Silent and live auctions helped to raise proceeds from this inaugural event. Auction items included a round of golf with Gerald Ford, sports memorabilia, fine jewelry and sporting goods. The pinnacle of the auction took place when Howard Hait generously bid $35,000 on an opportunity to accompany the Starkey Hearing Foundation's founder William Austin on a mission to South America – an opportunity Hait generously donated $35,000 to have.

The evening would not have been possible without the support and generosity of many businesses and organizations, including: Marquette Financial Companies, Mesaba Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Major League Baseball, Microtronic, The Autry Museum, Gennum Corporation, Resistance Technologies, Inc., Knowles Electronics, LaSalle Bank, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Qualitone, Ernst and Young, Micro-Tech, The Rossin Foundation Rayovac, Printcraft and Creek Lithographics.

Photos

Carol Channing	Carl Pohlad and Hugh O’Brien	Bob Feller
Don Shelby accepting award in Walter Cronkite’s absence	Lee Greenwood	Engelbert Humperdinck
Bill Austin and Joe Foss