Dedication marks next milestone for the nation's largest Evans Scholars chapter
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Evans Scholars Foundation leaders, major supporters and Illinois Evans Scholars attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony and dedication of the new Polizzi Family Evans Scholarship House at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign on Saturday, Nov. 8.
The ESF, which is overseen by the Western Golf Association, sends youth caddies to college on full tuition and housing scholarships. Currently, there are a record 1,260 Scholars attending 27 universities nationwide.
The Illinois Evans Scholars chapter was established in 1951 and will celebrate its 75th anniversary next year, in 2026. Since its founding, nearly 1,500 Evans Scholars have graduated from the University of Illinois — making it the Program's largest chapter.
A crowd of more than 100 people celebrated the next milestone in the chapter’s history — the dedication of the new Polizzi Family Evans Scholarship House at 205 E. Armory Ave., as well as the renovation of the current Polizzi Family Evans Scholarship House, at 1007 S. Third St., which was built in 2002.
Since then, the Illinois program has continued to grow; there are now 150 Evans Scholars attending the University of Illinois. The House on Third Street is home to freshmen and sophomore Evans Scholars; juniors and seniors live at the Armory location.
“We’re honored to be back here today to help keep Chick Evans’ dream alive for a new generation of young caddies as we celebrate this next milestone,” said the ESF’s Senior Vice President of Education, Brian Shell. “This Scholarship House represents a tremendous opportunity not only for the 150 Evans Scholars attending Illinois this year, but for generations of promising caddies to come.”
The new Polizzi House on Armory, located across the street from the original House, is 20,000 square feet with room for up to 80 Scholars. The site has undergone a major renovation in the last year. The original 34,000-square-foot house, on S. Third Street, received a lower-level remodel with a new chapter room and study spaces and a refreshed main level.
Illinois Evans Scholars chapter president Michael Strozak talked about how both Scholarship homes represent community. “Throughout my four years as an Evans Scholars, the community that I was welcomed into and the people I have met along the way have meant so much to me,” he said. “I want to emphasize how proud we are to be living within these walls and to be able to continue strengthening our community.”
Both Scholarship Houses are named in honor of lead donor Frank Polizzi, an Illinois Evans Scholar Alum and WGA volunteer leader. Polizzi grew up in Chicago and caddied at Oak Park Country Club before earning an Evans Scholarship to Illinois. He went on to tremendous professional success, founding Mass Marketing Insurance Group in 1984. Known as a direct marketing visionary, the work he pioneered at MMI Group revolutionized the industry, and the service practices he established are now widely used today.
Polizzi and his wife, Lynne, who live in the Philadelphia area, have been longtime supporters of the ESF and have generously funded the Eastern Caddie Academy, overseen by the WGA, since it began in 2018.
Polizzi spoke to the crowd, which included about 100 current Scholars, about how special the Evans Scholars Program is to him.
“We’re changing lives; we’re helping young people realize that life can be more than maybe they ever realized it could be,” he said. “So to us, it’s our honor to have been involved. And I loved (this Program) then, and I love it now.”