The Hidalgo Memorial Golf Tournament participants are captured for posterity.

The loss of a close friend spurred a group of SU alums to commit to not only remembering their friend, but to do a better job of “nurturing the friendships and bonds of brotherhood” forged in college. As a result the first-ever Hidalgo Memorial Golf Tournament was held in September 2005.

More than 40 SU graduates, mainly Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity brothers, came from as far as California and North Carolina to pay tribute to their friend and brother, Jeff Hidalgo ’82 who died in 2004.

After a round of “mediocre to really awful golf,” tournament participants shared a dinner punctuated with stories and photographs of their college years. Photographs of the tournament, a card signed by all the golfers, and a check for the “care and education” of Jeff’s daughters, Hayley and Natalie, were sent to Jeff’s wife Robbyn after the event.

Vince Hall ’83 (left) and Mark Yolton ’83 strike a pose. Below, Kevin McCoy ’84, Mike McLane ’84, Ed Pires ’85, Paul Gerlach ’85, and Mark Brosso ’84 are all smiles at having a day filled with fun and memories.

According to tournament organizer, Dan Lista ’83, the idea of a golf tournament formed quickly as it reflected Jeff’s love of golf specifically and sports in general.

The event also showed “how strong the bonds of friendship are, even more than 20 years after our experience at Ship,” Dan said. “We learned how important it is to take the time and make the effort to renew and reinforce those friendships while we still have the opportunity.”

In addition to Jeff’s college classmates, Hidalgo family members and several of Jeff’s high school classmates participated in the tournament.