Edmund M. Mauro Jr., Class of 1954

“It was the stupidest idea I’d ever heard.” So said one youth worker of your plan to convert a crime-infested former gravel pit into a golf center for the multicultural, low-income children of your hometown of Providence. But years of hard work and four million dollars later, Button Hole Golf Club opened with practice areas, a driving range, and a short course that U.S.G.A. President Judy Bell has called “as good as any in the world.” Living within half a mile are eight hundred families with incomes under $10,000. Working with social service agencies, Button Hole now introduces more than one thousand youngsters each year to the life skills learned on the course: honesty, sportsmanship, perseverance. As eleven-year-old Samantha has said of her Button Hole experience: “Golf makes you learn patience. [In fact,] I’m still learning that.” The club’s mentoring program pairs youngsters with adults in relationships that benefit them both. The Providence Journal-Bulletin stated in an editorial that Button Hole “is already changing lives” and the U.S.G.A. promotes the center nationwide as a model for other communities to follow. It would be great if Button Hole produced the next Tiger Woods, but even greater if it produced the next Ed Mauro. After a long and successful career as a businessman and as a tireless civic volunteer, you dreamed of a project that would join your love of golf with your commitment to Providence. As Rhode Island’s P.G.A. star Brad Faxon has said: “Without [you], there is no way this would have happened. No one else in this state could have pulled this off.” In recognition of your distinguished achievement in youth service, Williams College is proud to honor you with its Bicentennial Medal.