Evans Scholars Outing Attracts Full Field To Hawk Pointe
With a full field of 109 golfers, including Evans Scholars alumni, NJSGA caddie alumni, and friends , the 12th annual East Coast Evans Scholars Classic golf outing held on Monday, June 30 at Hawk Pointe Golf Club in Washington, N.J., couldn’t have been more gratifying for Tom Paluck.
Paluck initiated the event in 2003 with 60 golfers and this year’s event had the biggest field ever, up 20 golfers from the previous year. The event is conducted jointly between the New Jersey State Golf Association and the Western Golf Association’s Evans Scholars.
“The field is bigger than ever, so we will raise the most funds ever. This is a great venue to have it,” said Paluck, who earned an Evans Scholarship to Michigan State. “Events like this are about providing an education to a needy caddie who might not otherwise be able to attend college. As an Evans alumnus myself, I can tell you how valuable an Evans Scholarship is,” said Paluck, the principal of TSP Capital Management Company.
“We’re taking young boys and girls cadies and giving them an opportunity to go to college. The relationship, the working together of the WGA and the NJSGA is great. The WGA is the largest association of its kind in providing caddie scholarships in the United States. “
Current NJSGA Caddie Scholars from Baltusrol Golf Club, Somerset Hills Country Club, Canoe Brook Country Club and Spring Brook Country Club were also in attendance.
“It’s really exciting that this event continues to grow and brings together the Evans Scholars and the New Jersey State Golf Association’s Caddie Scholarship Foundation,” said Jeff Harrison, Vice President of Education at the WGA and Evans alumnus.
“The opportunities an Evans Scholarship provides for caddies include full tuition scholarship and housing. We come to events like this to celebrate our success and plan for the future,” Harrison stated.
The guest of honor was Tommy Marcus of Tenafly, N.J., the 2013 New Jersey Evans Scholar. Tommy, a four-year caddie at Knickerbocker Country Club, will attend the University of Michigan in the fall on an Evans full-tuition scholarship and plans to study finance. He follows in the footsteps of Sean Thornton of Green Brook Country Club and Caldwell, N.J., who graduated from Michigan this year.
Paluck, an Evans Scholar at Michigan State University, Class of 1962, and former NJSGA president, initiated the event. He hoped New Jersey caddies might get the same academic opportunity that the Evans Foundation extended to him years ago.
Marcus, an honor roll student and golfer who still caddies at Knickerbocker Country Club in the summer, made heartfelt remarks:
“I still can’t believe I’ve been given this opportunity [to be an Evans Scholar. I’d like to thank the Western Golf Association, the New Jersey State Golf Association, and all of you here who have contributed greatly to this Foundation. I’m enjoying my time at Michigan, and eventually give back to the Foundation. Thank you very much. It’s great to be here,” Marcus stated..
One day, Marcus will be like the group of Evans Scholars Alumni who connected in an effort to give back to the program and organized the Classic almost a dozen years ago.
Such alumni are Amy Lillibridge, current Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations at the Western Golf Association, Rich Burke, Geoff George and Mike Jabon, both University of Michigan grads (2006) who both work in New York, Ross Galarneault, current Director of GHIN at the USGA, and Paluck
Harrison reported that within the coming years, the Evans Program anticipates a record number of 900 scholars enrolled full-time in colleges. This is an objective executed by the generous support of the Match Play Challenge, a program that allows donors to double the impact of their donation to the Foundation. Those who choose to participate as March Play Challenge partners pledge to match Par Club gifts of $2,500 or greater in 2013.
Harrison stressed how important is it that the two Foundations to work together. As they have the past 11 years, the strength of the combined programs has grown enough to fulfill Tom Paluck’s objective to continue to send New Jersey caddie scholars to participating Evans universities.
Evans universities are located primarily in the Midwest and many represent the Big 10 Conference. Notre Dame is the newest member. It is hoped with the addition of Rutgers University to the Big 10, and possibly to the Western Golf Association, that someday many more New Jersey caddies will have an opportunity to earn Evans scholarships.
Since the Evans’ inception in 1930, the Foundation has generated over $100 million in scholarship awards to more than 10,000 recipients. The East Coast Evans Classic has contributed well over $320,000 since 2003 and boasts the successes of New Jersey scholars Sean Thornton and Tommy Marcus.
“We expect only great things from our relationship with New Jersey and we look forward to many more years of working together,” Harrison said.
