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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Ashland High robotics team gearing up to storm a castle ... Ashland-area resident running for Congress ... Body found in Illinois River near Selma ... Ashland High robotics team gearing up to storm a castle ... Ashland-area resident running for Congress ... Body found in Illinois River near Selma ... Donation wasn't big, but her spirit was It was a simple gesture. A woman donated $37.50 to a cause. It hardly seems worthy of fanfare, huh? You can get a large pizza and a couple sodas for that much without getting change back. By Tim Trower MailTribune.com By Tim Trower Posted Jul. 18, 2009 at 2:00 AM Updated Jul 21, 2009 at 2:44 PM By Tim Trower Posted Jul. 18, 2009 at 2:00 AM Updated Jul 21, 2009 at 2:44 PM » Social News It was a simple gesture. A woman donated $37.50 to a cause. It hardly seems worthy of fanfare, huh? You can get a large pizza and a couple sodas for that much without getting change back. But Jeanette Graham's kindness wasn't about dollars and cents as much as it was about a sense of awareness. She had lost a couple of people close to her to breast cancer, so when she won a "Rally for a Cure" 50-50 putting contest last week, she didn't think twice about telling organizers to keep her winner's share. It was during the Ladies Twilight Golf Association at Stewart Meadows, but similar benevolence no doubt has occurred countless times in countless places around the country. The rallies are part of the Susan G. Komen for a Cure program. Its mission is to spread word that early detection saves lives. Their message: Do it for your sister, your mother, your daughter, your friend "¦ yourself. "It touches everybody," Graham says of the disease. Ten days before she won the drawing, she and her extended family lost her son's mother-in-law. She was 51. Before that, when Graham spent last winter in Arizona, the woman who was to organize a Rally for a Cure event there died of the disease she fought. "A few things like that were on my mind," says Graham. Fifty-two of the LTGA's 78 members participated and helped raise more than $1,000. Stewart Meadows did its part by reducing greens fees, and a number of merchants donated items. "It seems small in the broad spectrum," says Vicki Maddox, one of the organizers of the LTGA. "But when you think of all the different leagues around that are doing this, it adds up. So, yeah, it's a good deal." Graham doesn't win a lot of the time. A few years ago, she was the LTGA's most improved player. She has a 24 handicap and a golf game like most. "Up and down," she says. On this day, you'd have to say she was a winner. U JIM JOHNSON knows a thing or two about golf, having once played to a 1 handicap, having won well over 100 tournaments while serving as a police officer in Santa Clara, Calif., and having played in the Police Olympics three times. But when he was in high school, it was the Big Three — football, basketball and baseball — in which the current resident of Shady Cove excelled. In fact, he was selected for the Los Gatos, Calif., High School Hall of Fame this past spring. Nearly 400 people attended to see the induction of 10 former sports stars, and Johnson, 74, was the oldest living honoree. "I was humbled by it, believe me," he says. Back then, baseball was his best sport. When he graduated in 1953, he'd pitched a perfect game and three other no-hitters. He also was an all-valley quarterback on a championship team and was an "average" basketball player. Golf? He didn't give it much thought until his early 30s, when he was on the police force. Then he developed a voracious appetite for the game. Johnson is another volunteer teacher at the V.A. Domiciliary, and his story came to light after a cohort was featured here last week. Johnson has devoted more than 1,000 hours — he was awarded a pin for ongoing service — to the veterans. "It's good therapy for them," says Johnson, who upon retiring in Santa Clara, joined the sheriff's office in Lane County before moving in 1994 to Shady Cove, where he was police chief for eight years. "Some are guys who played when they were young and then got away from it," he says. "They got in the service or whatever and are now just getting back to it. Maybe they had some instruction a long time ago but some of the theories have changed. I try to make it as simple as I can. There's no point in getting into a lot of technicalities." One thing he will never tire of is seeing a smile flash on a player's face when a tip sets in and leads to a well-struck shot. Don't be surprised if Johnson is at it for awhile to come. Longevity runs in the family, for among those who attended that May hall-of-fame dinner was his 105-year-old mother. She still gets around, cooks for herself, doesn't even wear glasses. "She goes to the doctor," says Johnson, "just to see how the doctor's doing." U THERE WAS NO MATCH for the tandem of Alan DeBoer and Chris Adderson in the member-guest match-play tournament at Rogue Valley Country Club last weekend. Each team of two played seven nine-hole matches, with each worth up to 20 points. After three days, DeBoer and Adderson were high scorers with 91 points. "Chris is really good," says DeBoer, the member. "He's a clutch player. Every time we needed a tough putt, he'd sink it. And we have to thank some of our opponents, who collapsed in some of our matches. "It's really a fun tournament. It's the first time I've played it, and it's a really nice format." There were nine flights of eight teams for a total of 144 players. Flight standings were based on total points. Each hole was worth two points for the winning team. If they tied, each team got one point. After nine holes, two points went to the winning team or one to each if they tied. "Even if you win the match in five holes, you still want to score points," says DeBoer. "You still have that killer instinct to get those points for the total." He and Adderson went 6-1, their only loss coming on the middle day, 12-8. DeBoer was moved to play because his son-in-law, Eric Linerud, was again entered. Linerud partnered with Eric Baker, and they scored 89 points, tied for second best but good enough to win their flight. "It was a good week for the family," says DeBoer. Other teams who scored well and were among the flight winners were Hank Olson and Kevin Clugage (89), Bob Crews and Gary Schaeffer (88) and Tony Nieto and Jim Fuller (88). Have a local golf story idea? Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] By Tim Trower MailTribune.com By Tim Trower Posted Jul. 18, 2009 at 2:00 AM Updated Jul 21, 2009 at 2:44 PM » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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