Judy, Lindsey and Keith Wise, organizers of the 10th Annual Children’s Brain Disease Classic in Memory of Grant Wise.

What can you tell us about Batten Disease?

Keith Wise: “Before our son, Grant, was diagnosed with Batten Disease, we didn’t know much about it. In fact, almost nobody did, not even many doctors. It’s a very rare, degenerative brain disease, and because of that, it was often misdiagnosed.”

Is Batten understood better now?

“Much better. It’s been about ten years or so since we first found out about it, but now, doctors can run tests to find out if someone is a carrier or not, and even whether an unborn child is likely to get it.

“Someday, we hope it will be possible to treat Batten, maybe even before babies are born.”

How did the Children’s Brain Disease Classic get started? “Judy and I realized that the only way progress was going to be made in fighting Batten and other children’s brain diseases was by raising money for research. “My father and I operate a small trucking company here in Alabama, and my wife and I got the idea that we might be able to put on a charity golf tournament to generate some funds. “We asked for help from business associates, friends, suppliers, neighbors and people from church, and managed to hold the first tournament in 1991, two years before Grant passed on.” Are you satisfied with the results? “We are. Everyone has been very generous with their time, contributions and support. Over the past ten years, we’ve raised over half a million dollars for brain disease research. We couldn’t have done that without the help of lots of good people. “We held our tenth annual classic at the Terri Pines Country Club in Cullman, Alabama. They and the other volunteers are the people who really make this all happen.”

One of those people is Howard Blankenship. How did he get involved?

“I met Howard at a Batten Disease conference in Nashville. He was cooking barbecue for the group, but what really fascinated me was his 1995 Peterbilt Model 330 and the 30-foot-long barbecue trailer he had brought to the event.

“We got to talking, and I mentioned our golf tournament. Right then, Howard said to me, ‘I’ll come cook for you.’”

“Today, he’s cooking barbecue for over 650 people – at his own expense. We didn’t have to provide him with anything but a place to park his truck.

“We’re grateful, and the Children’s Brain Disease Foundation is grateful too. If we keep this up, someday we’ll conquer Batten and other children’s brain diseases.”

Howard Blankenship and Pete Scott show off the product of their labor.

Howard, how did you get involved in barbecuing for charity?

Howard Blankenship: “I’ve been in the cabinet-making business for a long time, and I’ve been blessed with pretty good success. Barbecue has always been one of
my hobbies.

“For a while, I even entered the barbecue contests in the Memphis area, but eventually, I wanted to do something more with it. I decided that I could give something back for all the blessings I’ve received by barbecuing for charity.

How long have you been doing this?

“About 15 years now. I really enjoy coming out and helping at these events. The truck and trailer make it pretty easy for me to do. We go to about 20 charity events each year.

What are some of those events?

“Well, we’ve cooked for St. Jude’s Hospital, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, for research for breast cancer, and for quite a few other charities.”

You keep saying “we.” Who works with you?

“For about the past four or five years, Pete Scott has been helping me. Together, we can probably cook up enough barbecue to serve over a thousand people with this rig.”

Howard Blankenship’s 1995 Peterbilt pulls his custom-built, 30-foot barbecue trailer.

Where did you get this barbecue trailer?

“It’s custom-built by O.H. Hendricks in Memphis. The trailer is about 30 feet long and weighs about 18,000 pounds.

“It’s pretty well set up to do this. We carry everything we need, including a cooler for the meat and a generator to run it. We have fish fryers that run off propane and a two-sided barbecue section that we’ll put about 500 pounds of charcoal in today. That’s just for the one side, which is all we’ll need.”

How has the day gone so far?

“It’s going good. It’s a lot of work, and it’s tiring, but at the end of the day, Pete and I will know we’ve done our part to help. That’s what counts.”

Editor’s Note: The next Children’s Brain Disease Golf Classic in Memory of Grant Wise will be held in 2002. In the meantime, to make a contribution, contact Keith or Judy Wise at 256-796-2485 or by e-mail, KWise@Hiwaay.net.