About the Jimmy Pappas Memorial Clay Shoot
November 14, 2023
2023 Event Schedule
Participants must bring their own gun. Included in the registration fee are eye and hearing protection, ammunition, and golf carts, as well as drinks, dinner, and an auction. Dinner-only registration is available for those who do not wish to partake in the shoot.
Coming Together To Target Cancer
The first annual Jimmy Pappas Memorial Sporting Clay Shoot was held in 2014 at the Greater Houston Gun Club. In the same year, 1,665,540 new cancer cases were diagnosed and 585,720 people died due to cancer, the second most common cause of death in the U.S.
Hosted by Michael Cox, John Elder, Peter Harding and Gregory Pappas, the inaugural event raised $46,500 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Houston. In the years following, the event contributed more than $620,000 to Houston-area charities benefitting cancer research. Thanks to the overwhelming support from the community, the event continues to grow and promote change for those facing a cancer diagnosis.
Continuing their tradition of leadership, below are this year’s chairs:
2023 Chair
Shelley Tarkington
2023 Vice Chair
Sean Cichowski
Board
Michael Cox
John Elder
Peter Harding
Greg Pappas
2023 Chairmen
Host Committee
Monique Pappas
Plato Pappas
Cia Pappas
Jamie Taussig
John Wallace
Elizabeth Elder
Phil Jones
Tracy Jones
Johnny King
Karen Nicolaou
George P. Pappas
The Life and Legacy of Jimmy Pappas
Born in 1959 in the Flushing, Queens neighborhood of New York City, James Plato “Jimmy” Pappas went on to graduate from Memorial High School in Houston, Texas before joining the Texas A&M University Fightin’ Aggies class of 1981 and obtaining an MBA from St. Thomas University. A loving husband, father, businessman and community leader, Jimmy’s battle with cancer ended in 2011. It the wake of his passing, several of his close friends came together to ensure his philanthropy goals lived on, alongside the adventurous memories he left behind, through the annual celebration of the Jimmy Pappas Memorial Shoot.
With family, faith, friends and giving back as his greatest priorities, Jimmy approached everything with an unmistakable passion for life. Whether he was racing offshore powerboats, scuba diving, hunting, fishing, cooking, driving his convertible or waxing poetically about the social worth of lawyers, he was always “all in.”
Inspired to become a developer by memories of touring land with his father, Jimmy would go on to be instrumental in the creation of many well-known master planned developments in Houston including New Territory, First Colony, City Centre and Spring Trails. Jimmy had a strong work ethic and contagious enthusiasm for every project he took on. An active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Urban Land Institute, Jimmy also served on the Board of Directors of the Utility District Advisory Corporation, the Fort Bend County Municipal Utility District No. 35 and the Planning and Zoning Commission for the City of Spring Valley. Jimmy was also a dedicated member of his church, serving on the board of trustees.
Always eager to give back to the communities he loved, Jimmy was proud to work with the Steer Auction Committee of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Along with raising funds towards youth education, he held many leadership roles on the committee, including heading the Committee Awards Banquet during his own battle with cancer.
