About
Locally, First Tee – Connecticut offers several scholarships that are available only to young people active within the chapter; a summary of each scholarship is included below. Completed scholarship applications must be returned to the First Tee – Connecticut’s office by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 17, 2024. Applications should be returned via mail, fax or email. All scholarship recipients will be notified no later than Monday, June 17 and an official, public announcement will be made during Travelers Championship week in late June.
First Tee – Connecticut has awarded nearly $500,000 since the program started in 2006 with awards given from the Andrew K. Dwyer Foundation, the Connecticut Student Loan Foundation and in memory of Donald E. Vacheron.
Qualifications for First Tee – Connecticut Scholarships
- Elementary School, Middle School, High School or College Student as of Fall 2024
- Enrolled at a school that requires paid tuition
- Participant, coach or volunteer in First Tee – Connecticut programming for at least 1 year
- Community or School Involvement
- Maintain representative grades within your current school and grade level
- Essay Responses
Please note that the First Tee – Connecticut’s 2024 Scholarship Application is the common application to be used for ALL scholarships except the Daniel Novarr Scholarship which has its own application.
Summary of Scholarships
(in order of fund establishment)
William P. Lyons Memorial Scholarship
Introduced in 2009, The William P. Lyons Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to First Tee – Connecticut youth member or members who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in the following areas: academics, leadership skills, character development, and chapter and community involvement.
Mr. William P. Lyons (1909-1969) served for many years as the principal of Boardman Trade School in New Haven. In 1957, a new vocational school was founded in Hamden to replace Boardman Trade. Mr. Lyons was in charge of building the new school and was the initial director of Eli Whitney Technical School from 1957 to 1963. He retired in 1963. The William P. Lyons Scholarship Fund was created by his son, William P. Lyons, Jr. (1941-2008) to recognize his father’s dedication to making a positive difference in the lives of young people.
Andrew K. Dwyer Foundation Scholarship
The Andrew K. Dwyer Foundation has joined with First Tee of Connecticut to award scholarships to deserving young people within the chapter. The Andrew K. Dwyer Scholarships are awarded to those who participate in First Tee of Connecticut programs, demonstrate academic excellence, are actively involved in their communities and plan to continue their education at the college/university level. The Andrew K. Dwyer Foundation pays the scholarship directly to the college or university each year.
The Andrew K. Dwyer Foundation was established in February of 2003 following Andrew’s tragic death in a car accident during his sophomore year at Yale University. Andrew possessed a tireless enthusiasm for life and was a young man of extraordinary kindness and concern for others. Andrew’s family, friends and admirers created the Foundation to honor him by aiding less advantaged children. The Foundation supports scholarships as well as athletic and extracurricular activities that provide opportunities for the less advantaged.
Donald E. Vacheron Scholarship
Furthering its mission to impact the lives of young people throughout the state, First Tee – Connecticut created the Donald E. Vacheron Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship will be awarded annually to the First Tee of Connecticut youth member or members who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in the following areas: academics, leadership skills, character development, and chapter and community involvement. Each winner will be known as a Vacheron Scholar. The individual amount awarded to each Vacheron Scholar will be determined by the Scholarship Committee according to the applicant’s qualifications, total number of applicants and the amount of scholarship funds available each year.
Don Vacheron was an early member of the Connecticut Golf Foundation’s (CGF) Board of Directors. In May of 2004, the CGF and The First Tee of Hartford formally merged operations to become The First Tee of Connecticut (TFTCT). Don’s leadership during this time of change helped First Tee of Connecticut become a strong, efficient and financially stable organization. Don was First Tee of Connecticut’s first Chairman of the Board and held this position until his passing in 2005.
Aetna Retirees Scholarship in Memory of H. Grant Thomas & Roger Lawson
Grant Thomas and Roger Lawson were longtime members of the business community in the Hartford area. They each had a passion for sports and children and through the scholarship set up on their behalf, First Tee – Connecticut is proud to extend that legacy to our participants. This award is based on more than just academic success; it is intended for those participants who are well-rounded and outgoing young people. The Aetna Retirees Scholarship is open to students entering or currently enrolled in high school, or entering or currently enrolled in college.
