church of Christ

The recent news stories about the death of Byron Nelson reminded me of another coC/golf connection: Kenny Perry. I had heard a little bit about it from my brother-in-law who works at Lipscomb, so I did a bit of research (and edited my first Wikipedia entry). From Wikipedia:

Perry was born in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. He attended Western Kentucky University and turned professional in 1982. He failed in his first two attempts to qualify for the PGA Tour at Q-school (Qualifying school). He missed by 1 stroke one year and received word that his wife had gone into labor during the fourth round the next year. In 1985 a Franklin, Kentucky businessman and Lipscomb University graduate loaned him $5000 for a last shot at Q-school. Rather than repay the loan, he was asked to give a percentage of his tour earnings to Lipscomb University if he qualified. He tied for 40th at Q-school, earning his card with a two-shot cushion. Perry and his benefactor agreed on 5 percent, and he has maintained that commitment to the university ever since in the form of a scholarship for residents of Simpson County, Kentucky. In his first few seasons he found it a struggle to retain his qualified status, but he attained his first win in 1991 at the Memorial Tournament. Two more wins followed in the mid 1990s, another in 2001, and three victories in 2003. He was in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for a short time. Perry won in 2005 at the Bay Hill Invitational and the Bank of America Colonial. In 2006 he became the tenth man to reach US$20 million in PGA Tour career earnings in addition to taking an 8-week break from the tour to recover from knee surgery. He is a deacon in the Franklin, Kentucky, Church of Christ.

From an article titled "Legendary golfer Byron Nelson, a faithful church member, dies at 94" from The Christian Chronicle:

Legendary golfer Byron Nelson, a lifelong Church of Christ member known as much for his gentlemanly conduct as his 52 PGA Tour victories, died today at age 94. Nelson died at his Roanoke, Texas, home early this afternoon, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner. "We've lost a great man today," Abilene Christian University President Royce Money said of Nelson, a former ACU trustee who long supported the university's golf program. "Byron Nelson was a wonderful Christian example whose life had a profound and lasting impact on everyone he met." Nicknamed "Lord Byron," Nelson established one of the most enduring records in sports when he won 11 straight tournaments - and a total of 18 - in his remarkable 1945 season.

Church of Christ minister Joe Beam is getting national media attention for his frank discussion of sexuality. See the article by Brian Alexander on MSNBC.com titled "One preacher's message: Have hotter sex".

From Lipscomb's web site:

Lipscomb University President Randy Lowry unveiled Lipscomb's new logo on Monday, Aug. 28, at the President's Convocation. Each component of the logo has a special meaning to the Lipscomb community, Dr. Lowry said. Cross - The cross is the most recognizable symbol in the world, and we have not included it lightly, Dr. Lowry said. This most powerful symbol of Jesus Christ, instantly communicates to the viewer that David Lipscomb is a Christian institution. "We wanted people to understand first that we are a Christian organization," he said. Shield - "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." Ephesians 6:16, Dr. Lowry quoted at the Convocation. Historically, heraldic shields have often been used in the seals of colleges and universities, making it an easily recognizable symbol of Lipscomb's strong academic mission, Dr. Lowry said. Flame - The flame has multiple meanings for the Lipscomb community, Dr. Lowry said. It represents our search for truth, our search for wisdom, the power of God in our lives, and our goal to carry the light within us to the entire world around us. Finally, the new logo is completed with Lipscomb's traditional colors of purple and gold.

I can't remember what the old logo looked like.

The LA Times today ran a long article of the same title examining possible motivations for Mary Winkler killing her husband, a church of Christ preacher in Tennessee. The AP reported on a possible source for the financial problems that precipitated the murder:

A woman accused of shooting her preacher husband to death after they argued over money may have been taken in by a remarkably common scam that strained their finances and their marriage. Mary Winkler, who is charged with murder, had gotten tangled up along with her husband, Matthew, in a swindle known as an advance-fee fraud, in which victims are told that a sweepstakes prize or other riches are waiting for them if they send in money to cover the processing expenses, her lawyers say. ``They were always kind of living on the edge of their budget," defense attorney Steve Farese said, ``so I'm sure this would have just wrecked their budget."

The Christian Chronicle reported that she made $750,000 bail and that her trial is set to begin October 30. From todays LA Times article by Peter H. King:

She complained to investigators about constant carping from her husband, criticisms about "the way I walked, what I ate, everything." She mentioned financial pressures, which she described as "mostly my fault, bad bookkeeping." It was, she said, "just building to a point. I was just tired of it. I guess I just got to a point and I snapped." Certain details about her journey from adored preacher's wife to accused husband slayer Mary Winkler did not share with the Tennessee investigators in that initial interview. She did not tell them, for instance, about the bad checks she'd been passing through a web of bank accounts, transactions that had prompted a concerned call from the bank the day before her husband was shot. Nor did she tell them about her apparently related entanglement in what is known as a Nigerian scam, a common and often ruinous form of fraud that preys on those naive enough to believe they are about to come into big and easy money, if only they play along.