A Facelift for the Evans Scholars House

Dedication ceremony for $5 million renovation of Evans house

October 7, 2010 | by Erin White

Video produced by Erin White

EVANSTON, Ill. --- The first Evans Scholarship House was established at Northwestern University in 1940, ten years after golf great Charles “Chick” Evans began the Evans Scholars Program for golf caddies. The current house has been rehabbed, expanded and fitted with the latest technology, making room for more Evans Scholars under one roof.

The renovated Evans Scholarship House will be dedicated Sunday, Oct. 10.

Evans, who grew up playing golf and worked as a golf caddy, attended Northwestern for one year and then had to leave for financial reasons. After he found success on the golf course as an adult, he established the scholarship program so that deserving golf caddies could attend college on full-ride scholarships, including housing.

It is the scholarship house concept --- Evans scholars living and learning together --- that makes the program unique.

The Western Golf Association (WGA) administers the Evans Scholarship Foundation. Today, the foundation has become golf’s favorite charity. An estimated 100,000 golfers contribute annually to the Evans Scholars Program so the WGA can continue to meet tuition and housing costs that exceed $11 million each year. Today there are 845 Evans Scholars at 19 universities and 14 scholarship houses across the country.