WALPOLE, Massachusetts – On Thursday morning at the annual Mass Golf Rules Official & Tournament Volunteer Seminar, held at Walpole Country Club, longtime rules official Henry St. Cyr was presented the 2017 Andrew J. Blau Volunteer of the Year Award.
It was announced in December that the longtime Oak Hill Country Club member would become the sixth individual to receive the award, an award that was originally scheduled to be presented to him at the 2018 Mass Golf Salute to Champions Dinner.
However, poor winter weather in January caused both the original date and a subsequent make-up date to cancel the event and it was decided that St. Cyr would be presented with the award at the Rules Official & Tournament Volunteer Seminar, which has traditionally become the first major gathering of the year ahead of the Championship season.
Check out the original release announcing Henry St. Cyr as the 2017 recipient of the 2017 Andrew J. Blau Volunteer of the Year Award.
Headline: Henry St. Cyr of Oak Hill Country Club Honored by the Massachusetts Golf Association as the 2017 Andrew J. Blau Volunteer of the Year
For Immediate Release: December 7, 2017
Norton, Mass – Ahead of its annual Salute to Champions Dinner in early January, the Massachusetts Golf Association is proud to announce that longtime rules official Henry St. Cyr has been named recipient of the 2017 Andrew J. Blau Volunteer of the Year Award.
Becoming only the sixth individual to be presented with the award, St. Cyr joins the likes of Peter Costello, Tom Bernier, Dick Osborn, Arthur Phillips and Carolyn O’Donnell who have previously received the award. The announcement was made by Mass Golf Executive Director Jesse Menachem following the approval of the association’s Management Committee on Tuesday evening.
St. Cyr will be recognized for this accomplishment alongside the top competitors from the Massachusetts Golf Association, Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts, New England Golf Association and United States Golf Association Championships at the 23rd annual Salute to Champions Dinner on January 4 at Wellesley Country Club.
Involved in several capacities with the Massachusetts Golf community for the past decade, the Leominster native, who now lives in nearby Sterling, has officiated nearly a dozen events during the 2017 competitive season, including service as the Official In Charge (OIC) for the 21st annual Massachusetts Senior Amateur Four Ball, held at Red Tail Golf Club and Shaker Hills Country Club in mid-May, as well as local qualifiers for both the Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Championship and the Massachusetts Junior Amateur Championship.
A former investment and finance executive in the insurance industry, St. Cyr becomes one of only a select few to serve as OIC for six different Mass Golf Championships Proper, including most notably the 2015 Massachusetts Amateur Championship that was contested at his home club, Oak Hill Country Club. Other championships for which he has served as OIC include the 2011 Massachusetts Open, 2015 Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Championship, 2015 Massachusetts Junior Amateur Championship and the 2016 Massachusetts Four-Ball Championship.
In addition to his service on site across respective Massachusetts Championships, for the past three years, St. Cyr has served on the Mass Golf Championship Committee, which helps organize every Championship Proper and qualifier throughout a given year with the oversight of all Championship policies, conditions and regulations. Additionally, he has twice been a member of the Massachusetts Golf Association’s nominating committee.
“It is an honor to receive this award and to be included with the names of those who have won this before me,” said St. Cyr on being awarded this recognition. “Carolyn O’Donnell won it last year, and I just admired the amount of work that she put in as a volunteer. I’m just honored because of all the volunteers who participate annually and give their time for Mass Golf. To even be considered has just been a wonderful surprise that I had not expected.”
He added, “I am truly honored by this because I have seen the people who have been honored before and I have always been amazed by their involvement and the work that they do. To be considered with them I think is tremendous.”
First getting his start with the Massachusetts Golf Association in the 2007 season on the advice of his good friend and past MGA president Thomas Bagley, St. Cyr quickly became a familiar face across the organization as a whole and has remained that way to this day. It is for that reason that he was chosen for this important distinction.
“We are very excited to recognize Henry St. Cyr with the 2017 Andrew J. Blau Award,” said Menachem. “Henry, like all of our MGA volunteers, has been a tremendous asset in ensuring the success of the Massachusetts Golf Association’s 12 Championships Proper and their respective qualifiers over the course of his career as a volunteer and it’s due to the dedication like his that we have been able to succeed in serving the golfing needs of the Bay State community. We thank him for the service he has provided to golf and we look forward to working with him for years to come.”
In addition to his time serving as a volunteer, St. Cyr has also been an active competitor in Mass Golf events such as the Massachusetts Senior Four-Ball, the Massachusetts Senior Amateur Championship and the Massachusetts Super Senior Amateur Championship and events at Oak Hill Country Club.
This award was established to honor Andy Blau, an MGA volunteer for nearly 30 years who passed away in January 2010. Through the years, Andy served as a volunteer for nearly every department of the organization including championships, course rating, handicapping, junior golf and communications.
Andy was instrumental in creating the MGA Rules Official manual and even has a starter’s box – The Blau Box – named in his honor. Andy’s dedication, enthusiasm, attention to detail and unmatched spirit and commitment to the MGA is celebrated with this award. It is meant to honor volunteers from the MGA who demonstrate outstanding service and who help guide, lead and develop other volunteers.
