In 2025, as part of its 125th anniversary, Mass Golf reintroduced its Distinguished Service Award, an honor recognizing individuals whose long-standing dedication, leadership, and volunteerism have left a lasting mark on the game of golf in Massachusetts.
This new award brings together two of the most respected honors in state golf history: the Frank H. Sellman Distinguished Service Award, established by the former Massachusetts Golf Association (MGA), and the May Jackson Award, presented by the former Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts (WGAM). Both awards, created in 1988, celebrated individuals who gave generously of their time, talent, and passion to support and grow the game at every level.
The Sellman Award was named for Frank H. Sellman, a longtime Brae Burn Country Club member who served as Secretary-Treasurer on the MGA Executive Committee from 1961 to 1969. He was also President of Wellesley Country Club and chaired the membership committee for the New England Seniors Golf Association. The award honored those whose service to the game mirrored Sellman’s steady leadership and deep commitment to amateur golf.
The May Jackson Award honored May Jackson, a dedicated volunteer whose efforts helped grow and sustain women’s golf throughout Massachusetts. Established by the WGAM, the award recognized women who set a high standard of excellence and advanced the mission of the organization.
The full list of May Jackson Award Honorees will be updated.
Roberta Bolduc has been a driving force in women’s golf for decades, serving as a leader, competitor, and advocate at every level of the game. A 14-time club champion at Longmeadow Country Club and a 10-time USGA championship competitor, Bolduc went on to chair the USGA Women’s Committee and officiate more than 50 national championships, including 22 U.S. Women’s Opens. She served on the former WGAM Board of Directors, helped expand Women’s Spring Team Matches to Western Massachusetts, and has long mentored fellow officials through her work with Mass Golf and the USGA.
Cary Jubinville has dedicated more than four decades to advancing amateur golf in Massachusetts as a player, volunteer, and leader. A past president of the Massachusetts Golf Association and longtime Rules Official, he has served on nearly every major Mass Golf committee and was instrumental in the capital campaign that established Golf House in Norton. A co-chair of the 2005 U.S. Junior Amateur at Longmeadow Country Club and former captain of the Dickinson College golf team, Jubinville continues to serve as Board Chair of The Lesley Cup Matches and was inducted into the Western Mass Golf Hall of Fame in 2024.
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In addition to being a successful businessman and philanthropist, Connolly proudly served the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund as a director, trustee, and former president for more than 38 years.
Connolly also served as the Chairman of the Ouimet Memorial Tournament, one of Mass Golf’s Championship events and was a member of the Massachusetts Golf Association Executive Committee from 1982 to 1984 and on the Massachusetts Golf Hall of Fame Committee.
CLICK HERE to view his acceptance speech.
CLICK HERE to see Arnold Palmer congratulate Connolly for receiving the award.
Dowling served a president of both the Massachusetts Golf Association from 1990-91 and was a member of the USGA Regional Affairs Committee for numerous years. He was also president of Hickory Shafts, an invitational-only membership organization for skilled New England golfers with a history of high-level competition and support for the game of golf.
Dowling has also served as a Volunteer Rules Official for Mass Golf and New England Golf Association (NEGA) events. He was also the Tournament Chairman for the NEGA.
An outstanding player in his own right, Dowling is a former club champion at Hyannisport Club and a two-time club champion at Oyster Harbors.
Originally from Newton, Gaquin was once considered the best-informed man in the country on the facts and background of touring professionals. Gaquin joined the PGA Of America in 1957, managing press relations, publicity and statistics. Four years later, he was named tournament manager of the tour circuit where he negotiated sponsorships for tournaments.
Gaquin and his wife Lois often partnered together in the field. They managed the 1981 PGA Championship at Atlanta Country Club and the 1984 U.S. Women’s Open at Salem Country Club. Together, they also supervised the operation of every U.S. Open press facility from 1969-1978.
In the spring of 1985, the Gaquins also ran the Cape Cod Pro-Am League, leading to its most successful years until their retirement in 1998. The league annually awards the Jim and Lois Gaquin Cup to its best amateur player.
Foley had a long-standing association with Wollaston Golf club, starting as a caddie and rising to caddie master, member and club president. A successful player, he won three club championships and took home the 1964 Massachusetts Amateur Championship.
