Folks, on July 26, 2006 I made the post below, regarding the Evans Scholars Outing at Olympia Fields that year. I think our buddy Jordan was at the same event this year. While I missed him, I did see Evans Scholar Jack Crisham, and a number of others. I'm repeating that post, since basically nothing much changed, and, as I said back then, this needs publicizing:
"Pardon the OT post, but this needs publicizing. I was an invited guest at the Western Golf Association Evans Scholars Outing and Dinner at Olympia Fields last Monday, and it was my best day ever at the club. The WGA puts on the Western Open (soon to be BMW Championship), the Western Am, and the Western Junior Am, but mostly what they do is administer the Evans Scholars program.
This program, started and named after Chick Evans, and administered by the WGA since 1930, gives college scholarships and housing grants to caddies, mostly from the midwest. These are full rides, and the foundation maintains housing at something like 14 universities. At the moment, over 800 students are enrolled in the program, at every Big Ten school, and several others around the country. Scholars are required to maintain a certain grade point average, and this year only 4 of the more than 800 failed to maintain it.
Applicants for scholarships must be caddies for at least 2 years, maintain a high average in high school, and, most important have demonstrated signficant financial need.
The WGA has an outing every year, where directors of the WGA, past Evans scholars, and a whole bunch of current Evans Scholars gather for meetings about the program, golf and dinner. Olympia Fields hosts the event every other year, with Medinah and occasionally Twin Orchards hosting the other years.
The highlight was walking in to dinner with the "green coats" (directors of the WGA). The current Evans Scholars were already seated at the long tables, grouped by university, and as the directors walked to their seats, the Scholars stood and applauded. THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY of them at the dinner, men and women, white, black, whatever, all being put through school through the efforts of these directors, and busting their ass. I pretty much lost it when I saw this, and covered by going over to the Wisconsin contingent, giving them high fives and a "Go Big Red" shout out.
When the directors got to their places, the Scholars sat down, and the directors all stood and applauded the efforts of the Scholars. The winner of the scholarship award was introduced, who is headed to Harvard Medical School.
I cannot ever recall being so moved as by the sight of these students, and by the recognition of the efforts of the WGA down through the years (I must be getting old). I golfed with 3 folks from St. Louis who were Evans scholars around 1971, 1979 and 1984 or so. The bonds of these folks live forever, and I hope the WGA does too.
Jeff Goldman