The Epstein Family Scholarship
Since 2014, the Epstein Family has continued to support First Tee – Connecticut through this scholarship program that awards approximately $15,000 annually to young people within the chapter. Mr. David Epstein was a National Trustee to The First Tee and through that support, and additional gifts from the family, the David & Geri Epstein Learning Center opened in Cromwell in September 2013. Mr. Rob Hess, former chapter board member, represents the Epstein Family in this partnership.
Mr. Epstein began his professional career in advertising, and later established a commercial real estate investment and development company. The David and Geri Epstein Private Foundation provides grants for medical research and educational opportunities including a college scholarship program for Staples High School graduates. We are grateful to be part of their efforts to support the next generation of young people.
Dan Novarr Scholarship
As a young man, Dan Novarr played many different sports. When he was barely a teenager, he had a locker for $.25 at Keney Park to store his clubs and would play every chance he got. As a young father, he coached many of his two sons’ Bloomfield youth sports teams.
To Dan, the most important things to teach these young people were Honesty, Integrity, Sportsmanship, Respect, Courtesy, Judgment, Confidence, Responsibility and Perseverance. When Wintonbury Hills opened in 2003, it became a second home to Dan and since it was on his way home, why not stop and play? Everyone enjoyed playing with him because he would encourage you, clap for you, joke with you, repair every divot and read the greens for you. Dan would love his legacy to be exposing youth to golf (or sports in general) while teaching them life lessons.
As a tribute to Dan, First Tee – Connecticut is awarding a $1,000 scholarship to a Bloomfield resident who graduates as part of the Class of 2024 (attending any high school) and that demonstrates academic achievement and the Core Values of First Tee – Connecticut. The funding for this scholarship was started by the Dan Novarr Memorial Golf Tournament and by the Wintonbury Men’s Golf Association, and continues to be sponsored by his family and friends.
Please note that you must be a Bloomfield resident and member of the Class of 2024 (attending any high school) to apply for the Dan Novarr Scholarship. Click here to download the Dan Novarr Scholarship Application.
19 Iron Scholarship presented by the Downey Family Foundation
The 19 Iron Scholarship was established in 2015 by the Downey Family Foundation (DFF) whose focus on education and youth aligns well with the First Tee’s Nine Core Values. A $2,000 scholarship will be awarded to an applicant(s) with a passion for both education and golf, but who lacks the resources to fully pursue his or her educational goals. The “19 iron” was the favorite, custom-made club of William K. Downey Sr. whose 34 children and grandchildren run the Downey Family Foundation. Many of them are avid, if not skilled golfers. Their father/grandfather passed in September of 2015.
The Mazumdar Family Scholarship
Introduced in 2017, The Mazumdar Family Scholarship is awarded annually to a female participant who demonstrates exceptional achievement in the following areas: academics, leadership skills, character development and chapter and community involvement. This $1,000 scholarship will be awarded annually and the winner will be known as the “Mazumdar Scholar for Exceptional Achievement in Women’s Leadership.”
The Mazumdar Family Scholarship was founded by Manu and Ruki Mazumdar who are the proud parents of Eagle Level participant Meghna Mazumdar. This award is founded to honor the achievements of Meghna and encourage other young women to become strong leaders in the future. Meghna has, and continues to, demonstrate exceptional achievements in academics, golf, and investing. Her combined skills in writing and golf helped her become the 2016 Grand Prize Winner of the Wells Fargo Succeeding Together contest, winning a scholarship and playing a round of golf with Rory McIlroy during the Wells Fargo Championship Pro-Am. Meghna started investing in the stock market at the age of 11 and because of her investing success and enthusiasm, the same year she was invited by a personal hand-written letter from Mr. Warren Buffett to attend the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting in Omaha, NE. Her passion for investing continues and she advocates on youth investing (including appearing on NBC’s TODAY SHOW) and encourages young people to start saving as early as possible. She is also a polite yet firm advocate of issues related to women’s equality and women’s leadership and at the age of 13 was invited to be a guest speaker at the Annual LPGA Women’s Leadership Academy held at Glen Arbour Golf Club in Bedford Hills, NY. As an investor, Meghna believes in evaluating the management teams of the companies she invests in and recently met with Ms. Karen Lynch, president of Aetna, Inc. as part of her due diligence on ensuring that the companies Meghna invests in, encourages women to ascend to executive leadership positions.
