The inaugural Johnny Antoon Memorial Scholarship Golf Tournament and Party will be held Saturday, July 16. The event will include the tournament, lunch and party/bartenders reunion that evening to honor a beloved Natchitoches businessman and devoted Northwestern State supporter who passed away in November 2015.

“Friends and family of Johnny Antoon have organized and supported this event to remember and celebrate an exceptional man who loved his family, his friends, Northwestern State and Natchitoches and who hated golf,” said Jill Bankston, associate director of Development at Northwestern State University. “We sure wish he was here to fuss at us all.”

Antoon, a 1968 graduate of Northwestern State, was owner of Antoon’s Package Liquor Store, open since 1975, and The Student Body, open since 1982. In that time, numerous students have helped pay for their college education by working for Antoon. During a surprise 65th birthday celebration in 2008, Antoon’s friends announced the creation of the Johnny Antoon Endowed Scholarship. More than $37,000 was raised for the scholarship. A 70th birthday party in 2013 raised an additional $37,000. Organizers hope to raise the scholarship level to $100,000.

Ties between the Antoon family and Northwestern State are strong. Johnny’s wife Merle is an NSU graduate along with his daughter Danielle and son Michael. In 2012, Antoon was awarded an Nth Degree from Northwestern State, an honor that recognizes unselfish devotion to duty and the willingness to go the “extra mile” in meritorious service to mankind.

The golf tournament will be held at Northwestern Hills with check-in at 8 a.m. and a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. Lunch will be served at 1 p.m. The entry fee is $75 for one golfer with cart, lunch and one ticket to the evening event.

The party and bartenders reunion will be at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the evening only are a minimum $10 donation per person.

Checks can be made payable to the NSU Foundation with Johnny Antoon Scholarship written in the memo. Entry forms and donations can be mailed to Bankston, NSU Alumni Center, 535 University Parkway, Natchitoches, LA 71497. For more information, contact Bankston at (318) 357-4241 or bankstonj@nsula.edu.