Arnold Palmer chooses his words, his business partners, and his friends very carefully. Here’s what he had to say about Dick Connolly. “I was impressed with Dick Connolly from the time we first met in my office years ago at the beginning of my association with PaineWebber, which was then his brokerage firm. I don’t know if his great love for golf had anything to do with the company putting him in charge of my investment affairs, but it was the real move. The relationship quickly budded into a personal friendship and led to other enjoyable relationships, many connected with golf and his generous support of the Ouimet Scholarship program and amateur golf in Massachusetts. His enthusiasm knows no bounds.”
Dick Connolly’s “enthusiasm” seemingly does know no bounds and, along with his adroit people skills and proven financial acumen, has made him one of the most successful stockbrokers in the country, an icon in the Ouimet Fund, and an indefatigable supporter of other local charities and foundations. He has taken the Ouimet motto, “From what golf has given you, let us give something back to golf,” and applied it to his life, generously giving back his time, energy, and money to support so many worthwhile causes. Connolly grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood of Woburn, MA. His father worked at B.F. Goodrich in Watertown, and his mother ruled the roost. At age eight Connolly became a caddie at the public, nine-hole Woburn CC. From age 15 through graduate school, he worked there as a greenkeeper, all the while working on his golf game as well.
Graduating from Malden Catholic HS in 1957, Connolly was offered a full scholarship at Wake Forest, Palmer’s recent alma mater. However, his parents wanted their son to continue his Catholic schooling, and Connolly hit the books and his clubs (becoming the team captain for two years) for the Jesuits at Holy Cross. With money a constant concern in his family, the Ouimet Scholarship Fund made his education possible and paved the way for Connolly’s allegiance to the organization’s motto.
With a master’s degree from Babson College in hand, Connolly’s first job was as a trainee for Ford, where he met Lee Iacocca. Although he enjoyed his later role as a field manager, calling on dealerships, he could not resist the lure of becoming a financial advisor/stockbroker, which he became in 1973, thus leading to his working for PaineWebber and his first meeting with its new spokesman, Arnold Palmer. Now with Morgan Stanley in their Boston office, Connolly has been voted the number two broker in Beantown by the “Boston Business Journal.”
Connolly’s devotion to the Ouimet Fund has become legend, and three years ago Connolly received the Ouimet’s Fund’s “Spirit of Golf” award to honor his remarkable achievements. His classic quote, “Other than my mother and father, golf has been the most influential thing in my life,” explains why he has been the greatest individual donor to the Ouimet Fund, its President, Director, 30-year Chair of the esteemed Francis Ouimet Memorial Tournament, and frequent committeeman. Connolly’s special project has been in making the annual banquet one of the most important golf affairs in the country. When the inaugural “Francis Ouimet Award for Lifelong Contributions to Golf” was presented to Arnold Palmer in 1997, the dinner kindled national interest.
Through Connolly’s direction and selling of sponsorships, the event has raised close to $5 million and has paid tribute to such champions of the game as George H. W. Bush, Barbara and Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Gary Player, and Annika Sorenstam. In 2000, The Fund created the “Richard F. Connolly, Jr. Distinguished Service Award” to recognize those who have Jack Connors (left) and John Fish (center) applaud Mr. Richard Connolly at Ouimet Fund Event; most emulated Connolly in their service to the Fund. How appropriate that Peter Lynch, who caddied at Brae Burn CC, received the Ouimet Scholarship at Boston College, and had a celebrated career with the Fidelity Magellan Fund, should have been the 2010 recipient.
Connolly and his wife Ann Marie, also a Holy Cross grad and a trustee, have worked together to assist many organizations, and they have been mainstays of the Holy Cross fundraising campaigns. Other schools include Babson, Caritas Laboure College, Colby, Da
vidson, Emmanuel, and Worcester Poly Tech. Other efforts also include Boston Medical Center, Boston Symphony Orchestra, hope Found (for the homeless), Multiple Sclerosis, and The Joey Fund in Cystic Fibrosis. In 2010, the New England Province of Jesuits presented the duo with the Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam Award—for the greater glory of God—for “making a difference in the world by generously helping others.”
At 71 years old Connolly shows no signs of slowing down. Now, he may want to spend more time with Ann Marie and their three sons, Richard III, Ryan, and Kevin, and he may want to tee it up more at his three clubs—Concord CC, Kittansett, and Weston GC—but rest assured that Dick Connolly will still be “giving back” for many years to come.
NEGM: Why have you flourished in your profession?
DC:My success in life I credit to a disciplined work ethic, dedication and service to my clients, and a good bit of luck.
NEGM: Why have you channeled so much time and energy into the Ouimet Fund and other notable charities?
DC: I have been fortunate in life. My parents instilled in me at a young age the necessity of giving back. That spirit of generosity was reinforced by other family members and the gentlemen I had the opportunity to caddie for. My dedication to The Ouimet Fund specifically is because, with the help of my parents and The Fund, I was able to attend The College of the Holy Cross. My adult life was launched by the education and experiences I gained under the tutelage of the Jesuits at Holy Cross.
NEGM: How old were you when you learned to play golf? Who taught you?
DC: I learned golf by watching and trying to imitate the better players I caddied for. My uncle, Ernie Doherty, was a great golfer; he taught me the most about the game.
NEGM: What has been your lowest handicap? What is the best golf tip you have ever received?
DC: My lowest handicap was 0. Best golf tip–make a good shoulder turn.
NEGM: What are your favorite golf courses in New England?
DC: Kittansett, Marion, MA; Newport Country Club, Newport, RI; Charles River CC, Newton, MA; Vesper CC, Tyngsboro, MA.
NEGM: Who would be in your Dream Foursome of today? Of any time period? Reasons?
DC: Today: Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Gary Player. Any Time: Bobby Jones, Francis Ouimet, Arnold Palmer. Reason: In all cases, these men are the greatest golf players of all time, and all have transcended the game of golf because of what they have accomplished off the course.
NEGM: Have you been to The Masters or any other majors?
DC: Three Masters and three US Opens.
NEGM: You played golf with President George H. W. Bush. How did that round go?
DC: My favorite President. The experience exceeded my greatest expectations. President Bush immediately put me at ease. He gave me the feeling I was golfing with my father.
NEGM: Who are other memorable people you have met through your business and/or golf?
DC: I have met many interesting people in both business and golf. Some of the more famous folks are Gary Player, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, the entire Bush Family, Tom Ridge, Dan Rooney, Peter Lynch, Lee Iacocca, Jim Rohr.
NEGM: What is a favorite memory of your work with the Ouimet Scholarship Fund?
DC: Being fortunate to have Arnold Palmer as our first honoree for “Lifelong Contributions to Golf.” Also, I have enjoyed the student speakers at the annual banquet, listening to these students, whose lives have been changed, as mine was, because of the support of the Ouimet Scholarship. Their stories are humbling and amazing.
NEGM: You are bullish about golf and charities. Should we be bullish about the future of the stock market?
DC: I am bullish about golf and charities. And with the stock market, I am bullish, too, if you can commit to being a long term investor.
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