Maury Davitt

Maury Davitt is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award and has given the Rhode Island golf scene a huge boost not through playing but by donating his time and talents for over 40 years with the Burke Fund. He has been the prime mover as the fund has become one of the most successful of its kind in the country.

Davitt has been involved in education most of his life. His company had advised students and helped them with college selections. He spent 15 years as president & chief executive officer of Academic Management Services, Inc., which grew into the nation’s largest college tuition payment program. In 1992, he founded Student Resources, a consulting and information firm providing college and financial aid information programs and services to college-bound students and families, corporations and organizations.

He joined the Burke Fund committee in 1979 and became the executive director in February of 2004 when the board established the position. Under his leadership the fund has adapted to changing times and not only urvived, but thrived. It has gone over the $3 million mark in scholarships awarded since 1946. There are currently 60 students receiving a Burke Fund scholarship.

The program began to honor John P. Burke, the Hall of Famer from Newport who was killed in World War II. It originally required students to caddy at any RIGA course for two years. However, as times have changed the policies have changed so that anyone working for two years at an association course can apply. Students who now work on maintenance crews, in pro shops and club restaurants all can become Burke Scholars, which has led to a growing number of young women being recognized in recent years.