Golf Tournament to Benefit Hunter Giroux Memorial Scholarship

One of Ellington's most selfless volunteers is being honored for the amazing impact he had on the lives of many of the town's student-athletes.

The Hunter Giroux Memorial Scholarship has been created due to the efforts of the Ellington Community Scholarship Association (ECSA) and the Giroux family. The scholarship will be awarded yearly to a deserving Ellington High School student-athlete who grew up playing youth sports in town and continued to participate in athletics throughout high school.

Senior Gregory Ussery was the first recipient of the award; he will be attending Eastern Connecticut State University in the fall, majoring in business.

Giroux devoted many years to coaching youth sports in Ellington, and served on the town's Parks and Recreation Board. He passed away unexpectedly on Nov. 27, 2012 at age 54.

His three sons - Cody, Brady and Trevor - all were members of state championship varsity teams at Ellington High School. Their dad felt that lessons learned while playing sports helped student-athletes excel in all aspects of life. His goal was to help Ellington athletes reach their full potential.

Giroux's business career culminated with him leading Connecticut Occupational Medicine Partners, an affiliate of St. Francis Hospital. The hospital is supporting the scholarship by acting as presenting sponsor of the first Hunter Giroux Memorial Golf Tournament.

The golf outing will be held Monday, July 29 at Ellington Ridge Country Club, where Giroux was a member. The tournament is nearly sold out, according to ECSA president Jim Connolly.

Anyone interested in participating in or sponsoring the tournament may contact chairman Jay Margnelli at 860-922-4120, or via email at margnelli@sbcglobal.net.