by John Gessner
Thisweek Newspapers

Greg Clark has his mind on numbers as he plans the 14th annual Justin Clark Memorial Golf Tournament to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Clark has 18 teams of four but wants to double that before the event on Sunday, Sept. 12 at Heritage Links Golf Club in Lakeville.

"We need help,î said Clark, of Burnsville. "I need golfers.î

Planning the tournament is his current preoccupation, but the inspiration for the event -- though distant in years -- is never far from Clark's thoughts.

Clark and friends started the tournament after his son, 7-year-old Justin Gregory Clark, died of cancer in 1991. The tournament has raised about $32,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which gave Justin and his family a magical week at Disney World a year before his death.

Clark and wife Susan had two sons, Justin and younger brother Jordan, when cancer invaded their family.

In the late 1980s Susan was diagnosed with breast cancer. Three years later Justin was diagnosed with a rare cancer of the adrenal gland.

"For the last year and a half, I had both Susan and Justin on chemo,î said Clark, a two-year Burnsville resident and independent associate for insurance firm Leading Edge Consulting. "We were doing Abbot (Northwestern) and Children's Hospital. I didn't know what day I'd be where, because it seemed like there'd always be something going on.î

The family lived on a hobby farm in Big Lake, where Clark found occasional solace between trips to the hospital.

"Early in the morning, when everybody would be sleeping, it was my turn to have my moment of ëWhat the heck is going on here?' î said Clark, 49. "There is an old cowboy saying that the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man. When I'd be feeling bad I'd go out to the barn and bring out my big quarterhorse and brush him down.î

One of the nurses at Children's Hospital contacted the Make-A-Wish Foundation on Justin's behalf. Children with life-threatening illnesses are helped to "qualifyî to have a wish granted if the odds are against their making it to age 18, Clark said.

Justin's wish was to go to Disney World in Orlando, Fla. The wish was granted, and the family went on a weeklong vacation in February 1990.

"They took very good care of us,î Clark said. "It was just the greatest. Both Sue and Justin were feeling great. Nobody was sick throughout that week of our trip.î

Susan died in July 1990. At her funeral Clark saw a friend from high school, Laurie Gustafson, and in time they were dating. Meanwhile, exploratory surgery revealed that Justin's cancer had spread throughout his abdominal cavity.

The couple were visiting Justin in the hospital when Gustafson asked him what he'd like, anything.

"And the kid says I'd like to be in a wedding and wear a tuxedo,î said Clark, who married Gustafson in January 1991, making another wish come true.

The Clarks had moved to northeast Minneapolis, where the physical education teacher at Justin's school took a liking to him. The teacher, Mark Kenney, also coached the Columbia Heights High School girls' basketball team. Kenney made Justin an honorary coach.

"They played their last game for Justin,î Clark said. "They signed the basketball and got him a sweatshirt with ëCoach' on it. He was just tickled pink.î

Justin died in February 1991, shortly before his eighth birthday.

At his funeral Kenney asked Clark what had helped him most during Justin's ordeal. The Make-A-Wish Foundation, Clark replied. At Kenney's suggestion, the golf tournament was born.

This year the tournament is raising money for a girl named Katelyn, who has leukemia and a fondness for spaghetti and meatballs and the Minnesota Gophers women's basketball team.

"Her wish this year is to go on a Disney cruise with her family,î Clark said. "So that's our No. 1 spot for the money, to make Katelyn's wish come true.î

Some tournament proceeds will also go to caringbridge, a Web service that posts information about people with serious diseases so friends and family can keep track of their status.

For information in playing in the tournament, a four-person best-ball scramble, or sponsoring a hole or donating prizes, call Greg or Laurie Clark at (952) 898-7565.

John Gessner is at burnsville.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.

Top of Page

Check out this week's newspaper for more about your community.

Thisweek Newspapers
12190 County Road 11, Burnsville, MN 55337
Telephone: 952-894-1111 Fax: 952-846-2010