A Ouimet Scholar, Foley attended Boston College before operating a canteen truck business from 1958 to 1966. He came back to serve the Ouimet Fund as a trustee and was also president from 2000-2002. From 1992-2004, he served as president of the Ouimet Society, an associate organization of the fund. While working as caddie master at Wollaston, Foley met Adele Darcy of North Quincy, who worked in the office at Wollaston. They married in 1961. After she died in 1992, Mr. Foley established a Ouimet scholarship in her name.
In 1992, Mr. Foley was the Associate Chairman of the U.S. Junior Amateur, which was won by a then 16-year-old Tiger Woods at Wollaston Golf Club.
Haskell served as executive director of the Massachusetts Golf Association for 29 years. The award coincided with his research and assistance with the MGA’s Centennial Book, which was published in 2003, and for his role as chairman of the Centennial Committee. A golf historian, Haskell published “The Story of Golf at The Country Club,’’ which won the Herbert Warren Wind Book Award, the USGA’s highest literary honor.
As executive director, Haskell saw the association’s club membership rise from 172 to 318, including the addition of many public courses. He also helped computerize the association’s handicap system and was a past president of the International Association of Golf Administrators (IAGA). In 1990, he further publicized the association’s activities by establishing MassGolfer Magazine.
Haskell, a member of The Country Club, also received numerous honors during his career: The George S. Wemyss Award from the New England PGA for contributions to the sport, the IAGA Distinguished Service Award, the Massachusetts Golf Writers’ Silver Tee Award, the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund Distinguished Service Award, and the United States Golf Association Ike Grainger Award for volunteerism.
The Mass Golf Player of the Year honor is now named in his honor.
Crosby initially joined the Massachusetts Golf Association as a Volunteer and was later chosen for the Executive Committee. With the association expanding at the time, he became an assistant to then-MGA executive director Dick Haskell. Crosby then took on the role of Tournament Director, a title he held for 15 years until his retirement in 1989.
Crosby was also involved as a player, winning the 1986 Mass Senior Amateur. He was also a USGA Rules Official, serving at the 1990 U.S. Open at Medinah Country Club just outside of Chicago.
A longtime member of Brae Burn Country Club, Crosby was especially delighted to earn an honor named after Sellman, who was a close friend and fellow member at Brae Burn.
A native of Longmeadow, Cohen served as a member of the Massachusetts Golf Association Executive Committee for 20 years and served as a Rules Official at numerous tournaments across the state.
Cohen was a six-time Crestview Country Club (Agawam) champion, winning championships in four different decades beginning in the 1950s. He was also a member at the old Oxford Country Club in Chicopee.
The Mass Golf Senior Player of the Year Award has been named after Cohen since 2004.
Flynn, a 2016 inductee into the Massachusetts Golf Hall of Fame, was recognized for his accomplishments both as a prolific professional golfer and a successful businessman in the golf industry.
A Danvers native, Flynn caddied at United Shoe Country Club until he saved enough to became a professional golfer. In 1959, he won the Vermont Open and in 1963 became the first left-handed player to win the Mass Open. He also won the 1968 New England PGA Championship and later served the New England Golf Association as an Executive Committee member, Secretary-Treasurer and President.
Flynn also operated a course management group that built and held an interest in courses in the Massachusetts and New Hampshire area. His group is well known for rescuing and restoring the historic George Wright Golf Course and William J. Devine Golf Course in Boston.
Flynn also added to his legacy by giving back to youth golf. He created thousands of programs that offered free golf to inner-city youth, women, and golfers with disabilities. In 2016, he earned the PGA of America Deacon Palmer Award.
A Haverhill native, English had a distinguished career in golf both with the Massachusetts Golf Association and the USGA. English served as Assistant Executive Director from 1949 to 1959, when the USGA was headquartered in New York City. He helped launch the longtime USGA publication Golf Journal and served as its editor. At the time, English was one of just three USGA staff members. He also spent 28 years on the USGA Green Section Committee as well as a one-year stint on the Nominating Committee.
After attending Williams College, English was hired by the Boston Herald and eventually took on the golf beat. He then served in the Navy during both WWII and the Korean War. A member of Taconic Golf Club, located on the Williams College campus, English went on to serve as president of the MGA in 1971.
