Jim Kinnier Stanner Golf Classic

In the spring of 1987, twenty-five men representing the faculty and alumni of Archbishop Molloy High School gathered at Rock Hill Golf Club in Manorville. Jim Kinnier, Joe Smith and John Gibbons, also known as “The Three Amigos,” joined alumni from the classes of 1978 and 1979 and set out with nothing but cooler of beer in tow. Initially just a casual outing, the group later realized that this kind of event would have been the perfect opportunity to bring more alumni together to support Molloy and its students. They gathered again in 1988 and saw attendance double and money raised. An annual fundraiser was born.

Jim Kinnier, the Alumni Director at the time, organized a committee of alumni, faculty and friends to recruit corporate sponsors and recruit golfers to get the outing off the ground. Jim handled the particulars, John Gibbons forged a classy journal to recognize sponsors, and Joe Smith took on the raffle and auctions. An annual chairperson was established to serve as the “MC” for the event, while an honorary chairperson would recognize a loyal member of the Stanner community. Some of the most influential honorary chairs over the years include former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly ’59 and New York Post sports columnist Peter Vecsey ’61.