NJSGA Adds Claude Fusco Iii Memorial Caddie Scholarship

Claude Fusco Jr. couldn’t think of a better way to honor his late son and former caddie, Claude Fusco III.

“One of my fellow members at Echo Lake Country Club, Vince Gilligan, told me what he did to honor his son by naming a caddie scholarship in his honor. To me, it was a no-brainer. It’s such a great way to help people, the type of people my son would have loved to help. It’s a great way to remember his name and it’s a good cause,” said Fusco Jr.

In 2014, the New Jersey State Golf Association’s Caddie Scholarship Foundation instituted the Claude Fusco III Memorial Scholarship thanks to a generous donation from his father, who also received contributions for the award from others.

“I had lost my son at 31. I wanted to do something in his memory. Without even a campaign, just by word of mouth, we have been able to get funds from other people. I’m excited about the scholarship,” he said.

The Claude Fusco III Memorial Scholarship, an annual stipend of $4,500, was awarded this year to an Echo Lake caddie, Christopher J. Lazzarotti, Class of 2018 at St. Joseph’s University.

It is the 19th NJSGA Caddie Scholarship Foundation Special Scholarship. It is also the third Special Scholarship instituted by an Echo Lake member after the Vince Gilligan Memorial Scholarship ($5,800) and the Roger Chandler Memorial Scholarship, which awards four Echo Lake caddies $3,000 in tuition per year. The minimum CSF award is $3,500.

“We want to keep building up the scholarship with donations so we can do more. The first recipient turned out to be the son of someone I know. Christopher sent me a note of thanks. I’m delighted,” said Fusco Jr., a former partner at Ernst and Young.

Already, the scholarship is funded forward for 25 years.

Claude Fusco III moved to Westfield at the age of six, and began to caddie at Echo Lake as the son of a member. In 1998, he graduated from Westfield High School where he joined the varsity golf team. He attended Boston University and Rutgers University before beginning his career working with children at The Little Gym.

“My son loved caddieing and meeting other caddies, kids whose parents weren’t members and were scraping together two nickels to go to school,” Fusco Jr. said. “He learned a lot by being around those kids. He learned to love the game and to play golf. We would get together and play and that’s something I didn’t do with my father.

“When my father asked me to golf up in Westchester, I’d say, ‘Dad, this is The Bronx. We don’t play golf. We play stickball.’ So when I got to play with my son, I loved it.”