About Brian...

rian Douglas Clemens was born in September 1963, and spent his childhood in Pennsylvania. He was blessed with what he referred to as a "Beaver Cleaver" childhood, although he said he didn't know it at the time. It was all there: the house in the suburbs, playing in the woods, gerbils, hamsters, snakes and ducks as well as a precious dog and cat, summers of neighborhood adventures, camping, fishing, traditional holiday celebrations, trying different sports, discovering girls… He had a real "touch" with plants and animals of all kinds that stayed with him always, and a particular love of butterflies. He was funny and compassionate and developed an interest in gourmet cooking. He looked like Ethan Hawke as a teen, and like a cross between Tom Cruise and Christopher Reeve as an adult. Brian was highly intelligent and very active - what would be referred to as "a real handful".

But he was far from perfect. His life was shredded by drug use from his early teens into his 20s, although he worked long and hard to beat his addiction. His victories lasted various lengths of time, and he finally turned the corner for good a few years before his death. By that time, he had moved from Pennsylvania to Durham, NC, to be near his only sister, Anne, and state-of-the-art medical care. Brian knew he was terminally ill as a result of his drug use, but remained dedicated to sobriety in those last years. The Inter-Faith Council's Community House in Chapel Hill provided support and shelter at the turning point in Brian's life for which he was always grateful. He and his long-time girlfriend were known for their AIDS activism work, speaking to Narcotics Anonymous and other groups on a regular basis, inspiring people to live differently, and giving hope to many others. Brian was featured on the local news and in local publications such as The Independent and The Spectator.

In October of 2000, Brian's sister Anne married Matt Holway. A golf outing was planned as part of the festivities for the weekend's many out-of-town guests. Matt's love of golf and Brian's commitment to "giving back" inspired Matt to combine the two as a charity golf tournament to give back to The Inter-Faith Council (IFC) in honor of the brother-in-law he never got to meet; Brian had died at the age of 31, a few years before Matt and Anne met. Brian's life had been derailed by bad decisions, overwhelming it with struggles, but he ultimately made his life a message of perseverance, hope, and commitment to others. Golf is a great metaphor for perseverance and the power of hope; playing for a charity like The IFC reminds us that there are myriad ways to give to others. Although he would laugh, because he never really played golf, Brian would approve.