Dewire shows the way for Babson golf squad

When Travis Dewire was 5, his father, Andy, caught him hitting golf balls out of a flower bed.

"I told him, 'Dad, you've got to play it where it lies,' " recalled Dewire, a senior captain on Babson College's golf team this spring.

His passion has served the Wellesley High graduate well.

In October, Dewire received the Guy Tedesco Award, presented to the New England college golfer who has made a significant contribution in active participation, exemplary behavior, promotion of the game, leadership and sportsmanship.

"Travis has developed into a magnificent leader," said Babson coach Mike Vassalotti. "He loves golf, and it shows every time he steps onto the course. He also shows the utmost respect for his teammates, coaches, opponents, and the game itself."

A four-year varsity player and two-year captain at the Wellesley school, Dewire was named to the Golf Coaches Association of America All-Northeast Team last spring when he was Babson's top finisher in six of nine events.

Dewire, whose Babson teammates include freshman Bryan Eger of Hopkinton, posted his team's best score in all four events last fall, including a first-place finish at the competitive Duke Nelson Invitational at Middlebury College - right after he changed putters.

"I felt I had played very well last fall and part of my success was because my friend, Victor Melfa III, lent me his putter and that really improved that part of my game," said Dewire, who led the Wellesley High golf squad to the Bay State Conference title as a senior.

Dewire's best career round came last summer, when he fired a 5-under 67 on his home course, Brae Burn Country Club in Newton, where he won the club championship two years ago.

Newton native Bobby Bernstein, Waltham native Hubie LeBlanc, and Fred Marden of Framingham will be among the inductees to the Brandeis University Athletic Hall of Fame during ceremonies Sunday at the Westin hotel in Waltham.

Bernstein (class of 1985) won New England singles tennis championships as a junior and senior and the doubles title his senior year at Brandeis.

A two-time captain and an NCAA tournament qualifier, he now resides in Boca Raton, Fla., and is administrator of junior and collegiate programs for the US Tennis Association.

LeBlanc (class of '58), who lives in West Newton, is being inducted as a contributor for his 11 years as an assistant coach of the university's basketball and baseball teams. LeBlanc was captain of the 1957-58 basketball team, the first Brandeis squad to play in the NCAA Tournament.

Marden ('65), a graduate of Marian High in Framingham and a Red Sox fourth-round draft pick, was one of the top pitchers in the early years of the Brandeis baseball program. He once struck out 26 batters in a 12-inning game, including 20 in the first nine innings.

Marden works in real estate in the Framingham area.