I Attended a Party and a Golf Tournament Broke Out
      Judson L. Jeffries, PhD, MPH

On Friday, June 12, 2026, the men of the Eta Nu Nu chapter of the illustrious Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., held its annual Swing for Scholars Golf Invitational. More than 100 golfers participated in the event. Specifically, there were 26 foursome teams vying for the top prize. Teams were comprised of both men and women. Golfers came from various parts of the country including Maryland and D.C. Ohio golfers drove in from Canton, Cincinnati, Springfield, Youngstown and Toledo as well as Columbus’s surrounding suburbs. Kaleth O. Wright-retired Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Air Force and the event’s honorary chairman flew in from San Antonio, Texas. In a city where daily the threat of rain seems to be on par with that of Portland and Seattle (a slight exaggeration) everyone was hoping that the weather would hold up. Those prayers were answered. 

Although overcast for much of the morning the atmosphere was upbeat and the mood festive. As the tournament was winding down and people trickled into the banquet area in preparation for the meal and the presentation of scholarships to three college bound youth the DJ skilled on the wheels of steel played hits from the 80s and 90s. Interestingly, many of the hits were by New York rappers which seemed appropriate given the history making comeback by the New York Knickerbockers just two days earlier against the heralded San Antonio Spurs. As the music reverberated throughout the room men could be seen bobbing their heads and women dancing in their seats. Others were milling about, laughing and chopping it up with those seated at their tables. 

At one point all the ladies at a nearby table (most of whom were breast cancer survivors sponsored by the chapter, publicly recognized, and presented a bouquet of pink roses) sprang from their seats and descended on the dance floor. Unbothered by the fact that the dance floor wasn’t actually to be used as a dance floor that day but rather an area on which members of the Dance Elite Performance Academy were to perform a number for which they were slated-The Party Was On! Emboldened by the would-be party goers the DJ increased the volume (that’s how I remembered it). In my head, all I heard were the lines “Brothers and Sisters-Pump up the Volume!”, “Brothers and Sisters-Pump up the Volume!”, “Pump up the Volume,” “Pump up the Volume,” from MARRS’s 1987 similarly titled hit song. Then it happened. For nearly ten minutes that little area of the room turned into a nightclub, in broad daylight, prompting me to say to the brothers at my table, “I went to a Party and a Golf Tournament Broke Out.” The energy was palpable. My brain was flooded with memories of my underage visit to Studio 54 in 1978, and trips to Odell’s in East Baltimore and The Garage and Disco Fever in Bronx during the 1980s. I couldn’t help but laugh to myself.
Soon after the Soul Train dancers returned to their seats the program began, finally! Members of Dance E.L.I.T.E. Performance Academy stunned the audience with an athletic and intricate hip hop routine. The young dancers were presented with bouquets of flowers and to the surprise of everyone, the academy’s director was presented a check of $10,000 from the tournament’s presenting sponsor, ELB Philanthropy. Minutes later the three scholarship winners who will be attending OSU, the University of Cincinnati and Ohio Wesleyan University in August were announced. Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for: the winners of the golf tournament were announced based on various categories. There were some surprises but no public controversy. The winners were called up and presented with trophies and gift cards followed by a raffle that netted the winner $415.00. In true Eta Nu Nu fashion the chapter presented all young girls and ladies with a red rose exemplifying our admiration and respect for womanhood.
This year’s golf tournament was by any measure a huge success. One person said to me at the end of the day, “this was a great event” to which I responded, “the best is yet to come.”

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swing for scholars golf invitational PRESENTED BY ELB Philanthropy