Growing up, he learned the game at Plymouth Country Club from Henry Picard, who would go on to win two major championships in a Hall of Fame career. During a life full of rich golf experiences, English once played a match against Babe Ruth (Ruth won) and became friends with Francis Ouimet and Bobby Jones.
McCracken, one of the most recognizable figures within the golf community, was a leader, mentor, and ambassador for the game of golf during his six decades of administrative duties within the sport.
He first joined the Massachusetts Golf Association Executive Committee in 1969 and then served as MGA president from 1984-1985. During that time, he ushered in the Mass Mid-Amateur Championship and partnered with Bill Flynn to help restore Boston’s municipal course — William J. Devine Golf Course and George Wright Golf Course.
McCracken also served as Executive Secretary/Treasurer of the New England Golf Association from 1987 until his death in 2019. He oversaw all aspects of NEGA operations during his tenure and oversaw Rules Officials. McCracken also became a member of the USGA Regional Affairs Committee in 1989 and his responsibilities include procuring qualifying sites for the U.S. Open, U.S. Senior Open, U.S. Amateur, U.S. Mid-Amateur, and U.S. Junior Amateur.
After receiving the Sellman award in 1994, McCracken also received the 1995 USGA Ike Grainger Award, the 2007 USGA Joe Dey Award, and the 2005 New England PGA George S. Wemyss Award, among others. The Harry B. McCracken medal is given to the stroke play medalist of the Mass Amateur every year.
Arnold served as president of both the Massachusetts Golf Association and the New England Golf Association and was also a member of the United States Seniors Golf Association.
Despite being a highly-talented baseball player in his youth, he was extremely passionate about golf. He won 12 men’s club championships at Duxbury Yacht Club and four men’s club championships at The Country Club. Arnold and his wife Sidney also won the state Husband and Wife Championship.
Arnold also was a member of The Hickory Shafts and The Lesley Cup. He was also the Vice Chairman of the 1988 United States Open Committee at The Country Club and a long-time regional Rules Official for the USGA.
Barry chronicled and promoted the game of golf both as a distinguished and award-winning sportswriter and regional event founder and director.
Barry spent 52 with The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, covering golf events, ranging from local tournaments to The Masters. He was a conduit of golf information, who championed golfers on the South Shore, from budding juniors to world-famous professionals. He was also president of the Golf Writers Association of America for many years and was on a first-name basis with figures such as Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.
Barry was also a driving force behind South Shore golf tournaments such as the John Cronin Memorial, Hornblower Memorial, Norfolk County Classic, and Norfolk County Two-Ball Classic. He also founded and directed for nearly 40 years, the Southeastern Amateur Championship. During the time, he would also help the careers of professionals golfers and assistant professionals and exposed them to success.
Pyle, Jr. was a leader in amateur golf both as a player and golf administrator. Plye Jr. won club championships at three Boston-area clubs, including The Country Club. He was also president of the Massachusetts Golf Association, the New England Golf Association, and was elected to several official positions within the USGA.
Pyle moved to the Boston area as a child and graduated from the Brooks School. He then attended Princeton but left in 1943 to serve in the Army Air Force as a navigator in the Fifth and Seventh Air Forces. After being discharged, he earned a degree from Babson College.
His professional career encompassed 35 years with Boston Safe Deposit & Trust Co., from which he retired as V.P. He then served as an investment advisor to a Boston law firm. His contributions to civic organizations included 20 years as treasurer of the Boston Center for Blind Children.
Bailey was both a well-respected legal counsel and past president of the Massachusetts Golf Association (1981). He also served as counsel for the New England Golf Association and a member of the Sectional Affairs Committee of the USGA.
A past president of Dedham Country & Polo Club, Bailey served in the United States Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II as a Lieutenant, junior grade and was honorably discharged from the Naval Reserve in 1956. He was a graduate of Governors Academy in Byfield, Mass., and graduated from Amherst College in 1943. He graduated from Cornell Law School in 1948.
Bishop was a major force in amateur golf, especially as a senior player and event organizer. Bishop, the Mass Senior Amateur champion in 1973, went on to serve as president of the Massachusetts Golf Association from 1959-1960 and is part of the vast legacy of golfers belonging to Thorny Lea Golf Club in Brockton.
