Tournament raises funds and hope for OMRF cancer research

FOSS, Okla., October 14, 2008 – With 48 fishermen at Foss Lake for the 23rd annual Frank Wohl Memorial Bass Fishing Tournament last weekend, someone was bound to land a big fish. But the biggest winner was cancer research at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, which will receive about $1,200 raised by the event.

The event was started in 1986 to honor the memory of Wohl, a Clinton businessman and fishermen who died from cancer complications at age 61. Over the years, the event, which now counts more than 60 sponsors, has raised more than $44,000 to support cancer research at OMRF.

“Cancer touches just about everybody’s life and the research that OMRF does helps provide some insight to the causes and what the cure will be,” said Lance Brooks, tournament organizer. “Everybody who fishes the tournament knows somebody who has cancer.”

Brooks said Wohl just loved to fish and especially on Foss Lake.

“We could probably move the tournament to Grand Lake and get more participants, but Frank fished at Foss Lake and that’s where we’ll keep it,” he said.

For the second year in a row, father-and-son team Henry Lankford of Lone Wolf and Brad Lankford of Wagoner took top honors of the day with 11.16 lbs caught.

Danny and Jimmy Nelson won for biggest bass caught at 4.76 lbs.

About OMRF
OMRF  (omrf.org) is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institute dedicated to understanding and developing more effective treatments for human disease. Chartered in 1946, its scientists focus on such critical research areas as Alzheimer's disease, cancer, lupus and cardiovascular disease.

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