St. John businessman bid for item in memory of wife with breast cancer

By KEVIN CHIRI

Publisher

LAPLACE – Errol Victor has six sons, so it’s safe to say he has to like the New Orleans Saints somewhat.

So when he beat all the other bidders on Saturday at the Tammy Scontrino Classic fundraiser for breast cancer research, and spent $4,000 to get a Reggie Bush autographed golf bag in the live auction, it might have seemed easy to believe he did it for the Saints and his boys.

But not so.

Victor lost his wife Wanda two years ago, who died of breast cancer, and he said the cause can never have enough support.

&#8220The motivation for me wasn’t the Saints,” the owner of E.V. Developers, a local homebuilding firm said. &#8220My wife passed from breast cancer and we can never do enough to fight to find a cure.”

Victor didn’t just spend $4,000 for the golf bag, he also outbid others to get a couple of autographed footballs with the names of Joe Horn and Deuce McAllister on them, and also was a $1,000 corporate sponsor of the tournament.

&#8220Yea, I guess I spent about $6,000 for the whole thing,” he said with a laugh. &#8220But it’s a very worthwhile cause.”

The Tammy Scontrino Classic finished a day of busy activity at Belle Terre Country Club on Saturday, with golf and tennis all day, lots of food and drinks, and then a fabulous social that night. By the end of the evening, organizer Nicole Scontrino said they raised over $102,000 that will be given to breast cancer research.

&#8220It was just crazy,” the daughter of Tammy Scontrino, who died from breast cancer, said. &#8220I couldn’t believe we raised over $24,000 on 12 items in less than an hour in the live auction. It was just a great day for everything, and I think my mom would be proud of what we are trying to do here in her name.”

There were plenty of other big bids on some of the more popular auction items.

Bubba and Marie Guidry won the &#8220Boogie Bus” 16-passenger, four-hour party tour in a limousine bus for $2,400, while a John Deere tractor donated by Daryl and Lisa Schloz went for $3,000. The couple also bid $1,800 of their own for a six month foundation room House of Blues membership.

Sidney Triche, a local drywall and painting contractor, was another big bidder, winning diamond earrings for $2,100 and the Reggie Bush signed football for $1,000,