Tournament Raises $59K for Scholarships
The fact that the 17th Annual Alumni Scholarship Golf Tournament on May 21 raised a record $59,000 for scholarships was a fitting result of a beautiful spring day of golf.
While the chance to golf may have motivated those in attendance to play, “what compelled us to gather here this morning was the cause, a very important cause—supporting Worcester State College student scholarships,” noted Alumni Association’s Advisory Board and Worcester State Foundation Board member Steve Ward ’76 during the barbecue luncheon at Cyprian Keyes Golf Club in Boylston, Mass.
Katelyn Barros ’10, a Presidential Scholarship recipient, said scholarships provide more than financial assistance. “It is truly hard to put into words the gratitude I have for the opportunity to receive such an award,” she said. “This scholarship has helped me to feel appreciated for the hard work that has gone into my education, and has given me the determination to become a successful nurse. I leave these four years of Worcester State College with complete appreciation to the Worcester State community for giving me the opportunity to accomplish my dreams.”
The Alumni Scholarship Fund, which is supported by tournament proceeds, currently provides tuition assistance to approximately six students who are children of WSC alumni.
Golfers competed for various prizes. The winners were: Kevin Stiles and Patti Kelly for Closest to the Pin and Rosie Naughton, M.Ed. ’05, Tom McNamara, Sr., and Tom Nicalek for the Longest Drive. The Split the Pot winners were Matt Zalegowski, Kevin Stiles, Doug Vallee, and Mel Cutler.
The first-place men’s foursome included Rocco Morano ’72, Ed Porter ’69, George Farquhar ’70, and Paul Lirange. In second-place were Rich Korzec, Tom Nicalek, Peter Staiti, and Mark Gurski. The foursome with Rick, Brian and Patrick Sweeney and Blair Deeney '73 came in third. Meanwhile, the foursome with John and Robert Salerno, Paul McCarthy, and Rick Zipps—all representatives from NES Group—placed fourth.
The first-place women’s foursome included Nicole Brown ’90, M.Ed. '92, Rosie Naughton, M.Ed. ’05, Laurie Dahlin, and Joan Juralewicz.
In the mixed category, the foursome with representatives from Coca-Cola Bottling of New England Patrick Conley, Emily Carter, Doug Vallee, and Carmen Paglione came in first, and the foursome with Reza Shafii, Mark Russett, and John James—all representatives from TigerPress—and WSC Women’s Basketball Coach Karen Tessmer came in second.
The foursome to win first-place seniors included Jim McSherry ’53, Tom Gibbons ’54, M.Ed. ’61, John Casey, M.Ed. ’61, and Joel Cohan.
“To have a successful tournament, you need the help of many, many people,” said Vice President of Institutional Advancement Thomas M. McNamara ’94. “Corporate sponsorship in particular is very important because it enables us to move more of the proceeds directly to the beneficiaries—our students.”
The tournament’s major sponsors were:
Charter Business ~ Silver Sponsor
Chartwells ~ Silver Sponsor
Coca-Cola ~ Silver Sponsor
Gene J. DeFeudis ~ Silver Sponsor
Follett Higher Education Group ~ Silver Sponsor
Tiger Press ~ Silver Sponsor
Dunkin Donuts ~ Legacy Sponsor -
Bank of America ~ Bronze Sponsor
Bollus Lynch, LLP ~ Bronze Sponsor
Liberty Mutual ~ Bronze Sponsor
Digital Federal Credit Union ~ Barbecue Luncheon Sponsor
To date, the annual golf tournament has raised over $500,000 for the Alumni Scholarship Fund.
Registered members of the online alumni committee are invited to view photos of the golf tournament by visiting the Group Photos gallery.