NJSGA conducts 121st Annual Meeting; John Murray, Steve Hennesey honored for Service
Photo: John Murray (L), Eric Houseknecht
October 8, 2020 - Despite the obstacles brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a strong year for the New Jersey State Golf Association, noted president Eric Houseknecht at the organization’s Annual Meeting on Thursday, Oct. 8, at Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth, home of the NJSGA.
“Needless to say, 2020 has been a memorable year, and all things considered, it has been a very successful year for the Association. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been able to run our full slate of championship events along with a robust schedule of Member Golf Days.
“We will have conducted 15 course ratings by year’s end and our charitable foundations have continued their missions of providing opportunities for underprivileged individuals,” Houseknecht said.
The president was pleased to acknowledge that the NJSGA is “grateful to our primary partners, Provident Bank, NJM Insurance Group and Donnelly Energy for their continued support in this difficult year.”
The tone of the socially-distanced meeting, which is available in its entirety by clicking here, was overwhelmingly positive as all aspects of the NJSGA enjoyed outstanding years.
Among the highlights of the meeting was the presentation of the annual Honey Gantner Award as the organization’s top volunteer to former treasurer and secretary of the Board of Trustees, Steve Hennesey of Ridgewood.
“The Honey Gantner Award was created in 2012 and is named after a woman who epitomized the spirit of volunteerism. She was the first recipient of the award which bears her name, and it is given each year to an individual who similarly devoted many years of exemplary service to the Association,” Houseknecht said.
"Steve Hennesey joined our Board in 2010 and then our Executive Committee in 2011 where he has provided invaluable guidance on all financial aspects of the operation until he retired at the end of 2019.”
Also, Garfield Layne of Glen Ridge was welcomed to the Board of Trustees, replacing John Murray of Spring Lake, who served the NJSGA since 1998 as legal counsel, vice president and president.
Murray was honored by the renaming of the NJSGA boardroom at Galloping Hill as the “John Murray Conference Room.” A longtime member of the NJSGA board, he has devoted endless hours in serving the NJSGA. He was president in 2010-11, and over the years, he steered the NJSGA into its current state-of-the-art facilities at Galloping Hill Golf Course. Also during his presidency, Coleen Luker became the first woman to join the NJSGA Board of Trustees.
“The whole thing is overwhelming,” said Murray, who is the only person to serve five years over two terms as president of the Spring Lake Golf Club.
Murray, admitted to the bar in both New Jersey and New York, has been a partner in the law firm of Connell Foley 50 years. John and his wife, Ann, reside in Sea Girt and have seven children and 21 grandchildren.
Layne, 56, a resident of Upper Montclair, is the Senior Director of Product Development for The Chicago Mercantile Exchange. He has been at member at Glen Ridge for 11 years and holds a handicap index of 2.0. He is passionate about golf, which he first started playing in 1995.
“Given where I started, it is special to have an opportunity to participate and help grow the game at this level,” said the graduate of New York’s Baruch College.
In late June, two months later than planned, the NJSGA celebrated the return of tournament golf. Despite a two month delay, resulting in numerous postponements through a major rescheduling effort, the NJSGA is on track to complete all of its events. To date, the NJSGA has completed 22 of its 25 championships, including 11 men’s, nine women’s and two mixed competitions. Board member Walter Sartorius cited several volunteer officials for their exceptional efforts, including Dan Juffey who worked 39 event days, followed by Rob Meehan (32), Frank Taranto (27) and Walter Voytus (25).
As usual, strong support for the NJSGA's charitable arms continued. The renowned Caddie Scholarship Foundation received more than $1 million in donations for the second consecutive year, with a total of $635,000 awarded to 147 caddie scholars (with three deferrals) for the academic year 2020-21. Since 1947, the NJSGA CSF has distributed nearly $16 million to a deserving 3,026 Caddie Scholars, who graduate at a rate greater than 96 percent.
The Youth Foundation awarded $42,000 to a number of deserving organizations throughout the state. This year, the Youth Foundation presented a check of $5,000 to the Center for Food Action in Englewood, the designated charity for Knickerbocker Country Club, which hosted the NJSGA Open Championship. During the pandemic, from March 25 through June 30, the Center for Food Action served 37,719 adults and children in northern New Jersey, including Bergen and Passaic counties.
Lisa Lifer, chair of the Membership Committee, remarked of the success of NJSGA programming around the newly-implemented World Handicap System, and the array of benefits to member clubs, courses, and golfers - setting the stage for a successful 2021.
