Lopez joins board of directors at Folds of Honor

Mike Arbour, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Folds of Honor, and Lt Col Dan Rooney, the foundation’s founder and CEO, announced that Nancy Lopez has joined the organization’s Board of Directors.

“We are honored that Nancy has agreed to join our Board,” Arbour said. “Nancy has worked with Folds for many years, andher commitment, insight and dedication are evident in everything she does. She provides a powerful role model for the students that we serve.”

“When my wife Jacqy and I started Folds of Honor above our garage in 2007, I always knew that golf would play an integralrole in helping our scholars,” Rooney said. “Nancy epitomizes what’s good about the game. She is always willing to help, puts others first and is there when we need her the most. This is a significant day in Folds of Honor’s history.”

Folds of Honor is a nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of US military service members and first responders who have fallen or been disabled while serving our country and communities. Theeducational scholarships support tuition in grades K-12, college, technical or trade school and post-graduate work, including a master’s degree, doctorate, or professional program. Since its inception in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded over 51,000 scholarships totaling about

$240 million in all 50 states. Among the students served, 45 percent are minorities and 91 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to scholarships.

“Providing an education to the families of military service members and first responders is important to me, and no one doesit better than Folds of Honor,” said Lopez, who was inducted into the Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame in 2016. “I have always been amazed and inspired when I meet these recipients that deserve and need our help. I appreciate Mike and Lt Col Dan asking me to take on additional responsibilities and an expanded role in the foundation.”

A longtime military supporter, Lopez joined golf course designer Jack Nicklaus at the 2021 grand opening of American Dunes Golf Club in Grand Haven, Michigan, a facility that provides golf’s most patriot round and directly benefits Folds of Honor. She played in the 2023 Folds of Honor Greats of Golf at the Insperity Invitational, recently participated in the Folds of Honor Cup at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club (Orlando), an event hosted by Ken Griffey, Jr. and his wife Melissa and will co-host The Intrepid Invitational at American Dunes in June.

Lopez was born in California and grew up playing golf in Roswell, New Mexico. She went on to play collegiate golf at theUniversity of Tulsa, where she was named an All-America and Female Athlete of the Year for her play. She left college after her sophomore year and turned professional in 1977.

Lopez became an LPGA Tour rookie in 1978, winning her first-ever tournament at the 1978 Bent Tree Classic. She went on to win eight more times that year, including her first major championship title at the 1978 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Lopez earned Rookie of the Year, Rolex Player of the Year and Vare Trophy honors, the only woman in LPGA Tour history to win all three in the same year. She won 48 times on the LPGA, including two more major victories at the 1985 and 1989 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Her last win on Tour came in 1997 at the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship. She was a member of the 1990 U.S. Solheim Cup Team and captain of the 2005 winning team.

In 1987, Lopez was inducted into the World Golf and LPGA Halls of Fame. She was also a three-time GWAA Female Playerof the Year and two-time AP Female Athlete of the Year, and won the LPGA Founders Award in 1987, the Flo Hyman Memorial Award (1992), the USGA Bob Jones Award (1998) and the Old Tom Morris Award (2000).