July 29, 2001 – A total of 31 sports and entertainment celebrities are scheduled to participate in the fifth annual Beacon Celebrity Golf Tournament, set for the weekend of Aug. 10-12. There will be activities on St. Thomas and St. John as well as on St. Croix, where the golf scramble itself will be played on the Carambola course.
Headlining the celebrity lineup is comedian, actor, musician and singer Tommy Davidson of television's "In Living Color," whose film credits include "Bamboozled," "Booty Call" and "Strictly Business."
The schedule has the celebrities arriving at the Renaissance Grand Beach Resort on St. Thomas on Thursday, Aug. 9, with a press conference at 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10, and a reception and dinner for the celebrities and event sponsors that evening at the resort, with Addie Ottley of WSTA as master of ceremonies.
On Saturday, Aug. 11, the daytime activity is a beach party beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the Caneel Bay Resort on St. John. That night at 8 there will be an event open to the public — a cocktail party and silent auction at the Renaissance. Admission is $25 in advance, $30 at the door. WSTA "Good News" personality Alex Randall will emcee the evening. Auction items include a cruise, hotel accommodations, day sails, dining certificates, gift items and autographed celebrity items.
On Sunday, Aug. 12, it's early to rise for the celebrities, to catch flights to St. Croix, where the golf scramble is to begin at 9 a.m. Immediately following play, an awards luncheon will be held at the Carambola Golf Club.
Then, it's back to St. Thomas, where the weekend will close with a comedy show at 8 p.m. that's open to the public. It will take place in the University of the Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center. Tommy Davidson will be the headliner, with appearances by comedians Chris Spencer and J'Vonne Pearson, and with local comic and JAMZ radio personality Robert Luke as emcee. Admission is $15 in advance, $20 at the door.
Tickets for both public events are being sold at the Color of Joy, Modern Music/Nisky Center, Monsanto Travel, Parcel Plus, Sam Goody's, Silk Greenery, Soft Touch Boutique and the UVI St. Thomas campus bookstore
Previewing the weekend, Davidson will be signing his videos at Blockbuster Video on St. Croix on Tuesday, Aug. 7, and on St. Thomas on Thursday, Aug. 9, in both cases from noon to 2 p.m.
Also on the talent roster are these sports celebrities:
Greg Ballard, fourth overall NBA draft pick in 1977 who played eight seasons with the Washington Bullets.
Enos Cabell, whose major league baseball career spanned the Orioles, Astros, Giants, Tigers and Dodgers.
Kevin Gravey, NBA two-time All American and Player of the Year for 10 years with the Washington Bullets and Milwaukee Bucks.
Ed Jones, veteran of 15 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, who started in 20 playoff games, six NFC championship games and three Superbowls.
Sam Jones, who joined the Boston Celtics in 1957 and earned All-Pro honors five times.
Mitch Kupchack, general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Rick Mahorn, 18-year NBA veteran who played for the Washington Bullets, Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers.
Mark Mosely, who played with the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Oilers and Washington Redskins, led NFL scoring in four seasons and was the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1982.
Pearson Preston, who played in the '60s and '70s for the Baltimore Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Dallas Cowboys, playing in five Superbowls.
Allen Pinkett, two-time college football All-American who was the leading rusher for the Houston Oilers in 1991 and later played for the New Orleans Saints.
Kenny Smith, a guard with the NBA World Champion Houston Rockets in 1994-95 and was a member of the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1988.
Fred Valentine, who played with the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Senators, where he received an MVP award.
Gus Williams, starting guard for the Seattle Supersonics in 1977-84, ranked No. 14 in the NBA's all-time league leaders in steals.
Pete Wysooki, who played with the Washington Redskins and in the Canadian Football League.
And from the entertainment ranks:
Keter Betts, jazz bassist, who'll head up the musical entertainment at the Friday dinner; he has played with Dinah Washington, Charlie Byrd, Cannonball Adderly and Stan Getz.
Earl Billings, star of the "One False Move" video and whose TV credits include "What's Happening?", the "Steve Harvey Show" and "The Hughlys."
Angelica Bridges, who has played Lt. Walsh on "Baywatch" and Sharon Taylor on "Days of Our Lives."
Dorian Gregory, who has played Inspector Darryl Morris in "Charmed" and parapsychologist Diamont Teagues in "The X-Files."
Harrold Jones, jazz drummer, playing with Keter Betts; named best new artist of 1972 in the Down Beat jazz critics poll, he has played with B.B. King, Ray Charles and Herbie Hancock .
Dawnn Lewis, vocalist for Friday's dinner, who has played Jaleesa on "A Different World and won a Grammy for her vocals in 1992.
Mari Marrow, whose film credits include "Book of Love" and "An Uninvited Guest," and who has hosted the "Oh Drama" talk show on BET.
Kellan Matthews, who has been seen on TV in "Days of Our Lives" and "Melrose Place," and whose feature film credits include "Flintstones" and "Mo' Money."
J'Vonne Pearson, comedian with credits on HBO's Def Comedy Jam, Uptown Comedy Club and Apollo Comedy Hour, and who appeared in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
Mekhi Phifer, whose movie credits include "Soul Food," "Clockers," Uninvited Guest" and "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer."
Tucker Smallwood, whose TV credits include "The Practice," "JAG," "Star Trek Voyager," "Frasier" and "Seinfeld," and who had film roles in "Traffic" and "Contact."
Chris Spencer, comic and first host of the TV show "VIBE," who has appeared in a recurring role on the "Jamie Fox Show" and as guest host for "BET Live."
Allen Thick, a seven-time nominee for Emmy and Golden Globe Awards with credits in the TV shows "Growing Pains," "Married With Children" and "Outer Limits."
Basil Wallace, who has appeared on TV in "City of Angels," "Judging Amy," "The Pretender" and "The Practice," and whose film credits include "Screw Face" and "Free Willy 2."
Jerry Weldon, jazz saxophonist, who'll play with Keter Betts at Friday's dinner; he has played with the Lionel Hampton Band and with Harry Connick Jr.
Tom Wright, whose film credits include "Palmetto," "Murder at 1600," White Man's Burden" and "City of Hope," and who has appeared on TV in "NYPD Blue" and "Seinfeld."
Local personalities taking part in addition to Ottley, Randall and Luke are Ervin "Brownie" Brown of WSTA and Sam Topp of Knight Quality Stations.
The annual event raises funds to support Beacon Schools of the Virgin Islands, the territory's national award-winning after-school community learning center program. In its four years, the program has provided services to more than 4,000 children, youth, adults and families, according to a release.
Major sponsors of the 2001 tournament are American Airlines, Chase Manhattan Bank, Prosser/ICC Foundation, the Renaissance Grand Beach Resort, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises and Total Service Solutions.
For details, call Beacon Schools of the Virgin Islands coordinator and tournament director Valerie George at 777-9300.
