BOURNE, Mass. – Finding people who agree on anything these days is a rarity, so imagine how the joy overflowed Monday upon arrival at Brookside Golf Club. The impetus for this trip was to meet George MacClary, a man whose legend had been pitched to me.
There’s no one like him, folks said.
An ex-Marine who reached the rank of Lance Corporal, he was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds endured in a firefight in Vietnam. Captain in the Waltham Fire Department where MacClary did more than fight fires; he helped a parade of colleagues in their quest for sobriety, actively involved in the Employee Assistants Program.
To the surprise of no one who knows him, when retirement arrived and he was afforded more free time, MacClary discovered another cause to pour his heart into. Now 78, MacClary continues his effort to raise funds for Hope For The Warriors. (A national non-profit, it is dedicated to restoring stability, strength, and community to military families.)
Now there was nothing but unanimous opinions offered to me – that MacClary was the definition of selfless, that he worked tirelessly for veterans who need help, that he has been the unbeatable force behind golf tournaments at Brookside for 12 years and Bear Lakes (West Palm Beach, Fla.) for 16 that have generated nearly $2m for the veterans.
Oh, and one other small caveat that everyone agreed upon. “You might not get much from George. He doesn’t talk about himself that much.” Which proved to be quite true.
But that is OK, my friends, because there was a line of people wanting to sing the glory of this man.
“He is a saint,” said Erin Thompson, a National Director with Hope For The Warriors.
* * *
On a day that began with a sky as gray as charcoal ashes, spits of rain fell but it was of no concern to George MacClary. He greeted every arrival, golfers carrying their golf bags, with warm reverence. Smiles were everywhere and as he watched the proceedings Richard McCarthy nodded his approval.
He owns Brookside, a cozy par-70 that can stretch to 6,300 yards and is conveniently located just 2 miles from Bourne Bridge. But Richard McCarthy also spends much of his winter at Bear Lakes in West Palm Beach, where George MacClary began hosting charity tournaments for Hope For The Wounded in 2010 (four years after it was founded).
The more he was around MacClary, the more McCarthy was in awe and when he asked the “one question I had, where does the money go?” and discovered that with Hope For The Warriors 92 cents of every dollar goes directly to the veterans, his mind was made up to offer help.
Twelve years later, with Hope For The Warriors achieving 4-out-of-4 star rating from Charity Navigator as one of the highest top-performing non-profits for fiscal responsibility, McCarthy stands steadfastly behind his trust in MacClary and this non-profit that has reached over 203,000 service members.
“The course is theirs for the day,” said McCarthy. “I do this for George. He is the real deal.”
Standing quietly to the side, McCarthy joined so many others to hear Matthew Levesque – associate director of development and a tenor singer with the Cape Symphony – offer a stirring rendition of the National Anthem.
Veterans, “those who had earned it,” said MacClary, could salute, but others put their right hands over their hearts and as Levesque sang the sky brightened. “Who knew he had the power to bring the sun?” laughed MacClary.
Opening tee shots were that much closer, but some business was still in order. For the many years of his generosity to Hope For The Warriors, McCarthy was presented a beautiful painting of his Brookside Club done by Robert “Shrek” Harrell. Though years younger, Harrell shares common bonds with MacClary – ex-Marine, retired firefighter, passionate about this charity – and his gift to McCarthy was promptly given prime space.
“It’s in the foyer as soon as you walk in,” said McCarthy, whose brief remarks to those in attendance were from the heart. “I hope they know they don’t go unnoticed,” he said of the veterans and the HFTW volunteers.
George MacClary (in top photo) receives a special visit from his daughter Jordan and his twin grandchildren Jake, left, and Blake, right. In bottom photo, it is a means of transportation at charity golf tournaments for the Hope For The Warriors charity, but it also offers great branding.
Another artist was in the field of golfers, though Nelson Figueroa’s patriotic t-shirts that he designed in the aftermath of 911 25 years ago was a sidenote to more compelling ties to this gathering. Like many in attendance, he had Waltham connections (a standout pitcher with Brandeis back in the late 1990s) and owns a soft spot in his heart for this area (he played for Wareham in the Cape Cod League in 1994).
But the righthander who pitched for six teams over an 11-year MLB career was more interested to explain his allegiance to this wonderful non-profit. A Brooklyn native, Figueroa was honored to play for the New York Mets and at a fantasy camp one year he met Erin Thompson and they talked of a food project that would be held at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.
The line was hours long, he recalled, but to Figueroa's surprise he learned those were American soldiers waiting to eat.
“The food was for our own servicemen,” he said. “That is unacceptable. I was brought to tears.”
Those words surely resonated with MacClary, who when he finally took a few moments to talk in between visits to the first tee where he greeted golfers, echoed Figueroa’s sentiments.
“Years ago I was like so many other (veterans) who had gotten injured in a war,” he said. “And I saw (first hand) how the government and the VA doesn’t take care of them like they should.
“I looked at my options (to give) and saw that Hope For The Warriors gives 92 percent of the donations. That’s great and I started that Florida tournament.”
Softly spoken were his words, yet there was not much more for him to say. But others continued to speak of his goodness.
“So many people are sober because of him and my father (Malcolm MacClary, George’s older brother by six years),” said Mike MacClary, a nephew. “But you won’t hear George take credit for it, just like this fund-raiser. He does it quietly. It’s the way he is.”
“Been that way since he was a kid,” said Dan Doyle, who grew up in Waltham with Geoge MacClary, was a high school football teammate, and attends the charity tournament every year.
“In high school he was on the football team (Waltham in MacClary's senior year was undefeated and ranked No. 1 in 1965), a 5-9, 155-pound guard and linebacker and in the 50 years I’ve coached high school athletes I’ve never seen a player with more (determination) than George.
“Everything he’s done, he’s gotten to the top of the mountain – football, the Marines, the fire department, now helping those families that need help, no questions asked.”
There was pulsating sunshine now, golfers who had started on other holes kept making their trip the first tee and there was George MacClary offering thanks for their attendance, asking if there was anything he could do for them.
In a country where so many of our politicians and citizenry have forgotten the veterans who served and often with great sacrifices, George MacClary is one man picking up the slack, a shining layer of loyalty. That he does it far from the spotlight and with great humility is wondrous.
“Because of George, we are touching people we normally wouldn’t touch,” said Erin Thompson. “He is spreading hope.”
