When Clint Hurdle agreed to let the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association honor him at a fundraising dinner, he made one thing clear. There was no need, the former skipper of the Colorado Rockies insisted, to spend money on a plaque or trophy to commemorate the occasion.
The committee could see where he was coming from, even though they didn’t agree. So they surprised him with a gift they knew would be sure to please: A baseball bat autographed by young Prader-Willi patients at facilities in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
“I can’t think of anything that would have been more thoughtful,” Hurdle said. Hurdle became the PWSA’s national spokesman after the birth seven years ago of his daughter, Madison, who has Prader-Willi syndrome.
The dinner, chaired by Stephen Leightman, was held at Coors Field and was attended by a host of Hurdle’s former colleagues. Among them: general manager Dan O’Dowd; chief financial officer Hal Roth; public relations vice president Jay Alves; batting coach Don Baylor; community relations vice president Jim Kellogg; and major league operations director Paul Egins.
Hurdle’s wife, Karla; daughter, Ashley; and parents Louise and Clint Sr. also were there, along with Dick Balderson; Rockies Fantasy Camp president Russ Elliott; and Rob Olsen, chief executive of Coaches of Excellence.
Madison Hurdle attends Cherry Hills Christian School, and assistant principal Debby Will was at the dinner with her husband, Rick, and early childhood learning specialist Lorie Price and Price’s husband, Steve, manager of 104.3 The Fan. The Fan sponsored the dinner with Denver Magazine.
Julie Clay, an occupational therapist who works with Prader-Willi syndrome patients, was there, too, along with Lynette Hosler, president of the PRWSA’s Colorado chapter, and her husband, Gary;Carol Hearn, co-chair of the PWSA’s national board; and Kari and Jeff Porter of PWSA-Colorado.Coming right up.
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science exhibition Genghis Khan opens Friday with a gala benefiting the Ulaanbaatar-Denver Sister Cities’ Luby-Jenkins School Pairing Program. Mongolian officials from around the world will attend; for details, visit . … Actress Denise Nickerson (Viola in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”) is scheduled to be here Saturday for the Magical Mile Gala benefiting CASA of Jefferson/Gilpin Counties. Executive director Leah Varnell says reservations for the event at Green Gables Country Club can be made at 303-271-6536. … National Sports Center for the Disabled is having a Locker Room Bash Oct. 19 at Invesco Field. Guests are to assemble in the visitors’ locker room at 6 p.m. for a big-screen viewing of the Broncos-Chargers game and the opportunity to meet Denver apheerleaders and bid on silent auction items. Admission fee includes a gift bag with a voucher for an upcoming home game. Sign up at .
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, and GetItWrite on Twitter