Bishop, whose brother Ted won the 1946 U.S. Amateur, also launched the Mass Public Links Championship and was the Director of The Hickory Shafts and the New England Seniors Golf Association.
In 1987, then-MGA President Ray Bump said Bishop, “has done more in the organization and development of senior golf than any other individual in New England.”
Keefe and Dauphinais, lifelong educators and close friends, were devoted members of Walpole Country Club and influential figures for the Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts. Both spent their careers in public education, with Keefe at the Cleveland School in Norwood and Dauphinais in the Walpole School System.
Keefe was a three-time Massachusetts Women’s Amateur champion (1980, 1981, 1986), known for her competitive drive, deep knowledge of the game, and mentorship of younger players. She also spent over 30 years in leadership roles at the all-girls Camp SE-SA-MA-CA in New Hampshire, where she promoted youth development through sport.
Dauphinais, a WGAM historian, competed in several WGAM championships and tournaments, making four holes in one in her lifetime.
Jordan, a longtime Quincy resident, was a constant presence in the Massachusetts golf community for more than three decades. She co-founded the Presidents Ladies Association at Presidents Golf Course in 1981 and remained active in the group until 2015, encouraging new golfers, especially beginners, to join leagues, learn the Rules, and feel welcome in the game.
She served as president of the South West Suburban League and was a respected board member and secretary of the Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts Board, as well as Chair of the WGAM Rules Committee. She also won the CDE Division of the Cris Eaton Chapman Tournament three times (1996, 2006, 2008) and a share of the WGAM Class B title in 1993.
Mariani, a member of the Country Club of Halifax, served as president of the Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts from 1992–1993. During her tenure, she was an outspoken advocate for inclusion, challenging long-held assumptions about women’s pace of play and pushing private clubs to improve access for female members.
In 1991, she won the Massachusetts Women’s Four-Ball Championship for the Townshend Cup alongside Jeanne-Marie Boylan. Off the course, she focused her leadership on growing the game for young players, often emphasizing the importance of mentorship and encouragement:
“Young girls need to be provided an opportunity to play golf,” she once said. “They need us. A ride, a smile, a word of encouragement, or an invitation to play.”
Known to friends and teammates as “Nicky”, Linehan was a trailblazer in women’s sports, briefly playing in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for the Fort Wayne Daisies in 1946.
Originally from Somerset, she was a proud graduate of Bridgewater State University and longtime teacher in the Norwood Public Schools. A dedicated member of the Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts, Linehan was a fixture at Walpole Country Club, where she served as club secretary and was honored with a lifetime membership for her service. She was later inducted into the Somerset High School Athletics Hall of Fame.
Boylan, a three-time Massachusetts Women’s Amateur champion (1975–76, ’78), combined competitive excellence with decades of service to the game. A former WGAM Board member and longtime Chair of the WGAM Junior Scholarship Fund, she also held national leadership roles with the USGA, serving on the Executive Committee and the Grants Committee.
Off the course, Boylan demonstrated similar leadership in education and public service. As chair of the Bunker Hill Community College Board of Trustees, she received the 2010 Northeast Regional Trustee Leadership Award and served on the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. She was widely respected in community college governance, holding positions with the Association of Community College Trustees and participating on the national Voluntary Framework of Accountability Steering Committee.
Hughes, a respected educator and passionate advocate for women’s athletics, dedicated 17 years of service to the Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts.
A Pittsfield native and graduate of St. Catherine’s College with a B.S. in Physical Education, Hughes joined the faculty at Regis College in 1948 and served as Director of Physical Education and Athletics through 1988. She earned her Master’s degree from Boston University in 1966 and later expanded her impact by introducing photography and audiovisual education to the college curriculum.
A member of Indian Ridge Country Club, Hughes was an accomplished golfer who won several tournaments, including the WGAM Class B title in 1965 at Nashawtuc Country Club.
Cutler, a former president of the Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts (1978-79), was a leader, competitor, and Rules expert. A Wellesley College graduate and lifelong athlete, she won the Concord Country Club women’s championship an astounding 15 times and served as an on-course official at several women’s USGA tournaments.
The first woman to serve as president of Concord Country Club, Cutler also helped shape her local community through leadership roles on the board of Middlesex Savings Bank and in building a successful retail business, all while raising four children.
