Al Watrous, Watrous Family, and Marty H. Stark

Martin H. “Marty” Stark is a longtime Saginaw businessman, philanthropist, and community booster. Mr. Stark is a graduate of Arthur Hill High School. He has been honored with the Frank N. Andersen Spirit of Philanthropy Award and the Samuel H. Shaheen Vision of Free Enterprise Award. Mr. Stark founded Arrow Paper Products in 1948, and holds numerous U.S. and foreign patents. He served as the company’s President until his retirement in 2000.

He has devoted much of his time to serving his community. His many affiliations have included the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce (former chairman of the board), Saginaw Manufacturers Association (past president), Opportunities Industrialization Center (founder and former chairman of the board), the Bishop’s Community Affairs Committee, the United Way, the Private Industry Advisory Council, and the Saginaw Community Foundation.

Mr. Stark is a devoted philanthropist, and established the Robert E. Stark and Martin H. Stark Donor Advised Fund through the Saginaw Community Foudation which distributed $30,000 to nine different organizations in a single year. He established this scholarship fund and the Dr. Benjamin Stark Biology Scholarship at SVSU. An avid golfer, Mr. Stark credits his friend and mentor, Al Watrous, with sparking his interest in the game that has meant so much to him during his lifetime.

Mr. Watrous was an excellent teacher of the game of golf, and was the professional at the Oakland Hills Country Club for 37 years. An outstanding player, Mr. Watrous was the runner-up to Bobby Jones in the 1926 British Open and was a three-time winner of the PGA Seniors’ Championship. Mr. Watrous won the Michigan Open a record six times (first in 1926 and last in 1949) and he won the Michigan PGA championship an incredible nine times. Mr. Watrous died in 1983, just two months before his 85th birthday.

As a tribute to his good friend and teacher, Al Watrous, Marty Stark established this scholarship fund in 1998 to assist members of the SVSU golf team who demonstrate dedication to the game of golf during their high school and/or college years.