As a First Tee alum Meghna takes pride in the fact that she has maintained an “A” average grade in every subject throughout her entire academic career thus far. The Mazumdar Family believes that much is expected from whom much is given and in that spirit this scholarship is a small way for the Mazumdar Family to give back.
The Shepard W. Baker Memorial Scholarship
Beginning in 2021, the Shepard W. Baker Memorial Scholarship will be awarded annually to a young person at First Tee – Connecticut who demonstrates exceptional achievement in the areas of academics, leadership skills, character development, and chapter and community involvement. This scholarship will be awarded to a graduating senior.
Mr. Shepard “Shep” W. Baker (1930 – 2020) was a lifelong lover of the game and a long-time supporter of First Tee – Connecticut’s work to impact young people through golf along with his wife and current board member, Beverly Buckner Baker. He was a modest and kind gentleman who cared deeply about others. Many of his friends would say, “Shep wore his Yale t-shirt inside out!”
Shep graduated from the Kingswood School in West Hartford (now Kingswood – Oxford); Class of 1947, Yale University; Class of 1951 and Harvard Business School; Class of 1953. Following three and a half years in Naval Air Intelligence he joined Morgan Stanley where he spent his career in New York City, Paris, London and Montreal.
Henry Hughes First Tee – Connecticut Scholarship
Beginning in 2024, Henry Hughes, co-chairman of the 1975 Sammy Davis Jr, Greater Hartford Open, now the Travelers Championship, and long-time executive with the PGA TOUR, is being honored for his many contributions to the tournament and local golf with the establishment of a scholarship fund in his name at the First Tee – Connecticut. The scholarship, the Henry Hughes First Tee – Connecticut Scholarship, will support educational needs of deserving First Tee – Connecticut participants in Wethersfield and surrounding towns, as well as selected programming needs of the organization in the Greater Hartford community.
Hughes grew up in Wethersfield in the shadows of the tournament and spent his youth and early adult life attending, working at, or managing the tournament. In 1984, Hughes began his career with the PGA TOUR as director of marketing for TPC Connecticut and two years later moved to TOUR headquarters in Ponte Vedra, FL to become the TOUR’s first director of marketing. Hughes later assumed responsibility for the TOUR’s Championship Management and Tournament Business Affairs Division, overseeing 13 tournaments including The President’s Cup, The Players Championship, The TOUR Championship and the World Golf Championships.
Throughout his career with the TOUR, Hughes never forgot his roots and deep affection for Connecticut’s PGA TOUR event. Over the years, he provided invaluable guidance and assistance to tournament management. In fact, Hughes played a significant role in 2003 when he helped save the tournament which had to raise over $4 million from the Connecticut corporate community to remain on the TOUR after the departure of long-time title sponsor Canon, USA. Following his retirement from executive leadership at the PGA TOUR, he served for many years on the Board of Directors for the Greater Hartford Community Foundation which oversees the Travelers Championship.
Qualifications for First Tee – Connecticut Scholarships
- Elementary School, Middle School, High School or College Student as of Fall 2024
- Enrolled at a school that requires paid tuition
- Participant, coach or volunteer in First Tee – Connecticut programming for at least 1 year
- Community or School Involvement
- Maintain representative grades within your current school and grade level
- Essay Responses
Deadline for completed applications is Friday, May 17, 2024. Part of the application process for all local scholarship finalists may include an interview with the First Tee – Connecticut’s Scholarship Committee during the final week of May and the first week of June.
Click here to download the First Tee – Connecticut’s 2024 Scholarship Application.
Applications may be mailed, faxed, emailed or delivered in person to:
First Tee – Connecticut
Attn: Scholarship Committee
55 Golf Club Road
Cromwell, CT 06416
(860) 788-6612 – Fax
[email protected] – Email