Known for her adventurous spirit, sharp mind, and signature paddle tennis shot, “the Gertie,” she was most at home outdoors, whether camping across Europe, sailing on Martha’s Vineyard, or taking her grandson on wilderness canoe trips into her 70s. But golf was her greatest passion, and she brought the same competitive edge and grace to it well into her 80s.
Rooney, a lifelong athlete and champion for junior golf, was a standout in Massachusetts golf and a tireless promoter of the game. Raised in Jamaica Plain and a graduate of Girls’ Latin School (Boston Latin Academy) and the Bouvé-Boston School of Physical Education at Tufts University, she combined a fierce competitive spirit with a deep commitment to mentoring young players.
Winner of the 1947 Mass Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship and the 1955 Mass Women’s Amateur, Rooney also captured the 1955 Bermuda Ladies’ Amateur title and was a semi-finalist in the 1955 Cuban Women’s Amateur. She qualified multiple times for the U.S. Women’s Open in the late 1950s and early 1960s and competed widely across New England and abroad.
By day, Rooney taught physical education and coached at schools including Beaver Country Day, The Winsor School, Harvard (Radcliffe), and Noble & Greenough. She served on the USGA Junior Girls’ Committee, chaired the WGAM Junior Golf Committee, and founded both the Charles River Country Club Junior Golf Program and the Annual Independent School Girls’ Golf Classic.
She also earned the Southeastern Massachusetts Golf Association Award for Contribution to Junior Golf and was inducted into the Northeast Women’s Sports Hall of Fame.
Prunaret, a longtime member of Brae Burn Country Club, was a devoted player, leader, and ambassador for women’s golf at every level of the game. A two-time Mass Women’s Senior Amateur champion (1954, 1955) and former president of the Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts, she went on to have a lasting impact nationally and internationally through her work with the USGA.
From 1959 to 1963, Prunaret served as chairman of the USGA Women’s Committee, and in 1960, she captained the victorious U.S. team in the Curtis Cup Match. She was also instrumental in launching the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship in 1964.
Her name lives on through the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship trophy, a sterling silver piece she donated from the inaugural playing in 1987 from her personal collection she had accumulated from successfully showing their beagles in competitions over the years.
Desmond was a pioneering voice in women’s golf journalism, reporting on the game for The Boston Globe for 25 years, helping bring attention and consistent coverage to women’s golf events that had long been overlooked. Hired by the Globe in 1965, she built a dedicated beat, documenting tournaments, profiling players, and elevating the status of women’s amateur golf across Massachusetts.
In 1986, she persuaded the Globe to sponsor the Tournament of Women’s Club Champions, an event that continued for several decades and features more than 100 players annually. The winner received the Kitte Desmond Trophy, named in her honor.
Desmond was also the original author of Flying Divots, a newsletter for WGAM members, and was regarded as “the voice of the WGAM” by many, including longtime Massachusetts Golf Association executive director Dick Haskell. She also served on the executive board of the Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts.
Black, a Cohasset resident and member of both Marshfield Country Club and Cohasset Golf Club, served as president of the WGAM from 1968 to 1971 and held the role of vice president before that. She was also president of the Women’s South Shore Golf League and served on Cohasset Golf Club’s executive committee, the USGA’s Women’s Committee, and the New England Women’s Golf Association as treasurer.
One of the accomplished players in the history of WGAM competition, Black captured the Massachusetts Women’s Amateur title in 1946 and 1947 and earned an astonishing 13 Massachusetts Senior Women’s Amateur titles between 1971 and 1995. She also won the women’s club championship at Cohasset six times and dozens of other titles during her career.
“Golf being an individual sport teaches patience, honesty, humility, and good sportsmanship—all important qualities in developing one’s character,” she once said. “Golf, I believe, made me a better person.”
Jackson was a longtime member of The Country Club, winning the women’s club championship there 13 times, and also won the club championship at Wianno Golf Club. She also captured the Massachusetts Women’s Senior Amateur in 1965 and 1970.
Additionally, she was a frequent participant in the Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts tournaments and served as its President in 1948-49. The WGAM’s May Jackson Award was considered its most prestigious and has recognized outstanding women who have contributed to the growth of women’s golf. There is also a Ouimet Scholarship in her name, awarded to a scholar for their golf service at The Country Club.
