Northport Athletes Earn Jeffrey Conner Scholarship

The home runs keep coming for Jeffrey Conner.

While the baseball star died during his senior year in 2006, his name lives on in the form of three $1,000 scholarships.

The 2012 Jeffrey Conner Memorial Scholarship has been awarded to Northport seniors Tyler Bivona, Briana Halpin and Ryan Pape.

The scholarships are available to members of the Tigers baseball and softball teams that are college-bound. Bivona will attend Franklin Pierce University to pursue studies in business sports management. Halpin plans to study pre-veterinary medicine at Mercy College. Pape is headed to SUNY Oneonta.

“This is one of the most prestigious scholarships offered to any high school senior and the award winners should be especially proud to be linked with such an outstanding young man as Jeffrey Conner,” said Lou Schiavetta, a Northport graduate and legendary local basketball and football coach. “It’s important for the community to keep supporting the mission of the Conner Scholarship Fund so it can continue recognizing our top student-athletes in such a generous way.”

The scholarships are awarded each year to those who submit application essays about their sports and lives. Parents Jayne and Jack Conner and older brother John, himself a Northport baseball alum, oversaw the selection process. 

Jeffrey Conner died in a car crash Jan. 19, 2006. He was an All-league catcher who batted .430 as a junior. He hoped to someday play college baseball. The Jeffrey Conner Memorial Scholarship Fund has raised and awarded nearly $70,000 to student-athletes at his alma mater, Northport High School.

The 7th Annual Jeffrey Conner Memorial Scholarship Fund Golf Outing will be held July 11 at . The event will include 18 holes of golf. A shotgun start will kick-off play at 1:30 p.m. Complimentary beverages will be available around the course. A barbeque-style lunch is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Dinner will be served in the clubhouse’s View Restaurant immediately following play at 6 p.m.  In addition to the promised “mouth watering” buffet, there will be live music and entertainment. 

To reserve a spot for golf only ($110), golf and dinner ($195) or dinner only ($85), send a check in the appropriate amount payable to: Jeffrey Conner Memorial Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 672, East Northport, New York 11731.

For more information about the July 11 golf outing or the scholarship fund, send an e-mail to info@jeffreyconner.com or call Jayne Conner at 516-827-0865, John Conner at 516-786-5484, Jack Conner at 516-429-4716 or Bill Sandmann at 631-848-4658.