Bob Donovan – Former Executive Director, Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund
Robert P. “Bob” Donovan is the recipient of the Ouimet Fund’s 2023 Denny Goodrich Honorary Alumnus Award, which is presented annually to someone who did not receive the scholarship when they were in school, but has been exemplary in their support of the Ouimet Fund. For 29 years as Executive Director, Bob led the Ouimet Fund through a period of tremendous expansion and growth, and there is perhaps no better person to represent multiple generations of this organization’s impact.
Growing up in Milton, Massachusetts, Bob learned to play golf at the Old Wollaston Golf Club and began working as a caddie as a teenager. He attended the University of Tennessee, and soon after began a career in sports information. Bob and his family moved to Connecticut, where he spent a great deal of his career running special events with CIGNA, many of which had a close connection to golf.
However, Bob returned to Massachusetts to take the position as Executive Director of the Ouimet Fund and in his 29 years at the helm, Bob was instrumental in countless important efforts. Among his many achievements, Bob was intrinsically involved in the broad expansion of the endowed scholarship program, the inception and growth of the annual Golf Marathon, and, leveraging his expertise in special events, the creation of the Ouimet Annual Banquet alongside Ouimet Fund benefactor Dick Connolly – which today continues to be the largest golf dinner in America.
Bob Donovan remains closely connected to The Fund as a Trustee on the Board of Directors, and often provides crucial information and background as one of the preeminent golf history buffs in Massachusetts.
Thank you for listening, and we hope you enjoy!
