Six years ago, Brud Stover and his Morse High Class of 1953 were thinking of ways to bolster the Morse High Scholarship Fund. Why not have a golf tournament, they thought. Their idea has turned out to be a huge success.
The Blue and White Classic, held on the second weekend in June every year at Bath Country Club, will have raised close to $120,000 over six years when this year's event is done. Once again, the tournament, a scramble format set for June 8, had to turn away teams because of a full field. The tournament is part of an alumni weekend that culminates with a banquet on Saturday night.
Stover, a standout athlete at Morse and Bowdoin College, said strong community support is the major reason for the tournament's success.
"We have almost 100 sponsors from businesses, professional people and other individuals," said Stover, who has continued his close involvement with the tournament and reunion. "We have a lot of hole sponsors."
The Morse High band will kick off the tournament. The reunion brings together five-year classes. Every year, the class that is celebrating its 50th anniversary is the one charged with coordinating the majority of activities. This year, those duties fall to the class of 1957. A permanent committee oversees the scholarship fund.
"Morse High is one of the few high schools that holds a reunion in the style of colleges," said Stover.
Stover said the scholarship fund was started in 1959 with $500. It now has an endowment of between $3 to $4 million. Each year, the fund awards a total of $200,000 to deserving students who are going on to college. The fund also contributes $15,000 to the Southern Maine Community College branch in Bath where several Morse graduates are studying.
TEE TO GREEN: Purpoodock assistant pro David Grygiel and club member Jim McFarlane tied for the New England Pro-Am Championship a week ago this Monday at the Kittansett Club in Marion, Mass. Grygiel and McFarlane combined for a best ball of 65. They finished tied with pro Kyle Phelps of Rhode Island and his amateur partner.
Grygiel made five birdies. On the 18th hole, a 460-yard par-4 beast playing into the wind, which was their ninth hole of the round, McFarlane came through with a bogey as he got up and down from the fairway. The best Grygiel could do was a double-bogey. The pair had four straight birdies in one stretch on the back nine.
Other Maine teams in the event that played well were pro Jeff Seavey and Lonnie Pinette of Samoset with a 68, pro Ken Raynor and Colin Ahern of Cape Arundel with a 69 and pro Mike Worroll and Jon Brogan of Purpoodock with a 69.
The Bangor Municipal foursome of Tom Caron, Alan Anderson, Dana Worster and Jim Greer captured the state Team Championship title last Sunday at Belgrade Lakes with a gross score of 135. Caron led the way with five birdies. Worster had two birdies, including one on 18 that provided the margin of victory over the Augusta team of Mark Plummer, Jason Gall, Jim Quinn and Ryan Gay which finished at 136.
Worster got a reprieve on his errant tee shot on 18 when it ricocheted off a tree and ended up in the fairway. He was still over 200 yards away the from green on the par-4 hole. Facing a blind shot, Worster hit what Caron described as "a low thin shot." His ball settled about 15 feet from the hole and Worster dropped it for a birdie.
The tournament was a best ball with two balls counting on each hole. The only hole Bangor was over par on was the first when they made a par-bogey. They rebounded on the second hole with two birdies and were on their way.Labels: education online, financial aid, high school, scholarship, student loans |
