In 2003, The Vernon Open was organized in honor and memory of our son, brother, husband and friend, Dan Kleiman, known affectionately to many of his friends as Vernon. The Vernon Open (VO) is truly a celebration of Danny's life and memory, because it brings together several of his passions with one event, most notably family, friends and GOLF!

Danny was only thirty seven years old when he died of Pancreatic Cancer, but he managed to pack a lot of living into those 37 years. He had a zest for life. He remained heart, body and soul, a resident of Shorewood where he grew up, went to school, and where he could run Lake Drive in training for his 7 marathons or bike to work at the Centennial in Mequon. He loved sports, especially the Green Bay Packers. And of course he had a passion for golf. His wife, Cathy, will tell you that Danny's idea of the perfect day was 18 holes of golf in the morning followed by a Packer game.

Danny's memory is very much alive, nurtured by gatherings, stories and toasts year-round. But the Vernon Open is a time for all of his favorite people to come together to share the times we spent with him. And while we honor Danny, we know that there are too many others with stories like his, others who suffered and succumbed to Pancreatic Cancer.

Each year 42,000 people in the United States, are diagnosed with this devastating disease. Almost all will die. You've heard some of the other touching stories: Randy Pautsch, Patrick Swayze and Luciano Pavarotti. So you know these are not just statistics. The number of cases is going up. The Pancreatic Cancer Network (PanCan) is the national organization that funds research into the cause and cure for this killer disease. All the money raised from the Vernon Open is donated directly to PanCan in Danny's memory. The Vernon Open has raised more than $94,000 since it began in 2003. We hope you'll join us this year because PanCan's success will buy your success too.