By By SCOTT NOVAK / Dowagiac Daily News
Dowagiac's David Maxey has been awarded a Chick Evans Scholarship through the Western Golf Association.
Maxey, a 2005 Dowagiac Union High School graduate, will attend Michigan State University on a full scholarship. Maxey is the first Dowagiac resident to receive this award.
Maxey said he hadn't decided between Michigan State and Western Michigan University until he learned he was to receive the scholarship.
Maxey said he will try out for the MSU golf squad this fall.
Maxey, a four-year standout on the Dowagiac varsity golf team and a two-time state qualifier, ranked No. 10 in the Class of 2005 with a GPA of 3.688.
Maxey was a member of the National Honor Society, a Student Senate representative, a member of the Business Club, a member of the Varsity Club, and a member of the Academic Challenge team.
Maxey also played four years of tennis for the Chieftains and was an Elks Junior Gold League coach for four years.
Among his honors were the DAR Voice of Democracy (second place), Michigan Merit Award, Big 16 Conference All-Division first team (two years), golf MVP (three years) and tennis MVP.
He captained the Dowagiac golf team for three years. Maxey was a member of two regional golf teams.
The Evans Scholar Foundation is the nation's largest privately funded college scholarship program.
The foundation provides full tuition and housing grants to caddies.
Since 1930, more than 8,000 men and women have graduated from this program.
This year there are 836 scholars enrolled.
Their tuition and housing grants are renewable for four years and average $40,000.
The foundation maintains Evans Scholars Scholarship houses at 14 universities.
Scholars are enrolled at six other schools.
There are four major areas of criteria for the scholarship applicants to meet.
A caddie must be nominated by his golf club and have a minimum of two years of documented outstanding service. A caddie must have an excellent high school adacemic record, ranking in the top quarter of their graduating class and have a B average or better in college preparatory classes.
An applicant must also provide SAT or ACT college test scores to further determine academic potential.
A candidate must demonstrate significant financial need.
And a caddie must submit a letter of recommendation from club and high school officials that attest to the candidate's good moral character.
The finalists for the award are interviewed at a series of selection meetings, co-hosted by the Western Golf Association and its affiliates.
Maxey was interviewed at the Evan Scholar House on the campus of MSU.
The Evans Scholarship is named for Chick Evans, a top amateur golfer of his time.
Evans won the 1916 U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur, the first golfer to win both championships in the same year. Only the legendary Bobby Jones has accomplished the feat since.
Evans approached the Western Golf Association in 1923 about a caddie scholarshiop, however, the WGA didn't take action on it until 1928. The scholarship was created in 1930.