THUNDER BAY – For more than a decade, Bruce Nugent was a driving force behind Lakehead Public Schools’ annual charity golf tournament.
It’s no surprise.
Nugent, the board’s former communication’s director who died in 2020, was forever giving back to the community, particularly in the field of education.
Last year, board officials decided to rename their event in honour of Nugent, something his son Aidan says his late father would be thrilled to know.
“It’s such an honour for our entire family,” he said. “He put so much work into this every single year. I had the honour of standing by his side here for about 10 years, helping him at it. He would be blown away that an event like this was named after him.
“It’s such an important cause in our city and region.”
Money raised from the sold-out event will be used to top up the Lakehead Public Schools Foundation’s student assistance fund, providing money for field trip fees, breakfast and lunch programs, winter clothing, before and after school programs and the Grade 8 Award of Excellence.
Funds will also be used to provide post-secondary scholarships for LPS graduates, as well as student and staff mental health initiatives.
Attaching Bruce Nugent’s name to the event has given it an even higher profile, Aidan said.
“Since last year, when we renamed it the Bruce Nugent Memorial Tournament, the turnout and interest in it has been crazy, even people from across the province wanting to come and participate, which has been awesome to see,” Aidan said.
David Pineau, co-chair of the tournament, said the tournament has been going on for 19 years, adding it’s important on two fronts – to raise money for the foundation and to honour Nugent’s memory.
“Bruce and I worked side-by-side on this tournament for many years,” said Pineau, the former head of the Superior Secondary Schools Athletic Association.
“He put his heart and soul into not only this tournament, but our whole community. I’m not sure there are any charitable golf tournaments where there are other charities involved. I think that’s the neat thing. We’ve got Roots to Harvest and Fort William Rotary here. It just speaks to the impact that Bruce had on our community.”
Monday’s tournament was played at Whitewater Golf Course.
