The Ron Gaffner Dinner Roast, a fundraiser to benefit the Ron Gaffner Room Campaign at Muskegon Community College, is set for Saturday evening, May 20, at the White Lake Eagles Aerie #3214, 1204 S Lake St., Whitehall, MI.
A social hour will be held from 5-6 p.m. followed by dinner, a silent auction, a 50/50 raffle, and a “roast” of former MCC Coach and longtime physical education instructor Ron Gaffner, whose countless contributions and 332 career wrestling victories have brought national prestige and success to MCC for the past four decades. Musical entertainment will follow the roast.
The campaign, led by the Foundation for MCC and a committee comprised of several former MCC wrestlers and current staff members, is raising funds to support the naming of the new MCC Health and Wellness Center’s multipurpose room in Gaffner’s honor. The Center is scheduled to open in January 2019. Campaign proceeds will also create and build endowed scholarships for future Jayhawk wrestling teams.
Tickets are $50 per person and may be purchased online at www.muskegoncc.edu/gaffner, by visiting the Foundation for MCC Office, Room 400, or by calling the office at (231) 777-0226.
“He’s been a mentor, a role model to all wrestlers, and a true champion of the sport,” wrote the committee about Gaffner. “He embodies the best of Jayhawk wrestling and, even today after 42 years, continues to give back to current wrestlers through his work with academic study halls and his selfless behind-the-scenes efforts with the Dan Burt Memorial Scholarship Golf Tournament.”
Gaffner’s total career dual meet victories rank him third all-time nationally among National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) wrestling coaches. He was the NJCAA Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1980, inducted into the NJCAA Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1981, and was named the NJCAA Wrestling Man of the Year in 1986. Gaffner is also a member of the Michigan Wrestling Association Hall of Fame, the Greater Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame, and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. In 1977, he was a Junior Pan-American Team Coach and, in 1979, a Junior Pan-American Team Chief of Mission.
For more information on the campaign, visit www.muskegoncc.edu/gaffner.