Memories

It was wonderful seeing everybody, but we couldn’t help wishing that Randy Drapeau (Chris’s brother) and Cyndi Paradise were sitting in their golf carts ready to do battle.

Jim Bruso, and Tom Whittington paired up this year: Jim has been playing at the Tournament for 5 years, Tom has made the last 10 years back to back – except one year when his boat was smashed up by a Hurricane, which he claimed was a legitimate excuse.

David Putnam commented: “We thought there would be lots of cheating this year. It always starts with Mike Roy, he’s the master.”

The Paradise clan was out in force with brother-in-law Bob and his two kids Amanda and Matt in attendance to support a cause that Cyndi loved.

Larry’s sister “Auntie Di” was seen harassing the participants with her daughter Kaitlyn, husband John, and sons Eric and Peter.

Susan Van Hook, one of the early pioneers, learned to play golf as a result of the Memorial Tournament. Susan was nudged into playing by Mike Roy and they teamed up with Mike’s late parents, Lorraine and Dave Roy. Susan has since joined a women’s league and her interest has taken off from there. “We’ve been competing strongly for the past 20 years. It’s all about the putts,” quips Roy.

Leanna, Larry’s daughter, is a former winner of the longest drive. Commenting on her relationship with the SIGMA family she observed how a story told by Larry in a previous issue of E-News has haunted her thereafter. “When I last changed jobs they did a background check and thanks to SIGMA’s social media, an anecdote my Dad had shared about me accidentally running him over in our driveway cropped up. The interviewer asked me straight-faced: “’How do you feel about running over your Dad?” 

This year, Larry and Chris’s son, Dr. Gregory Rybacki was absent because he was in the delivery room, hands on, assisting in the successful delivery of a baby girl. His friends still showed up for the cause, which is one of the things that most impresses Chris Rybacki, “the younger generation is taking on the cause.”

Everyone had a story to share: Marc Danais of Morgan Stanley attended with his son Greg, who formerly worked for SIGMA . Greg actually caddied for his Dad in his teens at the Tournament. Now he teams up with his Dad to compete!

Confidentially one insider shared a story about a feud between two golfing ladies. The feud, which surfaced at WASDA, has spilled over into the Rybacki Tournament with the ladies jostling for the Women’s Longest Drive. While rain stopped play this year, we understand Nancy Federspiel and Zoe Dodge have doubled down and are insisting the rivalry will resurface as a grudge match in 2024.

The “best-dressed” award went to four long-time friends of Greg Rybacki, who have supported the Tournament for nearly a decade. They sported matching shirts: “We found the ugliest ones we could,” said the team’s spokesman.

West Boylston’s HR Prescott, the “original” Prescott according to Sam Prescott, a 37-year veteran of the waterworks industry who discussed his prospects: “I play in the co-ed division with my wife, Nancy. We usually win because of her.” When asked, “What’s her handicap? Sam deadpanned, “Me.”