also coming away with multiple prizes.”

For more information, including registration and sponsorship forms, visit www.comm.msstate.edu/alumni/getinvolved. Forde may be contacted at 662-312-5031.

Part of MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Communication offers a bachelor of arts, with concentrations in broadcasting, communication studies, journalism, public relations and theatre. For more on the college and department, visit www.cas.msstate.edu or www.comm.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.