The Arts Tee Off for Ralph Martinelli

The late Ralph Martinelli loved the game of golf and he played it whenever he could. He also loved his family, his friends, and everything about his home county of Westchester, especially the arts. On Tuesday, September 22, the arts will show their love of him as well. At its annual golf outing, ArtsWestchester will honor the memory of Martinelli. The first “ArtsWestchester Ralph Martinelli Memorial Golf Outing” will be held at Wykagyl Country Club in New Rochelle, where the annual outing has been held for over five years. The event is one of ArtsWestchester’s most popular fundraisers, raising a record $100K last year for the organization. Members of Martinelli’s family, and many of his friends, play in support of the arts organization, where Martinelli served as a board member for almost fifteen years until his passing.

Says Josh Worby, Executive & Artistic Director of the Westchester Philharmonic, of Martinelli’s support of the arts: “The Westchester Philharmonic was fortunate to exist within Ralph’s sphere. He didn’t place borders around his willingness to go further. [During a meeting,] I mentioned a nettlesome problem I was working on. It was at that moment that the generous, kind, selfless and deeply attentive Ralph Martinelli was revealed to me with those four magnanimous words every not-for-profit loves to hear: ‘how can I help?’ At that moment, he was no longer a trusted business ally, but a true friend.”

The ArtsWestchester Ralph Martinelli Memorial Golf Outing is a tribute to Martinelli, who celebrated creativity in everything he did. Whether building Westchester Magazine, or creating a brand like the publication’s “Best of Westchester” awards, he showed a generosity of spirit that attracted friends from all over. Martinelli was a patron of the arts and a lover of life who believed in what he did, and did it with passion.